Asides

Asides is a scene technique game in which performers periodically break from the action to address the audience directly with their character's private thoughts. Borrowed from theatrical convention dating back to Shakespeare and the Restoration comedy tradition, the aside allows a character to reveal inner monologue, secret motives, or contradictory feelings while other characters on stage cannot hear what is said. In improv, the technique layers subtext over surface dialogue, creating dramatic irony and comedy through the gap between what characters say to each other and what they confide to the audience. The game trains performers to maintain dual awareness of both the scene and the audience, and to develop rich inner lives for their characters that extend beyond spoken dialogue.

Structure

Two or more performers begin a scene based on an audience suggestion. The scene proceeds with normal dialogue and interaction. At any point, a performer may step slightly forward or turn toward the audience to deliver an aside: a brief statement revealing what the character truly thinks or feels about what is happening in the scene.

During an aside, the other characters on stage freeze or continue their business as though they cannot hear the speaker. The aside lasts one to three sentences. After delivering the aside, the performer returns to the scene and the action resumes.

As documented in The Ultimate Improv Book, asides take place during normal conversations, and the other players cannot hear them. This creates a running layer of commentary that the audience tracks alongside the surface action.

The game can be played as a free-form scene technique where performers choose their own moments for asides, or it can be structured with a host who signals when asides occur. In the structured version, the host calls "aside" and the indicated performer delivers their inner thoughts before the scene continues.

The game escalates as the gap between public dialogue and private thought widens. A character who cheerfully agrees to a plan while privately revealing dread or contempt creates tension the audience anticipates and enjoys.

The scene concludes with a standard blackout, often timed to an aside that delivers the strongest comic or dramatic punch.

How to Teach It

How to Explain It

"You are in a scene. At any moment you can step out, face us, and say what you are actually thinking. Then step back in. The aside exists outside the scene. The scene does not hear it."

Asides is an effective tool for teaching subtext, one of the most important and most elusive skills in both improv and scripted performance. The game externalizes what is normally invisible, making subtext audible and trackable.

Introduce the convention by explaining the theatrical tradition. Asides function as a window into the character's mind. The audience becomes a confidant who knows more than the other characters on stage, creating dramatic irony.

Start with a structured version where the facilitator calls "aside" to signal when a performer should deliver inner thoughts. This removes the pressure of deciding when to break from the scene and allows players to focus on the content of their asides.

Coach players to avoid narrating what is already obvious. An aside that says "this is awkward" during an awkward scene adds nothing. Effective asides reveal information the audience could not otherwise access: hidden motives, secret feelings, or plans the character is forming.

A common failure mode occurs when performers use asides to comment on the scene rather than to reveal character. Asides should come from within the character's perspective, not from the performer's editorial distance. "This is going terribly" is a performer's comment. "She has no idea that the ring is in the car" is a character's private thought.

As students develop comfort with the technique, transition to the free-form version where performers choose their own aside moments. This version develops the performer's instinct for dramatic timing and teaches when subtext is most powerful.

How to Perform It

The game works best with two to four performers. More players create too many competing inner monologues and diffuse the audience's ability to track the subtext layers.

Effective asides are brief and specific. A single revealing sentence has more impact than a rambling inner monologue. The best asides contradict the character's public behavior, creating a clear comic or dramatic contrast.

Timing is essential. Asides land hardest immediately after a significant moment in the scene: a lie, a forced agreement, a compliment that might be insincere, or a decision made under pressure. Performers who deliver asides at random moments waste the technique's power.

Physical differentiation between the aside and the scene must be clear. A slight step forward, a turn toward the audience, or a change in vocal quality signals the shift. Without this physical marker, the audience cannot distinguish between dialogue and inner thought.

The performers not delivering the aside should remain still or continue background activity naturally. Reacting to an aside they "cannot hear" breaks the convention and confuses the audience.

Asides should evolve throughout the scene. Early asides establish the character's hidden perspective. Later asides should heighten, revealing deeper contradictions or escalating the stakes of what remains unsaid.