Carol Knarr - Storyteller and Drama Specialist

 

All stories need to have exposition, rising action to a conflict, and falling action to a resolution. In improvisation or improv, this is called the Who, What, Where. When creating quick stories (called scenes or bits), establish who you are, what you are doing, and where you are. This is done quickly when acting in improvisation. One player will enter the scene calling out a name, “Alice!” The other player turns and responds, “Bill, I can’t come just yet. I’m fixing this car.” The audience immediately knows there is a man and a woman and the woman is fixing the car. The scene develops with a problem that needs to be solved oftentimes with the help of another character.

 

This simple technique can be taken a step further. In improvisation, it is important to make the bizarre seem completely ordinary. It is playing the scene as truthfully as possible that makes the audience believe the reality that is established. Did I mention Alice and Bill were lab monkeys? Now that you know that fact, the images are completely different!

 

Just for fun, make a list of ten Who’s. Examples might be: taxi driver, deep sea diver, and zoo keeper. As you make a list of ten Where’s, do not refer to the previous list. Keep your lists as unrelated as possible. Examples might be: sandbox, St. Louis Arch, and revolving door. The What list might look something like this: solving a crime, roasting chestnuts over an open fire, and stuck in an elevator. 

 

Once you have your lists, mix up the choices imagining the action of a zoo keeper and taxi driver stuck in the elevator of the St. Louis Arch. What might the dialogue be? What solutions might they try to get out of the elevator or slide down the Arch? What equipment might each have or specific skill that might aid in this adventure? 

 

Once you have the image in your mind, start telling the story. Tell it third person as if you are a fly on the wall watching the action or become one of the characters telling of the account later first person. Be an on-the-spot reporter interviewing one or more of the characters. 

 

This little activity lifts my spirits, keeps my mind sharp, and makes me laugh. Although I prefer to create improvised scenes with other actors, this game helps keep me awake on a long drive, gives me fresh ideas and perspectives, and allows me to tell a spontaneous story that has a simple purpose—to make me think, create, and laugh. 

 

 

Carol Knarr acted with ACME Improv, South Bend, IN, 1991-1994. Carol offers improvisation classes and workshops for personal and professional growth. Find Carol at www.carolknarr.com and www.storyteller.net.