Dyna Moe’s terrific poster diagramming the Harold. I wish this poster was still available to buy somewhere. It looks like she took it down from Cafe Press.
I have a class that begins on Monday. There are only two spots left. This is an 8 week improv class with three performances at Hump Night. More info and instructions on how to apply.
How would you like to be a Hump Night intern and take my Monday night performance class for free?
Right now I’m looking for someone to help with box office, tech and setup on Wednesday nights at Hump Night. In return for working the show, you could take my Monday night improv class for free. If you are interested, please send me an email (ircmullaney@gmail.com) with any relavant tech or box office experience (not required). In addition, fill out the application for the class.
An actor is called into a casting office to audition. He brings his headshot and resume with him, greets the casting people and introduces his audition piece: a monolog from a play called The Audition. He takes a moment to collect himself and asks, “Can I use this chair?”
The auditioners respond, “Yes.”
The actor stops and tells them that he was doing the monolog, that question was part of the monolog and they shouldn’t respond. And at that moment, the game of the scene has begun. Here is the whole sketch to watch:
Mr. Show was a sketch show on TV, not a improv show, but the sketches from that show usually had excellent examples of game. And you can usually break them down in the same way you might an improv scene.
What is the basic situation?
What is the first unusual thing?
If that, then what?
What is the basic situation?
In this scene, it’s an audition in a casting office. If you are an actor, the situation will be very familiar. There is an expected flow that happens in this situation. You bring in your resume. You greet the auditioners. You introduce your audition piece. There is usually a chair in the room and it’s not uncommon to ask if you can use it. These are all ordinary details that we expect to happen. As the scene goes on, there are several other details that might happen in a typical audition.
What is the first unusual thing?
The first unusual thing is the first line of the monolog. It doesn’t sound like a monolog, but rather something the actor might actually say in the room. Which we only realize after the auditioner interrupts by answering the question.
If that, then what?
Each time the pattern is repeated it changes a little, and heightens a little. One time, the actor waits a very long time after asking if he can use the chair. Later he berates the auditioners for not responding to him. One great example is how the actor says, “Don’t just look at each other,” right at the point where they look at each other. They have a moment where the auditioners point out how strange it is that the monolog has that line right in the exact moment when they would look at each other.
If you want to know how to play a game, a good use of your time would be to watch episodes of Mr Show and break them down just like this. What is the situation? What is unusual? If that, then what? Here is a list of a few more Mr Show sketches to check out.
If you are in Chicago and want to learn the Game of the Scene from Kevin Mullaney, check out the new Core Improv Program at the Improv Resource Center. A new class begins in January, 2017.
Here is the line up for this Wednesday’s Mullaney Chain: I asked Dina Facklis (Second City Tourco, Virgin Daiquiri, Armando), she asked Jeff Murdoch (ButchMAX), he asked Jo Scott (Henrietta Pussycat, Super Human, WiseSnatch, Meow Meow Ruff) and she asked Tim Reardon (ButchMAX).
By the way, this is the second time Tim has been asked to be a part of Mullaney Chain. Matt Manley asked him to be in the show a few months back when we played at Upstairs Gallery. One thing I’m noticing is that not only do people choose good improvisors when they get a chance to invite someone, they tend to ask super nice people as well. The show always seems to be filled with generous, cool people and it’s one reason why I love doing it.
I’m offering a two day intensive version of my Improvising from the Gut workshop. It’s coming up in two weeks.
I thought people might want to read some feedback from previous versions of this workshop:
“What I got, was an amazingly intense experience that demanded everyone involved to put their guard down and truly emote and share… What took place in the scene work was extraordinary… At first it was interesting how well we were all doing, by the end it was almost surreal as to how well we had worked together and what it would have been if it were a complete show.”
– Patrick McInnis
“I liked everything about the class… the warm ups were perfect… the exercises lead up to the scene work well… and there was a causal but learning atmosphere tended by Kevin… and his notes were specific and personal to each individual yet as an observer to scenes I learned as well. Kevin has an ability to and break down complex organic thoughts and simplify them… therefore making it easier to ‘grab hold’ of and ‘work with’ these ideas. I came out of the workshop with a better understanding of MY improv and I think this would be a great class for 6-8 weeks.”
– Ben Jones
“Your workshop was one of the my top highlights from the Del Close Marathon. I found it immediately useful in my work the next night. I was more patient, more observant, and less anguish about inventing things to say than I’ve been in months. You opened my mind and emotions in a way I’ve not experienced in my improvisation training. I am telling all my friends to take this class! It will not only make you a better improviser. I dare say it will make you a better person.”
