Competitive Improv Theater Games for Improv Actors

Competitive Improv Theater Games for Improv Actors Most improvisational activities are guided by a very loose format. Actors might be given a location or a situation in which to create a scene. For the  most part, they have the freedom to make up their own characters, dialogue, and actions. Improv comedy groups play each scene in hopes of generating laughter. More serious acting troupes create realistic improvisational scenes. There are, however, many challenging improv games that are competitive in nature. They are judged usually by a moderator, host, or even the audience. These types of games generally put a lot of restrictions on the performers, resulting in a great deal of fun for the viewers. Some of the most entertaining competitive improvisation games are: The Question GameAlphabetWorld’s Worst Remember: Although these games are competitive by design, they are meant to be performed in the spirit of comedy and camaraderie. The Question Game In Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, the two bumbling protagonists wander through Hamlet’s rotten Denmark, amusing themselves with a combative â€Å"question game.† It’s a sort of verbal tennis match. Stoppard’s clever play demonstrates the basic idea of the Question Game: create a scene in which two characters speak only in questions. How to Play:  Ask the audience for a location. Once the setting is established, the two actors begin the scene. They must speak only in questions. (Normally one question at a time.) No sentences ending with a period – no fragments – just questions. Example: LOCATION: A popular theme park.Tourist: How do I get to the water ride?Ride Operator: First time at Disneyland?Tourist: How can you tell?Ride Operator: Which ride did you want?Tourist: Which one makes the biggest splash?Ride Operator: Are you ready to get soaking wet?Tourist: Why else would I be wearing this raincoat?Ride Operator: Do you see that big ugly mountain down yonder?Tourist: Which one? And so it continues. It might sound easy, but continually coming up with questions that progress the scene is quite challenging for most performers. If the actor says something that is not a question, or if they continually repeat questions (â€Å"What did you say?† â€Å"What did you say again?†), then the audience is encouraged to make a â€Å"buzzer† sound effect. The â€Å"loser† who failed to properly respond sits down. A new actor joins the competition. They can continue using the same location/situation or a new setting can be established. Alphabet This game is ideal for performers with a knack for alphabetization. The actors create a scene in which each line of dialogue begins with a certain letter of the alphabet. Traditionally, the game starts off with an â€Å"A† line. Example: Actor #1: All right, our first annual comic book club meeting is called to order.Actor #2: But I’m the only one wearing a costume.Actor #1: Cool.Actor #2: Does it make me look fat?Actor #1: Excuse me, but what’s the name of your character?Actor #2: Fat man.Actor #1: Good, then it suits you. And it continues all the way through the alphabet. If both actors make it to the end, then it’s usually considered a tie. However, if one of the actors flubs up, the audience members make their judgmental â€Å"buzzer† sound, and the actor at fault leaves the stage to be replaced by a new challenger. Normally, the audience supplies the location or the relationship of the characters. If you tire of always beginning with the letter â€Å"A† the audience can randomly select a letter for the performers to begin with. So, if they receive the letter â€Å"R† they would work their way through â€Å"Z,† go to â€Å"A† and end with â€Å"Q.† Ugh, it’s starting to sound like algebra! World’s Worst This is less an improv exercise and more of an â€Å"instant punch-line† game. Although it’s been around a long time, â€Å"World’s Worst† was made popular by the hit show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? In this version, 4 to 8 actors stand in a line facing the audience. A moderator gives random locations or situations. The performers come up with the world’s most inappropriate (and incredibly humorous) thing to say. Here are some examples from Whose Line Is It Anyway: World’s Worst thing to say on your first day in prison: Who here loves to crochet?World’s Worst thing to say on a romantic date: Let’s see. You had the Big Mac. That’s two dollars you owe me.World’s Worst thing to say at a Major Award Ceremony: Thank you. As I accept this major award, I’d like to thank everyone I’ve ever met. Jim. Sarah. Bob. Shirley. Tom, etc. If the audience responds positively, then the moderator can give the performer a point. If the joke generates boos or groans, then the moderator may want to good-naturedly take points away. Note: Veteran improv performers know that these activities are meant to entertain. There aren’t really winners or losers. The whole purpose is to have fun, make the audience laugh, and sharpen your improve skills. However, young performers might not understand this. If you are a drama teacher or a youth theater director, consider the maturity level of your actors before trying these activities.

