5 Improvisation and Ensemble Work Free Online FlashCards

What is improvisation?

Improvisation is the spontaneous creation of dramatic action without a fully written script.

What does spontaneity require in improvisation?

Respond to what is happening now instead of planning a line before your partner finishes.

What is an offer in improvisation?

An offer is any contribution that gives a scene something to build on, such as dialogue, a gesture, an emotion, movement, or a setting detail.

What should performers establish to clarify an improvised scene?

Establish who the characters are, where they are, and what is happening.

How does an ensemble make a scene more coherent?

Share focus and make partners’ contributions useful instead of competing to impose separate ideas.

What should improvisers listen and look for in partners’ contributions?

Listen to partners’ words, tone, gestures, and actions; these details suggest how to respond and what the scene has established.

What does it mean to accept an offer?

Accepting an offer means treating its basic information as true within the scene.

What does the “Yes, and” principle mean?

Acknowledge what your partner establishes, then add a connected detail or action. It is a mindset, not a phrase actors must repeat.

Does accepting an offer mean a character must agree with another character?

No. Characters may disagree with one another while the performers still honor the scene’s established reality.

Why can contradicting an offer stall a scene?

It ignores the shared situation instead of building on it, which can stall the scene.

What makes an addition to an offer strong?

A strong addition grows from the shared situation; an unrelated idea can pull the scene away from what partners established.

What gives characters something to do in a scene?

Give characters a playable task, need, or problem that creates action.