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Topic: Blocking (improv)

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		Improv performance also allows an active relationship with the audience, and frequently improv groups will solicit suggestions from the audience, as a source of inspiration, and way of getting the audience excited and involved, and as a means of proving that the performance is not scripted.
		Improv companies may have at their disposal some number of readily accessible props that can be called upon at a moment's notice, but usually improv performers will use miming techniques to create space objects, or imaginary props.
		Because improv actors may be required to play a variety of roles without preparation, they need to be able to construct characters quickly with physical representation, gestures, accents, voice changes, or other techniques as demanded by the situation.
	www.improv.org /about/improvtheatre.htm (923 words)

	Improve your Improv
		Blocking occurs when one actor denies what another actor has set up.
		A Harold is a form of long-form Improv that bases three sets of three scenes around a theme suggestion from the audience and then ties each of the three different scenes together in the end.
		Improv Encyclopedia Home Page- Provides Improv and theater games, warm-ups, exercises, handles, references, as well as recommended books.
	www.geocities.com /montressor.geo/di/improvresources.html (964 words)

	improvland.com - improv articles - what is improv? (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-10)
		Improv, as improvisation is often referred to, molds the human predisposition and ability to create on the spot and turns it into an art, where masters and novices alike can discover aspects of themselves and the thrill of instant comedy.
		Blocking occurs when the other player is fearful that they will not be able to incorporate the offer, they want the control of the scene, or they are attempting to go for an easy laugh.
		So trusting in the appeal of improv was Dan Patterson, a British producer at BBC radio, that he and fellow appreciator Mark Leveson added their own personal spin to the world of the improv troupe in 1987.
	improvland.com /resources/articles/whatis.html (3635 words)

	no parking players: Improv Dictionary
		Blocking: We aren’t talking about how to stand on stage here, but rather how to deal with offers.
		Blocking is when you want to stay in control of a scene, and therefore you don’t yield to the strongest offer, or any offer by other players.
		Good scenes tend to be ones where there is no blocking, rather, all offers are not only accepted, but have a major impact on the scene.
	www.andrew.cmu.edu /user/sns/npp/resources/improvdictionary.html (1351 words)

	Blocking (improv)
		Blocking or denial is a term used in theatrical improvisation (or improv) and theatre sports to designate an actor who does not accept the dramatic world set up by other actors and declines 'offers' made by an actor to come into that dramatic imaginary world.
		Most often blocking is due to inexperience or misunderstanding on the part of an actor.
		It is viewed as the worst possible behavior for an actor in improvisation, and thus rarely seen when improvisation is performed with trained improvisers.
	www.encyclopediapro.com /mw/Blocking_(improv) (97 words)

	BATS Improv - About - Press - Improv-able Cause
		I last took an improv workshop about a gazillion years ago, and amazingly I've blocked out all the humiliating moments and remember only what fun it was.
		She has designed improv programs for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theater, and Stanford University, is the improv and acting coach at Pixar Animation Studios, and performs regularly.
		When improv goes bad, it's because one person is doing all the driving, or because you feel disconnected, or because the muse simply isn't visiting.
	www.improv.org /about/news/clip.07.11.05.htm (1438 words)

	Improv and Method Acting
		Improv companies may have at their disposal some number of readily accessible props that can be called upon at a moment's notice, but many improvisers eschew props in favor of the infinite possibilites available through mime.
		As with all improv offers, actors are encouraged to respect the validity and continuity of the imaginary environment defined by themselves and their fellow performers; this means, for example, taking care not to walk through the table or "miraculously" survive multiple bullet wounds from another improviser's gun.
		Because improv actors may be required to play a variety of roles without preparation, they need to be able to construct characters quickly with physicality, gestures, accents, voice changes, or other techniques as demanded by the situation.
	method.vtheatre.net /improv.html (4555 words)

	anyway: post a comment
		Blocking is when somebody says something and you say "actually, no." Instead, when somebody says something, it becomes publically owned, but inviolable; you may build on it, even transform it, own it, but you don't get to deny it.
		The most common functional blocking is, "The hole is too big for your character to jump(and he or she recognizes that fact)." The GM withholding vital info blocking goes, "Are you sure?", and the GM as an ass doesn't block at all and goes, "Ok, you don't make it, and you fall to your doom!
		Just like blocking is bad if it uses unclear rules to take away your ability to contribute meaningfully, saying "I crack the safe" is only forcing if it eliminates the possibility of the GM (or whoever is the adversitizor) to introduce cool stakes.
	www.lumpley.com /archive/161.html (3752 words)

	Newbie Director Does Godspell
		Improv is very difficult to do with nine people, it works better in smaller groups.
		The guys who are the cross join us and basically we all "block" him on as he comes off the cross, changes his blue Superman shirt into something a little more "celestial".
		By the show, the characters seemed so natural because they all had personal touches, yet their reactions, for me, were portrayed a lot more genuinely than they would have been had we predetermined the situations ourselves.
	musicals.net /forums/archive.php/newbie-director-does-godspell__o_t__t_43839.html (4169 words)

