A two-person scene is easy to manage. You and the spect have only the other person to consider. Add another player and things get a little more challenging. Add several more players and things become even trickier.
For our purposes, a group scene consists of three or more players with a common focus making individual contributions. (In contrast, crowd scenes are groups that contribute as a single unit (e.g., a concert crowd) or multiple groups with different foci (e.g., people at a farmer’s market).
A group might be one spect and several inter-actors, several spects and one inter-actor, or several spects and several inter-actors. Whatever the configuration, there are tools that make it easier to play.
Differentiate – When there’s a group of characters, find the details that make each one unique. Embody the dominant trait of each character. This keeps a group from becoming a homogeneous clump. It also lets you see which perspectives spects gravitate toward.
Find the alliance – In groups, there is often a difference of opinion. When this happens, keep things clear by dividing into two camps. (More than two camps produces chaos, not drama.) Know whose side you’re on. When everyone wants the same thing, there can be two different perspectives about how to achieve it. Clarify the alliances by being near those you agree with and further from those you don’t.
Keep alliances unbalanced – Scenes have more dynamic energy when there are more players on one side than the other. A three-person scene has a natural configuration of 2 and 1. Four-person scenes can play as 2 and 1 plus 1, with the fourth character as an observer. Another option for four-person scenes is to make the alliance 3 and 1. If spects are building confidence, make sure they have an ally on their side. When a spect is playing strong, it’s exciting to pit multiple characters against them.
Identify ringleaders – When characters share an alliance, establish a ringleader. Strong spects make good ringleaders. Less assertive spects can become the second in command. Having ringleaders keeps the focus on central characters and allows others to play support.
Shift alliances – Just because you’re on one side of an alliance doesn’t mean you have to stay there. It keeps things interesting when characters shift alliances. The shift can be physical as well as verbal. When you change your opinion, move closer to those you agree with.
Join the bandwagon – When your character agrees with what another character says, chime in. Your brief support helps build momentum. Don’t just join in on the negative, join in on the positive as well.
All for one – Look for opportunities for everyone in the group to agree. This allows a ringleader to marshal the troops. There’s a special energy when everyone in a group chimes in with their agreement.
Find the game – Not all group scenes are about differing opinions. Look for behavioral patterns that arise and repeat that pattern with variations.
Play the musicality – Group scenes can have a strong sense of musicality. Change the tempo. Shift up the intensity. Ebb and flow between conflict and consensus. Silence is an important part of musicality. Allow moments for the scene to dip to silence and then resurge with conversation.
Pass the focus – The more players there are in a scene, the more work it takes to keep the focus clean. If everyone talks at once, it’s pandemonium. You can avoid chaos by passing focus with eye contact. When you stop speaking, look to the next character you expect to speak. That character becomes the center of focus. Remember to include spects so they don’t just become observers. In larger group scenes, low-key characters can get lost in the shuffle. If you’re a dominant character, pass the focus to those who haven’t been heard from.
Become background – In group scenes, not every character has to be primary focus. It’s a gift to others when you observe from the background as the scene focuses on other characters. You should still have a point of view, but don’t speak.
Split into subgroups – Group scenes sometimes split into sub-groups. If you’re not with a spect, drop the volume of your conversation. It’s easier for spects to focus when there’s not competing noise nearby.
Exit – What begins as a group scene doesn’t have to remain that way. If the scene becomes focused on a spect and an inter-actor, you can exit the scene to sharpen the focus on that relationship.
Group scenes offer exciting dynamics to explore. Keep the focus clear and everyone engaged. Everything else is interactive play as you already know it.
Updated: July 23, 2024
