Do you ever see your life through the lens of a movie? What kind of movie would it be? Romantic comedy? Silent film? Horror? (I hope not!)
In today's Quick Improv Game, you get to embody several genres in the scene you perform. How, you ask? It's quite simple! Just play this fun game known by many names: Genre Replay, aka Scene Three Ways!
Start your scene like it's any normal improv scene with one or two others. You can ask for whatever you like from the audience--relationship, conflict, location, the usual. Perform a short scene for them. But you have to remember each step you take in this scene!
When you're done, take a short bow. But then say to the audience, "How would you like to see that scene done differently? What genre should that scene be in now?" Get a genre suggestion from the audience, and redo that exact same scene as if it were from a movie in that genre! Don't be afraid to change lines, aspects of your character, and certain steps from your escalating tactics. As long as it's a similar scene in essence, have fun with it!
Finish up your new version amid laughter and applause. But ask for yet another genre this time! If you can, make it as different a genre as possible from the previous scene, just to keep things interesting. Again, don't be afraid to play with your givens this round! Wrap it up in a vaguely similar way and enjoy the raucous applause.
What are some genres that you can expect from the audience? Well, don't expect them to stay limited to movie genres! There's...
-Action
-Three Stooges
-Shakespeare (harder than you'd think!)
-Musical (also hard, but worth it if you can stumble your way through!)
-Cooking Show
-After School Special
-Anime
-Soap Opera
-Music Video
And many more! And don't be afraid to try a genre that you aren't too familiar with. Sometimes you get the best scenes that way!
Have you played this game? What were some of your favorite genres? How did you adapt your scene?