	Interactive training for business creativity, teams, marketing, and change management through the positive humor of ...
		Improv teaches that choice is essential and that "some choices are better than others." Human history can be understood as a long series of strategic choice points.
		Improv training empowers participants to achieve previously unthought of levels of creativity given that its structures and rules avoid the pitfalls of the "Be Spontaneous Paradox." This insures that "inner censors" don't get in the way of creative potential.
		Whether in art, music, or theater, Improv is a paradoxical mix of the opposites of tremendous discipline and spontaneity combined with the art of listening and playing "the moment." Ironically, the more (seemingly) constricting that a particular structure appears, the greater the possibilities for freedom and creativity for the artist.
	www.creativity-engineering.com /glossary.html (2453 words)

	The Wacky World of Improvisational Comedy!
		Regardless of the risks, those who try improv find a challenging and exhilarating world where they are able to put their minds and bodies to the ultimate test.
		Spolin's improv games now have applications outside of the theater, such as in education, mental health, psychology, ecology, as the games bring the players closer to their individual selves and their roles in the world, and speech therapy.
		In improv, anything that is offered can be accepted if it relates to or will further the scene.
	www.geocities.com /Hollywood/Land/8017 (2817 words)

	Impromaniacs >> What Is Improv?
		Improv is as old as time, developing even before the knowledge of writing--long before writing scripts we were telling stories by acting them out.
		The neat thing about improv is that audience and actors are working together to create theatre.
		Blocking: saying "no" to an action or suggestion tends to weaken or even stop scenes.
	www.impromaniacs.ca /what_is_improv (589 words)

	Lessons (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-10)
		Example: Character A offers, "That's one big elephant." Character B Blocks by saying, "That's not an elephant." An example of Denying the offer would be fore character B to say, "I've seen bigger." He accepts that it is an elephant, but denies the specific condition set up by character A. This leaves room for conflict.
		In a sense this is similar to Reincorporation in Improv.
		With this in mind it is crucial that all players are able to endow the imaginary kitten in their hand with the qualities of a kitten: it's weight, it's feel, it's movement, etc… The strongest endowment choices are specific choices.
	www.stagekids.cityslide.com /page/page/769680.htm (1574 words)

	YESand.com \| Why Improv Sucks
		The professional improv world is riddled with all kinds of 'acceptable' laziness, ignorance, and pretension that we take as articles of faith rather than as obstacles to overcome.
		I constantly meet experienced improvisors who don't really know what 'upstaging' is and think that 'blocking' is an Improv term meaning 'denial.' When one character becomes the focus of a scene, the scene is tremendously enhanced when other players move into positions that accentuate this.
		Some games, some very popular games, are merely exhibitions of improv skills: they are only entertaining because they make silly things happen when executed correctly, or maybe they're thrilling because they are hard to execute.
	www.yesand.com /articles/index.php?ArticleID=69 (1236 words)

	gutsrules
		They are essential tools for improv, and when you get right down to it, any form of group collaboration.
		It makes for a boring scene, and the only way for the other player to get away from this blocking is by blocking you back.
		We attempt to avoid blocking, especially a block like this, that lasts for the rest of the scene.
	barney.gonzaga.edu /~rsteadma/gutsrules.html (541 words)

	acting classes
		Improv is one of the basic skills any performer should have.
		The Junior Improv class is geared toward kids ages 6-8, no experience necessary.
		Using a piece of classic literature as a model, as well as improv and drama games for inspiration, students form groups and develop ideas for their own original plays.
	www.pompaneous.com /kids.htm (351 words)

	Improv Review ...Because Improv is Art, Dammit
		Many improv groups have begun to move away from the barprov scene and are performing limited runs in theater spaces or venturing into interactive theater.
		Blocking/To Block the Show: Blocking is all of the moving around onstage that is part of a show.
		While not all of these things will be used during the average improv show, many of them will help your show run smoothly and reduce confusion and backstage stress.
	www.improvreview.com /theatre/theater_101.htm (1357 words)

	Improv,San Francisco, Comedy,Clubs, Live, Entertainment, Tourism, What to do, Acting, Tips, Guides, How, Exercises, ...
		For a story to be built, whether it is short form or long form, the players have to agree to the basic situation and set-up.
		Blocking is a way of minimizing the impact of new information.
		At a more advanced level, blocking is something that keeps the action from moving forward or the players from changing.
	www.pantheater.com /Articles/RulesImprovPartI.htm (1534 words)

	Improv -- Bio-Method Acting with Anatoly
		Actors use improv to free up their creativity and to discover their comfort level with the script." Acting Techniques for Speakers
		Viola Spolin, in many ways the mother of modern improv, certainly is one; and Paul Sills (her son), known for his Story Theatre, is another.
		Improv methods for rehearsals: development of character, shaping the situation.
	act.vtheatre.net /improv.html (2012 words)

