Finding the Game

The process by which improvisers identify the first unusual or interesting pattern, behavior, or dynamic within a scene and then exploit and heighten it for comic or dramatic effect. Closely associated with iO and the Harold tradition, the concept originates from Truth in Comedy, where Del Close and Charna Halpern encouraged performers to discover recurring patterns in scenes and use them as the structural engine for development. The UCB Manual codifies two primary approaches: Organic Scenes, where the game emerges naturally from the first unusual thing that occurs, and Premise Scenes, where performers enter with a comedic idea already in mind. In both cases, the game becomes the repeatable comic pattern that the scene follows for its duration. The concept can seem abstract to newer performers; as Mark Jane notes in Creating Improvised Theatre, actors are often unclear what the elusive "game" actually is. In practice, it involves listening carefully for the moment something breaks from the ordinary, then committing to that pattern through repetition and heightening. The more quickly and firmly the game is established, the stronger the scene tends to be. Some practitioners, notably Gary Griggs in Guru, have cautioned that an overemphasis on finding the game can prevent performers from advancing and exploring relationships, arguing that improvisers should remain in the moment rather than hunting for a mechanism to exploit.