Given how close improvisational theatre is to LARP there are bound to be some lessons to be learned from it. Whether it’s how we approach the choices we make with our characters, how we contribute to a shared experience or how we portray our characters while not actively speaking, improv offers a host of advice that a LARPer can use to improve their Expression skill.
Active choices
The purpose of improv is to entertain an external audience, rather than the participants (in my mind that is the major distinction between improvisational theatre and LARP) – because of this improvisers are encouraged to make choices that cause not only more physical motion, but more emotional activity. In LARP we are constantly faced with choices on where to push a scene, whether it be a quiet discussion in a corner or a grand address to the masses, so why don’t we make choices that put more scenes in front of our audience (in this case our fellow players)? I know often characters deal in secrets, which necessitate more discretion, but for others why not engage a crowd? Also in this vein it’s easy to have a conversation with your hands in your pockets, but why not speak your dialogue with your whole body?
Accept and add
The rule that we all know in improv is to always accept statements made by others in the scene. Whenever an actor offers something in a scene it becomes reality. In improv the rudest thing that can be done is to block out ideas. It imposes on the other actors’ ability to create and contribute to a scene, and the fact is that abrupt changes to a scene are jarring for an audience and less fun, whether that audience is the other players of a LARP or a crowd of strangers. As a LARPer it can be easy to ignore another character’s reality because it doesn’t suit the pursuit of your goals, or to reject another character’s statements because you believe them false, but it’s often far more entertaining for both parties to consensually work it out.
Another principle philosophy of improv is “Yes, and…” Once you have accepted your fellow players’ contribution to a scene add something complimentary to it to help the scene out. Even if you have reason to believe another character is lying to you it’s far more fun to dig them deeper into the lie than to simply accuse them of falsehood, for instance. If you can make your acting partners look good, while they try to make you look good your LARP experience will be better
Share the spotlight
Remember that you’re not the only person on stage. Improv groups traditionally work in teams of 3 to 4, and are constantly stepping forward to deliver their lines and hand off the scene to their colleagues. In LARP there are a lot more people involved so ensuring that others get an opportunity to shine is even more important. Try to allow characters to pay off their concepts, by drawing on their expertise when needed, whether that be to pick a lock, punch a bad guy in the face or fast talk a guard. Just because a character can do everything, according to the rules, doesn’t always mean that it’s in the interests of the game for them to do so. Lastly, try not to interrupt characters while they deliver their lines, unless you are doing so with purpose.
Watch your business
I’ve seen a lot of pictures taken of theatrical LARPs while they are happening, and they are (barring occasional outstanding costuming) extremely dull. They look like people standing or sitting in a semi-circle in dull room. Since both LARP and improv are visual mediums, it behooves both to look at what they are doing while acting that is visual. As you become more nuanced in your approach to acting you will need to be more cognizant of what actors call their “business.” What are you doing with your hands and body while you’re speaking or at rest? How do you interact with your environment? Are you engaging with props? Is your stage blocking static or active (ie are you moving around, or standing still)?
Be genuine
I don’t know if you’ve ever played in a LARP where the players refused to play characters show emotion, but if you have, you know that it can be pretty boring. Don’t hesitate to expose your character’s feelings; feelings are both interesting and compelling. From an improv perspective, adding emotion smartly magnifies a scene and gives it some stakes; in LARP we should strive for nothing less. I know that many players hesitate to lay their emotional cards out on the table, and I suspect that is because of a latent Gamist fear that their weakness may somehow be exploited. As I’ve mentioned before, though, if everyone is bringing something to the table, and proactively creating emotional stakes with their characters they will create a better game.
Improvisational theatre has a lot to offer LARP: it specifies protocols that enhance the game and promotes sportsmanship that I’m afraid isn’t all that typical. Later I’ll be writing a follow-up article that offers some improv games that I recommend for warming up at sessions and improving your spontaneity while LARPing.