Long-Form Possessive Adjectives in Spanish

Long-Form Possessive Adjectives in Spanish Possessive adjectives in Spanish, like those of English, are a way of indicating who owns or is in possession of something. Their use is straightforward, although they, like other adjectives, must match the nouns they modify in both number (singular or plural) and gender. Using the Long Form Unlike English, Spanish has two forms of possessive adjectives, a short form that is used before nouns, and a long form that is used after nouns. Here we focus on the long-form possessive adjectives with examples of usage and possible translations of each example: mà ­o, mà ­a, mà ­os, mà ­as - my, of mine - Son libros mà ­os. (They are my books. They are books of mine.)tuyo, tuya, tuyos, tuyas - your (singular familiar), of yours - Prefiero la casa tuya. (I prefer your house. I prefer the house of yours.) These forms are used even in areas where vos is common, such as Argentina and parts of Central America.suyo, suya, suyos, suyas - your (singular or plural formal), its, his, her, their, of yours, of his, of hers, of theirs - Voy a la oficina suya. (I am going to his/her/your/their office. I am going to the office of his/hers/yours/theirs.)nuestro, nuestra, nuestros, nuestras - our, of ours - Es un coche nuestro. (It is our car. It is a car of ours.)vuestro, vuestra, vuestros, vuestras - your (plural familiar), of yours -  ¿Dà ³nde estn los hijos vuestros? (Where are your children? Where are the children of yours?) As you may have noticed, the short form and long forms of nuestro and vuestro and related pronouns are identical. They differ only as to whether they are used before or after the noun. Owner Irrelevant in Determining Gender In terms of number and gender, changed forms are with the nouns they modify, not with the person(s) who own or possess the object. Thus, a masculine object uses a masculine modifier regardless of whether it is owned by a male or female. Es un amigo tuyo. (He is a friend of yours.)Es una amiga tuya. (She is a friend of yours.)Son unos amigos tuyos. (They are some friends of yours.)Son unas amigas tuyas. (They are some friends of yours.) If youve already studied possessive pronouns, you may have noticed that they are identical with the possessive adjectives listed above. In fact, some grammarians consider the possessive adjectives to be a type of pronoun. Regional Variations in Use of Possessive Adjectives Suyo and the related forms (such as suyas) tend to be used in opposite ways in Spain and Latin America: In Spain, unless the context is clear otherwise, speakers tend to assume that suyo refers to possession by someone other than the person spoken to - in other words, suyo tends to function as a third-person adjective. If you need to refer to something possessed by the person spoken to, you can use de usted or de ustedes.In Latin America, on the other hand, speakers assume that suyo refers to something possessed by the person spoken to. If you need to refer to something possessed by a third party, you can use de à ©l (of his), de ella (of hers), or de ellos/ellas (of theirs). Also, in Latin America nuestro (and related forms such as nuestras) coming after a noun is uncommon for saying of ours. It is more common to use de nosotros or de nosotras. Long or Short Possessive Adjectives? Generally, there is no significant difference in meaning between the long and short forms possessive adjectives. Most often, youd use the long form as the equivalent of of mine, of yours, etc., in English. The short form is more common, and in some cases, the long form can be somewhat awkward or have a slight literary flavor. One use of the long form is in short questions:  ¿Es tuyo? (Is it yours?) In these simple questions, the form of the possessive depends on the gender of the unstated noun. For example,  ¿Es tuyo? could mean Is it your car? because coche (the word for car) is masculine, while  ¿Son tuyas? might mean Are they your flowers? because flor (the word for flower) is feminine. Key Takeaways Spanish has two types of possessive adjectives: short-form possessives, which go before the noun they refer to, and long-form possessives, which go afterward.There is no difference in meaning between the two forms of possessives, although the short term is used more often.Suyo is often understood differently in Spain than it is in Latin America.