Det här skrev jag för Nobilis hack-speltest-tråden först, men jag tycker det är så bra så jag skriver det här istället.
In addition to being an important element in the construct of a full-length play, insisting that The First Significant Event be commited by one character directly upon another has supreme benefit to the improvisers on stage. It ensures, as I'll demonstrate later, that the central conflict of play is about the relationship between the two characters on stage - a relationship in which the two characters have strong feelings, strong needs, much at stake, and the ability to profoundly impact the life of the other - is a crucial element to a compelling drama and often a missing element from the stage of improvisation.
Consider the difference between these First Significant Events:
Jason goes to war
Debbie wins an award
A volcano erupts and threatens the town
And these:
Jason tells his mother that he is going off to war
Debbie beats her husband, Neil, in a contest and wins an award
Marta rescues Marsha just as the volcano erupts and threatens the town.
Notice how the second set of events raises gripping questions about the characters' relationship. How will Jason's announcement affect his mother? How will Debbie's victory affect her marriage with Neil? How will Marsha feel about Marta now that she owes her so much?
Human beings care about other human beings. An audience will care much more about Jason's affect on his mother than they will about the war, more about Debbie's marriage with Neil than they will about the award that she won, and more about Marsha's sense of obligation to Marta than they will about the lava that is rushing toward the town. (Min emfas)
-- How to Improvise a Full-Length Play, The Art of Spontaneous Theater
Kenn Adams
In addition to being an important element in the construct of a full-length play, insisting that The First Significant Event be commited by one character directly upon another has supreme benefit to the improvisers on stage. It ensures, as I'll demonstrate later, that the central conflict of play is about the relationship between the two characters on stage - a relationship in which the two characters have strong feelings, strong needs, much at stake, and the ability to profoundly impact the life of the other - is a crucial element to a compelling drama and often a missing element from the stage of improvisation.
Consider the difference between these First Significant Events:
Jason goes to war
Debbie wins an award
A volcano erupts and threatens the town
And these:
Jason tells his mother that he is going off to war
Debbie beats her husband, Neil, in a contest and wins an award
Marta rescues Marsha just as the volcano erupts and threatens the town.
Notice how the second set of events raises gripping questions about the characters' relationship. How will Jason's announcement affect his mother? How will Debbie's victory affect her marriage with Neil? How will Marsha feel about Marta now that she owes her so much?
Human beings care about other human beings. An audience will care much more about Jason's affect on his mother than they will about the war, more about Debbie's marriage with Neil than they will about the award that she won, and more about Marsha's sense of obligation to Marta than they will about the lava that is rushing toward the town. (Min emfas)
-- How to Improvise a Full-Length Play, The Art of Spontaneous Theater
Kenn Adams
