SMARTS Improv Acting 101
Grade: 3-7
Teacher: Randi Banning
A Note from Your SMARTS Teacher
While I am super sad had to cut our Improv class short, this is a great time to say, “yes…and” by offering you guys an opportunity to show off your improv skills via video!
Review
- The purpose of all theatre is to communicate with the audience. Making a video of your improv, watching it, and asking yourself, “What does this communicate?” is a great way to become a better actor.
- The fundamentals of acting are who, what, when, where, why and sight, taste, smell, touch, sound. When practicing improv, it’s as easy as establishing those first five and then using your imagination to make your own senses come alive. Do your best to make it real so your audience can suspend disbelief.
- An ounce of acting is worth a ton of words. Saying, “I am baking a cake!” is fine, but pantomiming so your audience believes you are baking a cake is far more interesting!
- “Yes…and” is the key to improv. On stage (as well as in life) you will be offered all kinds of off-the-wall ideas. Do your best to accept those ideas and add to them. This is TRUE collaboration!
- Even in the simplest improv scenes, we need to have a beginning, middle, and an end.
- When you are making your video, just like when you are on stage, it is important for your audience to be able to see and hear you.
- Finally, one of the most important things I want you to practice is the 3-step critique. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to do this with one another’s improv videos but find some way to utilize it when watching tv, movies, viewing art, ballet, hearing music, whatever. It applies to ALL art. Remember; the 3 steps are: 1. “I liked…” 2. Question 3. “I would have loved to see…”
- The fundamentals of acting are who, what, when, where, why and sight, taste, smell, touch, sound. When practicing improv, it’s as easy as establishing those first five and then using your imagination to make your own senses come alive. Do your best to make it real so your audience can suspend disbelief.
- An ounce of acting is worth a ton of words. Saying, “I am baking a cake!” is fine, but pantomiming so your audience believes you are baking a cake is far more interesting!
- “Yes…and” is the key to improv. On stage (as well as in life) you will be offered all kinds of off-the-wall ideas. Do your best to accept those ideas and add to them. This is TRUE collaboration!
- Even in the simplest improv scenes, we need to have a beginning, middle, and an end.
- When you are making your video, just like when you are on stage, it is important for your audience to be able to see and hear you.
- Finally, one of the most important things I want you to practice is the 3-step critique. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to do this with one another’s improv videos but find some way to utilize it when watching tv, movies, viewing art, ballet, hearing music, whatever. It applies to ALL art. Remember; the 3 steps are: 1. “I liked…” 2. Question 3. “I would have loved to see…”
Remember! Improv isn’t planned. You don’t need to make sets or write scripts, just choose a prompt, grab a parent to film it, and go!
SMARTS Lesson
Record yourself doing one of the following improv challenges!
If you happen to have a built-in scene partner (sibling) in class with you try one (or more) of the following:
Record yourself doing one of the following improv challenges!
If you happen to have a built-in scene partner (sibling) in class with you try one (or more) of the following:
- Hidden Cave: (For this you will simply need a table that you can crawl under.) You are in an environment, interacting with that environment appropriately (ie, shopping in a store, hiking in the woods, learning in a classroom, etc). You discover a cave/cupboard/wardrobe and enter it for some reason (what would cause you to enter it, are you hiding? Curious?) It happens to lead you to an entirely different place, react accordingly.
- Tug of War: (No props required.) We only got to do this a few times, but you did it so well…it was one of my favorites! Remember, you have to really pay attention to make sure the rope isn’t growing and shrinking…and one team has to lose eventually.
- I got you this…: (No props required.) We’ve done this one quite a bit, here is the “script”. I’d love to see you explore emotions like sadness, confidence, awe, hope, glee, or disgust:
- “I got you this ___boring gift___.”
- react with ___emotion___, respond with ___emotion___
- offer details of the gift and why you chose it for them
- intensified reaction, intensified response
- offer more details of the gift and why you chose it for them
- further intensified reaction, further intensified response
- Here to There: (No props required.) Travel from one place to another as if you were travelling through a very specific environment or substance. Some of my favorites are: through sticky marshmallow, through the south pole (watch out for penguins!), through a crowded movie theatre, through slippery ice, through the jungle, through a rain storm…or come up with some of your own!
- Phone Reactions: (No props required…but have someone off camera make your ringing sound effect.) You receive a phone call, answer it, and have a believable conversation. Some of my favorites are: your dog calls to tell you he’s hungry, a relative calls to tell you someone is in the hospital, your principal calls because you won a scholarship, the president calls because only you can save the world…or come up with some of your own!
- Can-o-Beans: (For this one you just need a food item with cooking instructions printed on it). We never got to do this one in class…but it’s another of my favorites. Get out a can of beans or other food product that has instructions on the package. Choose a character (3-year-old, little old lady, cowboy, surfer, cheerleader, busy mom, mad scientist, superhero, or come up with your own!) Read the directions aloud and follow them while in character.
End Objective
Students should demonstrate acting by improvising with props, their imagination, and their surroundings without scripting or planning ahead.
Students should demonstrate acting by improvising with props, their imagination, and their surroundings without scripting or planning ahead.
Share your work in the SMARTS Spring 2020 Student Gallery!
SMARTS families/students, the button below will take you to a site where you can upload your work. Please upload only one picture or video per class (Photography 101 students can share up to 3 photos). Videos must be no longer than 2 minutes in length.
By submitting your work to SMARTS, you are giving your consent for us to share your work in the SMARTS Student Art Gallery and publicly on our social media, website, etc. This submission overrides your media release preferences and gives SMARTS your permission to share what you have uploaded. It is SMARTS discretion which photo and video submissions will be publicly shared. Thank you.
By submitting your work to SMARTS, you are giving your consent for us to share your work in the SMARTS Student Art Gallery and publicly on our social media, website, etc. This submission overrides your media release preferences and gives SMARTS your permission to share what you have uploaded. It is SMARTS discretion which photo and video submissions will be publicly shared. Thank you.