The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

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a method of post-show reflection for teams to engage in continuous improvement

The stakes of Navy SEAL missions are often life and death. The price of failure is high. This is why SEALs implement a practice of continual improvement, including an After Action Review. If you want to keep improving your work, take a page from the Navy SEAL playbook.

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anything outside the time or style of the story

When playing stories set in particular time periods or within particular styles, anything that is outside the time period or inappropriate to the style is an anachronism.

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a list of the steps of action in a scenario

A scenario consists of a progression of beats. Each beat is defined by a step of action within the scene. A beat breakdown lays out the progression of action, helping the inter-actor map the journey of the scene. It also serves as a series of steps that assist with memorization of the scenario.

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addressing undesired behavior in an in-and-out-of-story way

Sometimes spects’ behaviors spoil the process of play. When inappropriate behavior becomes an issue, you may need to address it while remaining within the fiction. This is where a call-out is useful.

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the permission to behave in ways unlike who one is in real life

When spects play as characters, not themselves, they’re wrapped in the cloak of fiction. Everything they do is the behavior of their character.

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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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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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Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance