Assume, don't ask: how to start better improv scenes

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So asking questions at the top of an improv scene is a fairly advanced move to make.

and it's typically a move that we want to avoid, especially if you're somebody who's a little bit newer to doing improv. Questions in general, within the context of a scene, are a more advanced move for an improviser to make. Early on in improv, you might even be told not to ask questions. It's a pretty common improv rule within classes.

ask questions in improv even at that point because this rule is broken all the time however you do need to learn how to break the rule properly before you can use questions and such in an improv scene i'm jen dehaan and this is your improv brain where i break down improv concepts often through a neurodivergent lens and give you exercises to practice with a scene partner or solo

In this episode, in the previous episode, in the next couple of episodes, I'm talking about the top of the scene. This is the stuff at the very beginning. Initiations, setting base reality, and getting a scene up and running quickly. But why are questions bad? Are they really all that bad at all? Like, is this a rule that we should even have?

Now questions can end up being a problem in a scene and that's because they can potentially end up putting a lot of work onto your scene partner. Because if you're asking a question you might be asking your scene partner to fill in those details instead of just adding them yourself. Like you might be asking where are we? And then that's sort of asking your scene partner to tell you and

the audience and add to the scene where you actually are. Now good questions, the kind of questions that are okay, the kind of questions that we break this rule with, they add information to the scene using the question itself. Or you might add a piece of information and add a question onto it, or your scene partner might kind of insinuate they know something about their character, and so you're

them what that thing that you sense they already know is. So unless you've practiced to notice these things or how to add to the scene through asking a question, they're good to avoid in general. But we're talking about questions at the top of a scene, and these questions, the questions that might happen while you're setting base reality, are even harder still to use well. And that's because most of this data and information

hasn't been added to the scene already. But we're talking about questions at the top of a scene and questions within this part of the scene at the very beginning are even harder to do well. And that's because we need to get things up and running really quickly and efficiently. We need to sort of set this information with our scene partner getting onto the same page at the same time. And oftentimes we don't have any data to kind of ask,

well-informed questions that add that information either. So we're going instead to practice assuming knowledge at the top of the scene. And this is a great way to avoid asking questions at this time in a scene. So what you want to do is assume you know the same information as the other person on the stage, as your scene partner. And this creates some kind of sense of shared hidden.

with them. This is the same reason why early on in improv, you might be told to know your scene partner already, to do scenes with somebody your character already knows, not a stranger. And now some of us might have issues with assuming things. Personally, myself, I really don't like assuming things. I think it might have something to do with justice sensitivity, but it absolutely, for sure,

stems from this dislike I have of having assumptions made of me. Because so often they're wrong and this is due to autism and miscommunication issues. So I reckon for maybe some of you that reason or related reasons that hearing this thing assuming things of the other character might bring up some stuff for you. Because I know when I started at least it felt really strange applying things to my scene partner.

Like, assuming I knew things about their character until I understood that they probably don't know these things about their character. Like, we're not supposed to be thinking ahead like that in improv. And oftentimes, and I had to learn this as well, the fun is that pivot. If you did say no something about your character that you hadn't put into the scene yet, so you had to drop that thing and pivot really quickly,

I learned that that was really fun and that thing of being gifted with that stuff and doing that pivot was like something that kind of it engaged my brain it gave me a lot of energy but I had to learn that that was what happened first so this is a great way of helping you sort of learn or allow that to be fun for you so if it does feel weird now that makes perfect sense I was there as well but it might change for

you as you keep doing improv. See, I said might. I really don't like assuming things.

Okay, so here's some stuff. Here's some exercises that you can use to practice this concept at the top of a scene. You're going to be starting your scene with a much higher chance at success. You're making it easier on yourself. So keep this practice in mind if you're newer to improv, of course, but also if you've just had a really hard day,

you're exhausted, you don't have a lot of mental capacity. These concepts, these practices will help you when you have exhausted those cognitive resources and you just want to start off easily. So to practice this, two players up, and we're going to gift our scene partners with information. So player one is going to initiate, and they can only begin what they say with either you look, you seem,

or you feel. And then player two is going to agree with that information and add to it. Now what this does, you're making an assumption about any of these three things that you get to choose from them and you get to make that assumption about your scene partner. You know this person and you know one of these things about them. This is also going to help you establish perhaps the activity or where you are.

are as well, because it might be adding that information sort of as an aside. You're going to get that for free. So you look, you seem, or you feel. That's what you're going to start off with. Player one as your initiation. All right, so what if you want to practice this solo? For solo practice, try formatting this as a one-sided phone call. These are so fun. I love one-sided phone calls. So improvise a phone conversation.

where you cannot ask any questions. Not at all. You can only make statements based on what the imaginary person on the other end said. You're going to be assuming these things about them. Like you could say, I know you're angry about the car. Or I can hear you eating soup. Maybe your favorite soup, that carrot pea split soup you made. I know you grew carrots this year, didn't you? Well, I guess until the rabbits got them.

So this is going to help train your assume knowledge muscle. You're just going to keep going on and on assuming more things about the person you're talking to. And that will help you do it really quickly at the top of a scene. I'm Jen deHaan and this is your Improv Brain. You can find a bunch of improv resources including downloads at improvupdate.com.

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