Improv Scene Basics: Finding a Conflict

When it comes to improv, one of the most important things you need to establish in your scene is a conflict. (In real life, this is a little less desirable.) No conflict = nothing to do. Nothing to do = a boring scene for your audience. And we certainly can't have that!

In some games, it's much easier to figure out your conflict because it's given to you. For example, in Party Quirks, the conflict is the need to figure out who the guests are. But in a game like Genre Replay (aka Scene Three Ways), it's absolutely crucial to find your conflict. When you redo your scene, the audience will know what to look forward to and you will have something to work with.

So how do you go about finding your conflict? Well, sometimes it's given to you by the audience. Your emcee might ask specifically for a conflict ("There are no paper towels left in the house!"), or it might be obvious in your character or setting suggestion ("Teacher and disruptive student!" "In a volcano!"). But that doesn't happen too often, so it's best not to count on it.

Take your givens--whatever your suggestions are from the audience as well as the confines of the game. If it's Genre Replay, remember you'll be doing your scene again in a different style. If it's Freeze, remember you'll need to keep it short and include some wild poses and gestures for your fellow teammates. The rules of the game should help you rather than hinder you in terms of what you need to do and how to do it.

The next step is a logical one for any improviser: think, "How can I take what I know and cause some drama?" No matter how normal or wacky your givens may be, all you have to do is figure out what might throw things off.

Let's do an example. Say you're doing a basic open scene (no rules) and your suggestion is a relationship, so you and your scene partner are neighbors. What could be the problem?

-Each neighbor's lawn has grass of a different height
-A ball is in one neighbor's yard, but the other neighbor isn't allowed to retrieve it.
-The water isn't working, so neither can shower, water the lawn, or wash their hands.
-Whose flowers will win the garden show???
-A stray dog dug holes in everyone's yard--and uncovered some buried treasure

These are all simple ideas that can turn a basic scene into a grand adventure. You can even be inspired by your own life (the "no water" idea happened to my dad and his neighbors). Taking steps to resolve that conflict is your next step--but that's another blog post.

For anyone but the experts, we highly recommend keeping the conflict external (which means your conflict shouldn't be BETWEEN you and your fellow improvisers). If you and your partner aren't allowed to work together to find a solution, much of what improv builds upon is lost. The beauty of each scene is that you get through it with teamwork as well as building from everyone's imagination. It's hard for you, your partner, and the audience to get through a scene filled with animosity.

We would wish you luck in your scenes, but you won't need it. Finding the conflict is easier than you think. Just relax and play. You'll be surprised how conflicts can come naturally out of your givens.