Victims, Villains and Fools

Instead of playing people trapped in an unfair escape room, play someone who is designing an unfair escape room.

An incredibly common thing in improv classes is people start scenes as someone who is subject to unfair behavior.

Then everyone tags in and piles on that unfair behavior. Edit.

Something like this:

Person 1: Hey boss, I just noticed that my hours have been cut next week from 40 hours to 20. Is something up?

Boss: (shrugs shoulders, oblivious to their own unfairness) Yeah, I just don’t want you to be worried about stuff.

Person 1: Worried about stuff? What do you mean? (this will never be answered)

(Tag) Child: Mom! Me and Timmy are leaving for another family. Yeah, we don’t want you to be worried.

Person 1: Leaving? But… (not allowed to finish, because the whole point is moving before you have to really digest things)

(Tag) St. Peter, in Heaven: Welcome to heaven. But you’re actually going to hell.

Edit.

I acknowledge that it kind of works. It’s mean and shallow and can’t last more than 90 seconds. But it works. Having the whole world crap on you for no good reason is something we can all relate to.

When I was coming up, we called it “the mean game.” Everyone is mean.

It works, but it’s shallow. The villains are mean just… because. Nothing is examined. You can’t sit in any feelings because no one really is committed to their behavior.

Fast tags and edits prevent us from noticing: there’s nothing really there.

Good luck if you’re an improviser who wants to do grounded thoughtful work. You will be tagged out before you even know what’s going on.

The solution is to learn to play three dimensional fools and villains. People who behave badly, naively, foolishly — but who truly believe they are doing the right thing.

This takes practice. You can’t just be arbitrarily mean. You have to play people with selective blind spots.

It’s a FEELING, after a while. You step into a scene and you will play a version of yourself that is just one notch more mean/stupid/naive/foolish that you really are.

The phrase I like is one notch below the top of your intelligence.

Just a spoonful of stupid to allow silly things to happen.

Let’s replay the scene above and let the villain (the boss) become a whole person. I will let the boss go first — so that the person initiating the scene is taking an active role.

Boss: Leslie, step into my office.

Person 1: What’s up, boss?

Boss: Look, I’m cutting your hours in half. You seem stressed out lately, and frankly it’s harshing the mellow around here.

Person 1: But —- that’s gonna ruin my pay! I’m not going to be able to make a living.

Boss: This is what I’m talking about — the bad vibes you’re giving off are insane!

Person 1: Yes, but YOU’RE CAUSING the bad vibes!

Boss: You gotta make tough decisions when you’re in this chair.

You don’t need to tag so early. And if you do, hopefully the tag out is cognizant of being more of a real person.

(tag) Child: Mommy, do you need me and Timmy to find another family? You seem stressed out!

Person 1: No! Sweetheart, I never want you to go away.

Child: Okay, well it’s an option. I’ve been sourcing a few other families and some of them have the bandwith.

Person 1: Don’t talk like this!

Child: God, the bad vibes on you.

Every character in a scene must be a real person. That includes the “bad guys.”

Being a good villain or fool is essential to have comedic scenes that are also grounded and playable.

Other posts I’ve written about playing fools:

Let me know in the comments what you think!

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