Initiating a scene can be stressful. And this is true whether you’re new to improv or you’ve been doing it for years. You walk up there, you look at another person or an audience, and sometimes your brain just goes completely blank. Nothing. Or you’re worried it’s going to go blank, and then it does, and you’ve just confirmed your own worst fear.
So what do you do?
Start with “where are you?”
Will Hines, who is an improviser and teacher and a lot of other things (and pretty good at most of them), has a piece of advice for the top of a scene that I think is really useful. He says to try answering the question: where are you?
You don’t have to say it out loud. You can establish that location physically. Just start doing a physical action that places you somewhere. This does a few things at once. It gives your scene partner something to respond to. It gives the audience a sense of where you are. And it buys your brain a little time to figure out what’s going on.
You can let the environment shape what happens next. The location informs the behaviour, and that behaviour gives both of you something to build on.
Why physicality helps
Starting with a physical action means you don’t have to speak right away. And that matters, because a lot of the stress of initiations comes from the pressure to say the right thing immediately. If you start doing something, you skip that pressure. You and your scene partner can silently agree on a reality before either of you has to put words to it.
This also helps you avoid that negotiation phase at the top where two performers are kind of discussing and working out what the scene is about. You’re already doing something, so the scene already has momentum.
If you prefer words, that works too. Ask yourself “where are you?” silently, and then just answer it out loud. Just make sure you don’t get stuck discussing the details of the location for too long. Think about who you are and what you’re doing as well.
Exercise: This Place Has So Much Flavour (partner)
Two players up. Player one enters the scene and makes a choice that establishes the flavour of the space using physicality and emotion. No words. Just an action done with some kind of feeling. It could be something that makes you nervous. It could be something that makes you giddy. You’re showing the character of this place through your body.
Player two joins in with the same or a complementary emotion and matches the activity. The two of you continue this without words for a moment before anyone speaks. This gives you time to sort things out and builds a base reality before a single line of dialogue happens.
Then comes the challenge: someone has to speak and figure out what you’re both doing. But you have something active to go on. That shared activity is your initiation.
Exercise: The Garage (solo)
You’re going to imagine yourself in a specific location full of items. A thrift store, an attic, a garage. Pick a place. Start handling a few objects one by one and notice the emotion you’re feeling as you do it.
Once you’ve handled a few things, stop and describe to yourself the base reality you just formed. Who are you? Where are you? Why? And if you want an extra challenge, figure out the connection between the objects you were handling and why your character feels the way they feel.
This trains you to build a base reality from physical action, which is exactly what you need when your brain goes blank at the top of a scene with another person.
How to Initiate an Improv Scene When Your Mind Goes Blank
Resources and downloads: https://improvupdate.com
Newsletter: https://improvupdate.com/newsletter
Top of the Scene Series
The full series is now released. Here are the articles, YouTube videos, and podcast episodes.
Articles
How to use emotions at the top of your improv scene (even if processing emotions is hard)
ADHD, Autism, Improv, improv exercises, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Solo improv, Your Improv Brain Show
Emotions make us human. And they’re something we usually want in our scenes, because emotion is what connects you to your scene partner, your character, and the audience. It gives a scene depth. It makes people pay attention. If you burst into tears or fly into a rage on stage, everyone is watching. And if…
How to initiate an improv scene when your mind goes blank
ADHD, Autism, Improv, improv exercises, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Solo improv, Your Improv Brain Show
Initiating a scene can be stressful. And this is true whether you’re new to improv or you’ve been doing it for years. You walk up there, you look at another person or an audience, and sometimes your brain just goes completely blank. Nothing. Or you’re worried it’s going to go blank, and then it does,…
Why questions don't work at the top of an improv scene (and what to do instead)
ADHD, Autism, Improv, improv exercises, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Solo improv, Your Improv Brain Show
Asking questions at the top of an improv scene is a fairly advanced move. And if you’re newer to improv, it can slow your scene down before it even gets started. You’ve probably heard the rule: don’t ask questions. It comes up in most improv classes early on, and for good reason really. When you…
How to start an improv scene without backstory or exposition
ADHD, Autism, Improv, improv exercises, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Solo improv, Your Improv Brain Show
Starting a scene with two people standing on stage asking “who are you?” or “what are we doing here?” is one of the fastest ways to lose your audience. And if you’ve done it, you already know how that feels. Backstory and long explanations make sense when you’re writing fiction. You need to get the…
Podcast series
Video series
Emotion in Improv: When to Start Big and When to Stay Grounded
Emotion in Improv: When to Start Big and When to Stay Grounded
How to Initiate an Improv Scene When Your Mind Goes Blank
Assume, Don't Ask: How to Start Better Improv Scenes
You Don't Need Backstory: Starting Improv Scenes in the Middle
