This is the rules to an improv game. If you’re here to hear me gripe about technology, feel free to carry on to the next post.
Format
Spoon River is an improvised play in three acts. The format is:
ACT I:
1. Monologues, introducing the characters
2. Scenes, two by two
ACT II:
3. Monologues
4. Scenes, two by two
ACT III:
5. Climax: Everyone eventually on stage
How to Play
The host goes up and introduces the game. “We’re about to show you a story that took place in a small town in America. It’s a quiet town where not much ever happens, that is, until recently. Recently an event has occurred that has affected everyone’s lives. An event of some kind, as big as a tornado, as small as a hotdog eating contest.” We’ll get a suggestion from the audience for “what has happened in the town of Spoon River?”
Examples: There was an explosion at the nuclear power plant. Aliens have landed. A civil war has broken out.
We take a pause and everyone gets in a back line. One by one, we go up and give a short monologue introducing the character we’ll be playing in this game. Once everyone has given their monologue, everyone steps forward and says their name and occupation.
Everyone then gets off stage, and two characters come on and do a scene together. In this scene they should advance the story and establish relationships with the other characters. Once the scene is done, they leave the stage and another pair of two comes on and does a scene. This continues until everyone has done a scene. Since we have an odd number of people playing, one person will be in two scenes.
Once everyone has had their scene, there is another round of monologues. This is an opportunity to express what your character is thinking about the situation and how the plot has advanced. You can introduce new information about yourself here, or share new information. This is an opportunity to “right the ship” and tie together some loose ends to send us in a cohesive direction. Just don’t give any information that contradicts what someone else has already said either in monologue or in scene.
Once everyone has given their monologue, we go into another round of two person scenes. These scenes are slightly looser. If a time jump is justified, someone from off stage may call out “Jump to X!” and the characters on stage would then jump in time to whatever/whenever X was. (Example: A scene is playing out and a tragedy at a wedding ten years ago is mentioned. Someone off stage yells: “Jump to the tragedy at the wedding!” and the characters would jump back in time to show the audience the tragic scene at the wedding).
Once everyone has done a two person scene, someone will come on stage to start the big climax. Slowly, everyone will join them as the scene justifies it, and we will hopefully tie together the story and give the audience a satisfying ending!
Helpful Hints for a Great Game:
Think of the suggestion we get from the audience (“what has happened in Spoon River?”) as the inciting incident, or the jumping off point. If the suggestion is a Civil War has broken out, it’s important to establish who the factions are, why they’re fighting, and how one side is going to win/how they’re going to make peace. The inciting “event” is what causes the problem, the “problem” is what we’re trying to solve by the end of the game.
When choosing a character: Characters should have a logical relationship to the town or the problem. It’s helpful if the characters would already know/have some existing relationship with the other characters on stage. It’s boring if every scene has to start with an introduction. It’s more interesting if these characters have some kind of existing relationship and we can build on that for the audience.
In scenes of two: When someone gets on stage, give them 3-5 seconds to do something physical to establish a location. Remember the fundamentals here: We want to establish Who/What/Where. A physical action is an easy way to justify the ‘where’ and give the scene an element of physicality.
Active listening is critical in Spoon River. Don’t pre-plan in your head while monologues are happening, don’t let your mind wander. Listen closely to who everyone is and think about their relationship to the town and the problem. When you make your character choice, make it in relation to the characters already in the game, and in relation to the problem.
Be careful when choosing a character that you don’t override a problem that’s been established. If the mayor’s daughter is missing and you decide to BE the mayor’s daughter, the mayor’s daughter then gets found in your first scene, and we’ve solved that particular problem immediately.