How To Start Your Very First Youth Improv Troupe
by Hannah Renee Crawford, Guest Editorial
Starting an improv troupe for the first time can be incredibly intimidating. Add youth ages into the mix and the vision of throwing papers everywhere and walking out comes to mind. However, it doesn’t have to be a terrifying experience. We just need to do a little bit of research first and have a game plan in mind.
Straight out of college, I co-ran a youth improv troupe that had been up and running for many years. I saw how smoothly it ran and spent many great performances seeing the fruits of what I thought was my labor.
Flash forward a few years after that when I moved and branched out on my own. I knew I wanted to start an improv troupe because I had such a passion to give young people an outlet to be themselves. But, I made some pretty hefty mistakes that didn’t allow me to be as prepared as I should have been. And my desire is to make sure you don’t repeat my shortcomings.
Choose Improv Games Ahead of Time
As fun and exciting as improv is, we have to make sure we follow a set of rules. Otherwise, the acting will be all over the place, trust me! I could tell you stories about horrible improv troupes that never followed any rules and how distasteful and unorganized those shows ended up being. Tattoo these five rules to the troupe's brain, and I guarantee you will have the best results.
Location
Relationship
Conflict
Climax
Resolution
Location
The first key to playing a game is where you are located. In the words of the Santa Clara County Office of Education, “Good scenes take place somewhere and at sometime. They do not take place on an empty stage.” Try your hand at an underground government basement, the beaches of Cancun, or the jungles of Australia.
Relationship
The second key to playing a game is what your relationship with the other characters is. It makes a difference if your relationship with the other character is schoolmates, clowns, aliens, whales, etc.
Conflict
The third key to playing a game is what the conflict in the scene is. Scenes would be awfully dull if there was no conflict. No one wants to see a scene where Mr.
Fancy Pants go shopping for chicken and nothing happens.
Climax
The fourth key to playing a game is the climax in the scene. As exciting as conflict is, we have to step up the excitement by increasing the problem.
*Note: conflicts\climaxes are not always between characters. Sometimes the conflict is with the object or location.
Resolution
The fifth and final key to playing a game is the resolution in the scene. The scenes are filled with problems and climaxes; however, we must in some way resolve these.
*Note: A resolution doesn’t always have to end well. Sometimes the prince does get the princess and they live happily ever after. And sometimes the prince is a frog and when the princess kisses him, she dies instead. Balance is key. No one wants to see an improv team always perform death scenes. Likewise, no one wants to see scenes that always end gushy and mushy.
Now that you have these five rules down packed it’s time to pick out some fun games! I’m sure you’ve taken to YouTube or Google to find the best games out there. It can seem very overwhelming to find out how many options are out there. Don’t panic. Simply select three games at first and run them to see if they vibe well with you and your troupe, and then move on from there. Let’s look at three well-loved games below!
Freeze , 2+ players
Two players will begin a scene and continue acting out until the host calls “freeze!” Once they freeze, a third player will enter and select someone to leave the game and assume their frozen position. When the host calls out “unfreeze” the players will begin acting out a brand new scene based on those positions.
Scene 3 Ways, 2 players
The players will act out a random scene. After the short scene is over, the host will ask the audience for three movie genres (horror, action, drama, etc.). Then the players will have to recreate the exact scene using those three different genres provided.
Talk Show. 3 players
One player will be a talk show host. The other two players will be acting as one person. And every time the talk show host asks a question, the two must talk at the same time but say the exact same thing (eye contact is key here!)
I also recommend 101 Improv Games for Children and Adults as a great starting point if you’re looking for a book you can put in your hands!
Don’t Pick the Improv Troupe Name Out Yourself!
This is perhaps one of the most important steps to follow out of this whole article. It may seem counterintuitive compared to the rest of these steps. Because I keep telling you to be prepared in advance. However, when it comes to picking out a name, you want the young people in your troupe to pick that out.
It is something that is personal and once the name is decided upon, your group will feel a sense of pride. You will find that the tickets to your shows will sell themselves because the young people feel as though they have a monetary stake in this troupe.
Don’t spring name-choosing on the troupe on your first rehearsal. Wait a few weeks until everyone gets acquainted with each other and with you as troupe director. You can use the weeks ahead of time as a way to get them excited that they have to come up with a name to offer on that date when you choose a name.
I’ve had kids recommend names that turned into great troupe names such as the Drama Llamas and the Lunatics. Like who comes up with that type of stuff? Young people who are passionate about taking comedy to the next level that’s who! And I can tell you in both of these instances, both troupes were a success in the community, and I didn’t even pick the names.
The final thing to remember is to have fun! Improv has its ups and downs. Don’t let that get under your skin. Young people love the chance to get up on stage and act like the stars they know they are. Help guide them to stay on point and watch the comedy unfold!