Level Up Your “Voice of Reason”: Beyond “Acting Normal” as a Grounded Character

When learning improv, many of us are are given a piece of advice for playing the grounded character (or voice of reason): “Just react like you would in real life.” This is an excellent starting point for understanding how to make a weird scenario relatable to the audience.

But then there are those of us who get into our heads about what a “your real life” reaction should be. For improvisers whose brains work in different ways like mine, or for those who have lived experiences quite different from the average of their scene partners or audience, trying to figure out “normal” can lead to overthinking and second-guessing. It can pull you out of the moment. This is the opposite of what we aim for in improv – getting out of our heads.

One solution, discussed in earlier episodes on this site and newsletter, is to play characters that seem normal to others. Even if they feel unusual to you. And now – in this latest episode – I want to explore another approach that offers greater character flexibility and dynamics… instead of aiming for a fixed “voice of reason” character in a scene, aim for dynamically balancing the characters in certain moments.

This episode isn’t about abandoning grounded characters, it’s about making that character more responsive and adaptable. This shift in perspective can be a useful tool. Even if you already find playing the voice of reason easy or old hat.

If you understand how to play a voice of reason, but find the “just be yourself” approach a challenge, puts you in your head, or you just want to try something new… this might be something to check out. I’ll describe the benefits of considering this technique, and some examples of it in use.

In practice, you’ll focus on how your character, while staying true to who they are, can provide a response that best supports the overall scenic picture. You’ll offer a contrast or a complementary energy to what your scene partners are doing… instead of using a predefined “normal”.

Let’s talk about responsive, dynamic characters you can choose to sustain long term if you really need to.