The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

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endowing a character as being responsible for something

Offers carry more weight when they connect to the characters in the scene. You raise the stakes of an offer by assuming that a character is responsible and deserves either the credit or the blame.

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When you hold back from playing because you’re afraid of doing something wrong, do it wrong on purpose.

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To get better, you have to be willing to fail. If you try to avoid failure, you won’t improve. Failure is a great teacher, if you’re willing to learn from it. Don’t try to fail, but embrace it when it happens.

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People are like icebergs. There’s often more that lies beneath the surface. When a scene feels flat, go beneath the surface and read more into it. Assume that something significant underlies what the other character has said or done, and respond to that. Even if there wasn’t an intended subtext, respond as though there were.

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go where the spect leads the story

It’s easy to assume that you know where the story should go. When spects take things in different directions, assume they’re right. Go along with them. Remember, the goal of interactive performance is to play the spect’s story.

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If uncertainty or fear inhibit you, start playing. Don’t try to figure things out. Uncertainty is overcome by doing, not thinking. Step up, take action, and follow impulses before you know where they will lead. Treat fear and uncertainty like a green light and go before you know.

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going further into something already present instead of looking for something new

When improvising a scene, sometimes the internal question of “What’s next?” arises. At times like this, it’s tempting to look for something new—a new idea, a new action, a new scene. The problem with looking for something new is that it puts you outside the story. You’re no longer living as the character, you’re thinking as an author. This disconnects you from the present moment, and worse, disconnects you from the spect.

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Focus on the present moment. Attend to what’s happening in the immediate location between the characters who are present. Keep the scene about what’s going on between you and those who are with you.

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Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance