Improv Terms
What Is Improv?
Improv is a fun and spontaneous form of acting without a script. You create scenes on the spot, working with others to build stories and characters. It’s all about saying “Yes, And” to keep the action going. Improv helps you think quickly, listen well, and have a lot of fun!
Talking about improv can be confusing for beginners to understand. Improv is very decentralized, so everyone and every team has their own unique way of referring to different parts of improv. That said, here is a basic list of common improv terms that you probably want to know.
Key Improv Terms
Player (noun): This is what improvisers call other improvisers while they are improvising. This is because each improvised scene often has a set of rules or limitations, called the ‘game’ (see below). And players play games. Or, if you want to think of it in a different way: Actors have scripts. Improvisers have fun, so we call ourselves players.
Scene (noun): A short story or situation created by the players during a performance or practice. Sometimes scenes stand alone, sometimes they are linked together in different ways. Scenes can be long or short, but almost all improv is built around scenes.
Game (noun): Almost every improvised scene has a set of rules or restrictions that force the players to be as creative as possible. These rules are often called games. One example game is ‘The Alphabet Game’, where each line must start with the next consecutive letter in the alphabet.
Offer (noun and verb): Anything a player does in a scene that gives any information to either the audience or their partner. Saying “I’m afraid of snakes” is an offer. Calling your scene partner “Eric” is an offer. Almost everything is an offer.
“Yes, And” (phrase): The core idea of improv. Any time a player makes an offer in a scene, their partner(s) are expected to not merely accept the offer — the ‘yes’ part — but also to build upon and expand the offer — the ‘and’ part. Players rarely literally say ‘yes, and’ except during their first lessons, so this is more of a mindset than physical practice. Denying an offer (called ‘blocking’) disrupts the flow of the scene, and not adding anything to an offer (called ‘wimping’) makes for a boring scene.