How do we turn a scene around when it isn't going as well as we intended. This episode, host Lloydie gets voicemails from improvisers around the world with top tips on how to rescue a scene that's not going well.

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This show features:

Andel Sudik

Jon Nguyen

Emma Bird

Pete Bergen

Hannah Platts

Monika Ozdarska

Tim Sniffen

The Improv Chronicle Podcast is produced and hosted by Nottingham improviser Lloydie James Lloyd

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Get in touch at newsdesk@improvchronice.com

Theme music - Sam Plummer

Logo design - Hélène Dollie

Episode Transcript:
This… is the Improv Chronicle Podcast. I'm Lloydie.

Lloydie James Lloyd: We've all had that moment; we're in the middle of a scene with one of our scene partners and, boom, it's not going as well as we want it to. And you can feel that moment of dread; you can feel the air going out of the balloon and the scene disappearing beneath your feet. 

So, what do you do in that kind of situation? So, what do you do to save the scene, to save your dignity, to save the very essence of improv? 

Well, I put callout to a few friends of mine and asked them to leave me messages with bits of advice. After all, very soon I'm going to be doing some live shows. In fact, I've got one coming up in just a matter of a few weeks. So, I've come out for a walk and I'm just going to check my voice messages and see who has replied.

Andel Sudik: Hey, it is Andel from The Second City {indistinct 1:09} in Chicago and Los Angeles, currently by a canal, Inverness, Scotland, where I am based. 

If you find yourself in a scene that is not feeling good or you are stuck, my recommendation is to quickly, abruptly move your body in a way that you don't normally move it; don't justify it, just do it and then figure it out. 

Often when we feel a scene is not going well, we get farther in our heads and this can pull you out of your head into your body and might give you or your partner something to react to in the present moment. 

The other thing that you can do is have a strong emotional personal reaction to something that you or your scene partner said. That way emotion can never steer you wrong and you're staying connected to the scene and your partner instead of bailing on it. 

The other thing you could do; stare deeply into your partner's eyes and silently say, “Don't we go together” and talk about it after the show.

Lloydie: Well, that last bit, I may very well sing in my head in my next show. Thank you, Andel. Um, look who's left me a message.

Jon Nguyen: Hey, Lloydie, it's Jon here. Jon Nguyen from Norwich in the United Kingdom. And, yeah, what can you do if you find yourself in a scene that isn't working? 

Well, the first thing that I do is I slow myself down internally almost to the point of stopping but not quite stopping playing the scene. And I spend a little bit of time listening to my partner. And not just listening to the words, but also observing their body language, their posture, their facial expression, the distance they are from me on stage; everything. And then I sort of react to that in the most honest way my character can. And it makes things flow easier for me to react with honesty and the emotion that I think is needed from my partner at that point in time to serve the scene. All right, great talking to you, Lloydie. Bye.

Lloydie: Good talking to you to as ever, Jon. Thank you. Really, really good advice. The more I think about this, the more I think there are going to be just a bunch of different ways. Everyone's not going to say the same thing. I was kind of hoping for the same advice from everybody because it keeps it simple. But it's never the way in improv isn’t it? Probably for a very good reason. 

Okay, who's next?

Emma Bird: Hi Lloydie, it's Emma Birdie from Liverpool Comedy Improv. So, when it comes to scenes that aren't working, one of my top tips to improvisers is to prompt themselves to think, “Today's the day.” In other words, what makes this moment matter? Like, why is this scene important? 

This could prompt me to reveal a secret or a confession of something. And usually for me, that's a feeling. So, I reveal my character's feelings towards my scene partner's character, or I say how I feel about myself or somebody else. 

So, yeah, “Today's the day” is a great prompt. It can help to pivot the scene or create a new pathway to explore and to bring some purpose and grounding to the scene. So, there you go. That's my top tip.

Lloydie: Ah, Emma is always good for advice. I love that so much. Thank you for getting back to me, Emma. 

Ah, this one came through at a different time. I think this person is in a different time zone from me.

Pete Bergen: Hey, Lloydie, it is Pete Bergen from Menu Comedy here in Washington, DC. And when it comes to scenes that aren't working, my to improvisers is (a) check in with yourself real quick and make sure that you are serving the scene and not yourself. Don't go in there to be a savior. 

