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the spect’s successful achievement of a goal
Stories are full of struggles to achieve goals—from small goals, to scene goals, to the overarching story goal. Some goals are won; others are lost. Overall, spects should win more than they lose. It builds their confidence and keeps the story moving forward.
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Whether the win is something small like convincing a person to do something, or something big like accomplishing the story goal, spects feel more satisfaction when they earn the win. If goals are accomplished too easily, spects don’t step up or become invested. When effort must be expended, the accomplishment of a goal feels more satisfying. You’re not doing spects any favors when you hand them the win. Let them earn it.
Exercises
A player stands in the center of a circle of six to eight players. The center player crosses arms over the chest and closes eyes. The circle players put their palms up a few inches away from the center player. Keeping the body straight as a board, the center player falls in any direction. Circle players catch the center player, then gently pass the player back and forth around the circle. As trust grows, the circle players move farther away, allowing more room for the center player to fall. The process finishes with all circle players putting their hands on the center player who is set upright in the middle. Repeat for each player in the circle.
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Let’s start by defining “difficult” spects. They’re not spects who are hesitant, unsure, or tentative. These are normal behaviors when spects first begin to play. Basic interactive techniques help these spects become connected, activated, and invested. Difficult spects are those who challenge the standard tools.
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a spect who tries to be funny at the expense of the story
Comedian spects are easy to spot. They make jokes and comments that put them outside the story. Their acting is fake and disconnected. This can be appropriate in certain genres, such as farce, melodrama, and telenovela. However, it can be frustrating to play for keeps while the comedian plays in a disconnected fashion. There are ways to work with comedians, but first let’s consider why they play in this way at all.
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Let’s be honest, the spect isn’t always right. Sometimes they’re very wrong indeed. They may address you by the wrong name. They may introduce an anachronism. They may play in a style that doesn’t fit the story. There are all kinds of ways that a spect can be “wrong.” The reason to hold the idea that the spect is always right is this: It makes your job easier when they do something unexpected.
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Interactive performances need spects. It only makes sense that you also need spects when you train. During rehearsals and performances, the spect wrangler coordinates the spects. When you’re training and there isn’t a spect wrangler, it’s up to you.
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a difficult spect who resists or blocks almost every offer
Contrarians are few and far between, but you’ll come across them once in a while. They seem to go against every offer from every character. This behavior usually appears when inter-actors are trying to force the spect to do, think, or feel something. The resistance of the contrarian is an effort to maintain control and autonomy.
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using acute observation to understand the spect
As an inter-actor, you need the ability to read spects—to know what they’re thinking, what they’re feeling, and what makes them tick. When you know these things you can engage a spect and craft a truly personalized story.
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a spect who doesn’t like playing in the unknown
Guarded spects want everything explicitly spelled out before they’re willing to engage in the fiction. Your best approach is to remain friendly, clarify ambiguity with defined offers, and reinterpret the subtext of their offers to fit the context.
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