	EETimes.com - Improv moves Jazz DSP core into high-volume 16-bit markets
		But to tailor the new Jazz 2 for higher-volume applications, Improv created a new architecture with a 16-bit data path and streamlined the DSP register transfer language (RTL) code to lower power dissipation as well as increase gate efficiency, Brightfield said.
		Improv is also supporting system-on-chip designs that combine the Jazz 2 DSP with reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors from ARM Ltd. and MIPS Technologies Inc. ARM cores are supported with AMBA/AHB bus interfaces while the MIPS PI bus supports MIPS cores.
		Improv also collects licensing and unit-royalty fees for ICs based on its DSP technology.
	www.eetimes.com /story/OEG20010605S0032 (579 words)

	Floyd Van Buskirk - Theater Sports
		We also have a red flag which we can throw when we see problems early on in a scene, like blocking, which is one of the terms we use a lot.
		When improv is really magic, everyone trusts each other, and everyone is really connected and taking care of each other.
		When an improv really takes off, it's like it happens on its own, and our job is just to be there and tend the story.
	www.context.org /ICLIB/IC13/Buskirk.htm (3139 words)

	Impro Theatre (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-10)
		Improv for Writers is an 8-week course that explores how to use improv to overcome writer's block, to develop characters and interesting relationships, to create a logical story, and to push your brain to go into places that it has never gone before!
		Integrating improv skills with the focus that you bring scripted work, how to make scripted scenes "feel" improvised, and how to make improvised scenes appear scripted will be explored in the 8 week session.
		Jo was also the improv teacher in the Young Conversatory at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and also taught improv at the Academy of Art College and still teaches privately both in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
	www.theatresports.com (1674 words)

	Utah Improv - Columns
		They are there to make things easier on the most important person in the theater: the person you are doing the scene with.
		Blocking, Denying, and Questions are three very common ones.
		If you know why some improv habits are bad, you're off to a great start.
	www.utahimprov.com /columns/nov02_important.shtml (731 words)

	ChicagoWrites \| Main / Improv (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-10)
		I’d seen improv comedy at its best and worst and I was only willing to participate if I knew I would leave the experience high on the wonders of unpremeditated genius, as opposed to walking away with a laundry list of should-of-saids.
		In fact, in an improv comedy performance, this approach is a crucial technique used to build an effective scene because editing, known as blocking in improv training, hinders the development of a scene.
		There isn’t any room for perfectionism in improv, which for some of you, may be just the kind of challenge you need to get over perfectionism as an obstacle to your writing.
	chicagowrites.org /index.php?n=Main.Improv (2139 words)

	Corporate Improv Entertainment & Teambuilding!
		These performers owe of much their inventiveness in comedy to the Improv skills that originated in the slums of Chicago in the 1920's.
		He gave Improv a sporting match quality adding the illusion of opposing teams, tournament competition and judging from the audience.
		More importantly, Johnstone addressed the concepts of blocking and status, which are essential to Improv training today.
	www.slixer.com /improv.htm (689 words)

	Blocking (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-09-10)
		If everybody wants to stop blocking, but doesn't even realize that they're doing it, have someone side-coach as the block-stopper: if someone blocks, stop the scene, point it out, and have them restart, but turning the block into an acceptance.
		A good place to start with this kind of blocking is lots of free association games, anything (like That's Right) that reinforces that there are no wrong answers in improv.
		Penalizing, competetive games are exactly wrong for this kind of blocking, because they reinforce that you can do a wrong thing on stage and be punished for it.
	www.fuzzyco.com /super/improv/blocking.html (309 words)

	Evening at the Improv
		Critics and audiences have long groused about the moribund state of television comedy, and improv may be paving the way to the next generation.
		Garlin and Hines have improv in their backgrounds (Chicago's Second City troupe and Los Angeles' Groundlings, respectively), and both play an integral role in casting the series.
		Several improv projects in development have turned out pilots, but at press time, only NBC's "Everyday Life," a scripted/improv project executive produced by "This is Spinal Tap" (1984) helmer Rob Reiner, will be the only improv-based series with a shot at next year's schedule.
	www.hollywoodreporter.com /hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000449946 (1331 words)

	Improv/Sketch Comedy
		The performers meet once just before going on, which gives a frenetic unpredictability to their bits and leads to prankish pushing and pulling, but it also produces occasional fumbling to discover others' sensibilities and therefore some hesitance and flat dialogue.
		IMPROV KITCHEN 3419 N. Clark, 773-868-6423, improvkitchen.com: This improv dinner-theater venue features performers telecast live from studios adjacent to the restaurant, appearing on plasma-screen TVs at each table.
		With their quasi-mystical "Japanese" aesthetic, minimalist pacing and blocking, and character-driven humor, the four improvisers adroitly access standard techniques when needed, downplaying exciting moments for dry comic effect and finding dramatic potential in ordinary events.
	www.chicagoreader.com /listings/static/Improv.html (3174 words)

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