As presented by improv hack Daniel Morgan
A. What is it that you are trying to accomplish?
You are trying to entertain. More specifically you are trying to entertain the crowd. More specifically than that, you are trying to entertain the audience in such a way as to get them to suspend disbelief and buy into the illusion that they are romping through 16th Century England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England at the time of the English Renaissance.
Are they going to believe this? Well, outside of a few people who also believe that they are vampires or that they can cast fireballs and shoot lightning from their fingertips because they've had one too many Jolt Colas while pulling a RPG all-nighter, no. So why are we really here? To have fun and get the crowd to have fun!
B. Wait a minute, I have to get in front of a crowd?
Well, umm, yes. There's not much way around it. We are entertainers, which means we entertain, which means we have to go get in front of people to entertain them. It's just kind of how it works. We could just sit around and entertain ourselves (which we have done at times), but it's much more satisfying to get out and do it in front of an audience.
You will very definitely run into some initial fears. Let me try to address a few of them now so we can get them out of the way:
1. Am I going to look funny?
Yes! You're going to look ridiculous. You're going to be wearing clothes that no normal person wears anymore (see vampire and gamer comment above). On top of that you're going to talk in a ridiculous voice and use a vocabulary that's outdated by several hundred years. The good news is that everyone else around you will be doing the same thing, so it makes it easier.
2. Am I going to embarrass myself?
Yes! Go ahead and start trying to get it into your head now that you are going to go out there, look funny, talk funny, and do something really weird in front of a crowd of total strangers. Just remember that the rest of us will be right there behind you doing the exact same thing, if not something even worse and more embarrassing.
3. Are people going to laugh at me?
Yes! And that's why we're there, to get them to laugh and sing and play along with us. We know that we all stopped maturing around 10, and they know we stopped maturing about 10, but what they don't know is that we know deep down inside them is a little kid about 10 years old waiting to come out and play, even if they don't know it themselves. It's our job to reach out to that little kid inside them and get them to come out and play.
4. But I have HORRIBLE stage fright, how am I supposed to do this?
Ask pretty much ANY Seadog if they were terrified the first time they got in front of a crowd and you will hear a resounding YES! And not only the first time, but the time after, and the time after that, and so on and so forth. So how did they do it? They eventually learned to just let go. We are fortunate enough to be able to do everything we do through the guise of a character (more on that later), which means that if it makes you feel better to do so you can tell yourself "I don't do stupid things in front of huge crowds and look like an idiot, my CHARACTER does stupid things in front of large crowds and looks like an idiot!" If it makes you feel better, go for it! Eventually, after you learn how to let go, you will come to realize that looking like an idiot in front of a crowd isn't so bad. After all, that's essentially why we're here.
To start out with you'll probably be John Doe the Sailor or Jane Doe the Tavern Girl. Do you have to know anything nautical? No, but you'll pick up more than you probably wanted to learn along the way anyway. If anyone asks you can always say that you're new on ship/at the tavern/wherever and you're still learning. You can also turn to any of the elder dogs to ask them for their opinions and ideas (but be careful, they might help you more than you intended them to). There are also numerous resources within the Guildbook to find information and ideas. Keep things easy at first, you already have a million things running through your mind as it is.
II. Taking Your First Steps:
A. Gross Anatomy
Let’s get down to some of the nuts and bolts of what a “gig” is and what it’s actually made of.
Essentially, a “gig” is anything you do that the audience can see or hear.
If you approach and talk to a customer, it’s a gig. If you begin yelling at another performer across a crowded street, it’s a gig. If you sit on a rock in the middle of the road and pick your nose, it’s a gig. Some gigs can only be heard, others can only be seen, but most are both.
A gig is made up of three separate parts, a beginning, a middle, and an end (hey, it doesn’t have to be brain surgery!). It works very much like a normal conversation.
An example:
Jack: Why halloo there Thomas, how be ye this fine spring morn?Thomas: Why not well at all. My best pig has run off with my wife.Jack:And I thought that was your mother in law with her! Thomas: (gasp!)You’ve seen them?Jack: Yes, down by the waterfront.
Thomas: A million thanks Jack!
(Both Exit)The beginning: one person walked up to another and started talking to them. We find out in this case there’s a tragedy.
The middle: the story of the tragedy is further developed and steered towards a logical conclusion.
The end: the conclusion is reached and everyone parts ways.
In the previous example we had two actors working together. Quite often you’ll be gigging with a customer instead of another actor. Make sure to keep in mind that while some customers will play along, many others will just react (and some will do nothing).
Jack: Why good afternoon Madam, how does the world find you this fine day?
Customer: Uhhh… fine.
Jack: Why glad I am to hear it. I have myself been thinking of enjoying a fine drink today. I be not quite sure what I want though. Have you had anything today you could recommend?
Customer: Uhhh… yeah.
Jack: Did you now? And what was it that you had to drink?
Customer: Uhhh… a beer.
Jack: Well a now, would you be telling me the name of the beer, or should I continue to stand here pulling teeth…
You can see where in this case the customer has been about as useful and fun to play with as a rotting stump. In this case it’s often easier to gig “at” the customer instead of “with” them.