– Justin Zell, Co-owner/Instructor, Steel City Improv Theater
“I would definitely recommend this workshop. It’s one of the few that seems to directly improve acting muscles. It strips away everything except the actors affecting each other, and gives you practice using your natural energies to inform a scene. The exercises in this class transformed the way I perform on stage for the better.”
– Will Hines, The Stepfathers, UCB Theatre, Co-Host of the UCB Theatre New York Podcast, and the Associate Academic Supervisor for the UCB Training Center
“Yes, I’d totally recommend this workshop. You don’t have to think about what you should be doing or what’s right for the scene, you can just do whatever impulse you have. It’s quite freeing!”
“It lets both new and experienced improvisers hone a very particular skill — observing and responding to your scene partner — that is fundamental to all improv, but for whatever reason can get lost in the shuffle of daily improv classes and performance. It feels like a back-to-basics approach without being simplistic or boring for experienced improvisers.”
– Silvija Ozols, The Stepfathers, UCB Theatre
“I’d absolutely recommend this workshop to a friend, and already have.”
– David Siegel
“I took eight workshops during [the Del Close Marathon], and (not to disparage the other wonderful classes I took) yours was by far the most helpful to me. I get recurring notes about staying connected to scenes emotionally, and your exercises were perfect for that. The going from repetition into scenework exercise was particularly useful for me, and it completely got me out of my left brain. I would highly recommend the workshop to friends. It’s unlike anything else I’ve taken. I felt like it broke my brain in a great way.”
– Brynna Campbell
“I whole-heartedly believe that every improviser should take this workshop. I can only speak for New York, but this workshop helped maintain performers’ authenticity in a scene, no matter what the scenario. That’s something everyone can use.”
– Cory Palmer
” Improvisers, in general, need more of this kind of training. You kept us up on our feet most
of the time and your insights on acting, as well as improv, were
always helpful.”
– Mark Grenier, Magnet Theater
“The awareness/reminder of gut emotional reaction as a tool created opportunities in scenes the very next time I walked on stage.”
– William Cybriwsky
“I enjoyed how the workshop built patiently on itself. The Meisner-ish techniques are really great for people like me who is UCB trained and always looking for game. This made me jolt out of that and be organic from start to end.”
Here is some of the feedback I got from my last Improv Performance Workshop. Robert Carter has been my assistant for the last couple of classes, so some of the notes refer to him as well.
Here is some of the feedback I got from my last Improv Performance Workshop. Robert Carter has been my assistant for the last couple of classes, so some of the notes refer to him as well.
“My favorite thing about the class was that it was focused on ‘doing.’ We spent a lot of time up on our feet, doing scenes and running pieces. In this class I felt like you and Robert struck just the right balance between sharing your point of view as teachers with the class and then allowing us to experience putting your lessons into practice.” –John Sexton
“What did I like? Really, just about everything. I like that we spent most of our time on our feet ‘doing.’ And that exercises seemed to be pulled from a broad spectrum of improv and acting disciplines. And that our notes, whether group or individual, were always reasonable and applicable. And that you and Robert both have (and impart) a real passion for the craft. In short, I derived more from 8 weeks with Kevin Mullaney than I did from 40 weeks at Some Unnamed Chicago Improv Institution.” -Mathew Fenton
“It was a great experience, and I learned so much from you, Robert and everyone else. A lot of the exercises we worked on have really helped inform my process, both as a performer and as a coach; in particular, I think the explanation of how to form a situation at the beginning of a scene let me learn new ways to approach setups and initiations. In addition, the acknowledgement/nodding exercise helped give me new ways to support scenes I didn’t initiate. This has been especially useful for me.” -Phil Caron
“My favorite part of the class was that each week felt like a response to the previous week/most recent show, rather than like it was simply the slave to a rigid preordained curriculum. I loved that our strengths and weaknesses (as both individuals and as a class) were not only being identified and pointed out, but then actually worked on, which is an experience I’ve never had in an improv class before. I genuinely feel like there were concepts that were huge weaknesses for me at the beginning of the class that made legitimate progress towards becoming strengths by the end of it, as opposed to just being vague conceptions of things I should be conscious of in the future, which is what has often happened in other classes I’ve taken.
“Also, I think it’s important to note that this class was really fun. Everyone was really supportive, and I feel like each person’s unique style was celebrated in such a way that it led everyone to do better scenework than they might have done otherwise. I feel like the class—occasionally, at least—brought out the best in me, and that definitely was also one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much (and would love to do it again!).” -Kyle Reinhard
I am offering two more improv performance classes for the new year. The January class on Tuesday nights is sold out, but there is still room in the Monday night class starting in February.