Once you've decided that you are still there to serve the scene and serve your teammates, walk in and give a gift. We all know a gift; anything that provides clarity as to who people are, where they are, who they are to each other, maybe raises the stakes or hit some sort of game premise. Something to serve the scene and not make it about you. Just my two cents

Lloydie: That is worth way more than two cents Pete; way more than two cents. Stay well. Thank you for that. All right. Oh, I think I know who this is.

Hannah Platts: Hey, Lloydie, it's Hannah Platts, an Improviser from Leicester. And if I'm in a scene that I don't think is quite clicking right, something I like to try is to just kind of feel my feelings. So, it brings you back into your body rather than in your head. So, for example, if I'm feeling nervous about the show. Then, okay, my character's feeling nervous. What are they feeling nervous about? 

So, it brings a kind of emotional truthfulness that is always really engaging to watch on stage. And it can also add new details into the scene that you might not have thought of. 

That also works for your scene partner. So, instead of how are you feeling? How are they feeling? What's their body language like? What are they giving you? And by focusing on them, that also helps to take you out of your own head. So, you can just focus on having a good time and not worrying about it. Okay, hope that helps. Bye.

Lloydie: Oh, how I miss seeing Hannah in shows. Hannah is just down the road for me in the UK. She lives in Leicester, which is like a half hour away from Nottingham. So, I often go and see her in shows. She's just such a terrific performer. Well, hoping things are going to change, we get to see each other very soon. 

All right. Ah, yes. Here's another one. I think I know this is from as well. This is going to be good.

Monika Ozdarska: Hey, Lloydie. Its Monika Ozdarska from Warsaw, Poland, from {indistinct 6:55 – 56} Facebook page and YouTube podcast with the same name. 

So, when it comes to the scenes which aren’t working, my tip to improvisers would be this; come back to your partner, have a look at their face and just read it and tell them what you see. It can be anything which is truth to you, like, “Hey, I see you are tired” or “I see you are excited” or “I see I made you angry.” 

And if you do this, this will allow them to respond. So, wait for this response and this will bring your scene directly to the relationship, which is the most important thing in the improv scene. So, this would be my tip for improvisers. And thank you. Good luck with that. Bye.

Lloydie: I will take your good luck. Thank you, Monika. Thank you very much. And I hope I see you before too long when we're all allowed to travel again. 

This one came through at a strange time, but this last message, I'm not quite sure who it can be from. Looks like it's a blocked number. Uh, I would give it a go anyway.

Tim Sniffen: Hello, Lloydie, this is Tim Sniffen of Things Like Baby Wants Candy and the Improvised Shakespeare Company and what used to be known as the Second City Comedy Theater, now currently The Second City Financial Investment Group, member, FDIC. 

When your scene isn't catching fire, the first thing I think is find your scene partner or partners. Whatever window dressing is on top of it, audiences are watching two or more people relate to each other. So, anything you can do to check in with your partner; be aware of what's going on with them. Also, return to the initial details of the scene. If you've wandered away from that or added a more plot, I think go back to what you came in with. 

And one thing that I think took me a while to realize is okay, is you can call out exactly the emotion you're feeling. If it's like, “Oh, my mind is racing right now” or “I would rather be anywhere than here.” If you get back to that real emotion, it gives your partner so much to react to, call out, mirror what you're saying, and then you're back in relationship and you can move together from there. So, those are my thoughts. 

Lloydie, please start returning my texts. I can't stop thinking about that night we spent together in Newcastle; the smell of coal mines in the air.

Lloydie: Like, I hate to do this on a podcast, but we can't go on like this, Tim. Newcastle was Newcastle. We need to let it be what it was. If it helps, I'll never be able to see a coal fired power station again without thinking about you and the chimney sweep who discovered us. Oh, God. 

This is Episode 50 of The Improv Chronicle podcast; 50. Every two weeks, this has been produced without fail for nearly two years now. And what would be really great would be your improv stories to carry this podcast on. 

So, if you have a story or an event or something happening within your community or your organization that you think has wider implications or wide interest within the improv world, get in touch. My email is newsdesk@improvchronicle.com. And you can find that in the show notes as well. I'd really love to hear from you. The next episodes really are down to you. 

The Improv Chronicle podcast is produced and hosted by Lloydie James Lloyd. Get on the mailing list because every two weeks when we don't produce an episode, you will get a newsletter full of different bits of improv news and also some articles that may be of use to you. To sign up for the newsletter go to improvchronicle.com.