A. The Good.
There are many things that can make a gig "good", and a few things that can make it “great”. The easiest direction to go with a gig is to make it funny. 99% of Seadog gigs tend to involve humor. Sometimes the jokes are good, sometimes they’re a little risque, and sometimes they’re just dumb (which can be funny in it self). You would be amazed at how good a reaction “What’s long, and brown, and sticky?” – “A stick!” gets. Anything that can make the audience laugh is a good thing.
Playing people against each other can also make for a good gig. Couples love to turn on each other, kids and parents love to turn on each other, and big groups of friends will turn on each other at the drop of a hat (hell, that’s what half of our own gigs are). Notice I said “turning them against each other”, not “pulling them apart”. More on that later.
Many of the best gigs come from things the audience can identify with. Something they understand because they’ve been there.
For instance:
Innocent Seadog: Why how now good lady! You look beautiful today!
Shrew: What is that all about? Are you saying that I normally look ugly?
Seadog: Why no! I only meant that today your eyes are imbued with a particularly nice sparkle.
Shrew: So they are normally dull, is that it?
Seadog: Err… no, just that they are not always so well framed by your beautiful hair…
Shrew: Now you are telling me that my hair makes my eyes repulsive?!?!
Seadog: Uhhh… I only meant to say that that today the great sun above us is finally learning to shine as brightly as your fair beauty.
Shrew: Awww.. That is so sweet…
Now the above dialogue is a good example because it can be easily identified with. Women can identify with it because they’ve most likely done that to someone before, and men can identify with it because they’ve most likely had it done to them. From an overall view the entire premise is very silly and the comedic aspects are easy to find. It is also a gig that is very easy to bring customers of both sexes into.
Audience participation is a good thing. It makes them feel involved. It gives them 15 seconds of fame. It justifies the $15 plus shipping and handling that they paid to be at some of these faires.
B. The Bad.
Most of the wrong things you can do during a gig are common sense things to avoid. However, since while we are running around in character common sense doesn’t always remember to tag along.
Here is a brief list of no-nos:
DON’T touch a
customer without first inviting that contact.
DON’T try to split couples apart.
DON’T persist in antagonizing a customer if they ask you
to leave them alone
DON’T harpoon anyone else’s gig.
DON’T drink the water in Tijuana.
Inviting contact from a customer is as easy as offering your hand to them, or asking if they’d let you escort them, or something similar. Grabbing the customer with out asking first can lead to yelling, slapping, and worse. And yes, this applies to women touching male customers as well.
Couples can be fun to turn against each other, but never threaten to pull them apart. Remember, the burly 250-pound ex-linebacker has probably had more beer that day than you have. The one exception to this can be if you’re trying to steal away the member of the couple who is your same sex.
“No” means “no.” If someone wants you to go away, just leave him or her alone. There are plenty more turkeys to roast where that one came from.
NEVER HARPOON A GIG. Shooting down someone else’s gig pisses off them and everyone working with them. It’s one thing to do it accidentally, but doing it intentionally will quickly alienate you to your fellow actors.
Tijuana. Don’t drink the water. ‘Nuff said.
C. The Ugly.
There are a few things to be wary about while gigging and life at faire in general that can be a little less clear-cut. Once again, they mostly fall in to common sense categories, but once again we don’t always pay attention anyway.
1. Try to keep it period.
It can be very easy to go for the easy non-period reference, but it can be much more funny not to. Especially if you can convert the modern reference. “By the heavens! They smiteth Kenneth!” will do much better that “Oh my God! They killed Kenny!” if you HAVE to use it. Customers paid their money to see a different time, not just people wearing funny clothes from a different time.
2. Take care of yourself!
Drink plenty of water and make sure you eat. Get enough rest at night to be functional the next day. If you have a health problem, take care of it. If you become injured deal with the injury.
3. A sober person playing a drunk is much funnier than a drunk person trying to play anything.
Remember, most drunk people are only funny to other drunk people. Drinking at faire is OK, drinking so much you can’t perform is not.
4. Have fun!
If you’re not having fun doing what you’re doing then you need to figure out what’s wrong. If you aren’t out there having fun then neither will the audience.
IV. Behind the mask
A. Character and when to drop it.
There are very few times when one should drop character, but they are very important.
Drop character if:
ANYTHING becomes a medical condition. If a customer is having a heart attack he wants medical help, not an actors impression of a barber surgeon. Likewise if you are hurt, get help. If you feel you must get out of eyeshot, then do so, but then get help.
Children are freaking out. Parents get a bit miffed when you scare their kids, dropping character in this case can help show the child you’re not some weird monster.
You need to take care of a delicate situation, i.e. drunk men harassing a female actor. At times like that it is usually easier to just take care of the problem than work around it in character.
Anything else comes up where common sense tells you that acting in character is going to hinder the situation.
V. Closing Remarks
This is by no means a complete tome upon the intricacies of improv gigging, but it is an introduction. As you get used to your role of antagonist, reactionary, background color, and all around eyesore you will begin to develop your own styles and ideas. Always remember that there is always someone out there that you can learn from, and always someone who can learn from you. And above all be sure to just go out there and HAVE FUN!
-djm
(Stay tuned for intermediate and advanced topics coming soon!)
