How to Play the Improv Game, "Typewriter"
- 1). Explain to the audience what they are about to see. Ask the crowd to suggest a story title. Choose titles that are simple and to the point, but also bizarre or obscure to enhance the story you are about to tell, such as "The Girl Who Lost Her Shoe" or "The Night He Fell in Love With Himself."
- 2). Have one actor sit in a chair on one side of the performance space. He will be playing the writer typing a story, and basically narrates as he pretends to type. Have another actor stand center stage ready for the direction he hears from the writer.
- 3). Have the writer/narrator begin typing, and narrating. The other actor should begin acting out the narration. When another character enters the story, another actor should join the first actor center stage, and act out the narration.
- 4). Deliver dialogue. Once there are at least two actors acting out the scenes, they should alternate guiding the story’s direction with the narrator. They must listen to each other. If the actors add a new line, the narrator should add, “He said excitedly,” or however the line was delivered. The narrator and actors should play off of each other.
- 5). Find an organic resolution to the story. The actors or narrator should sense when something climatic or conclusive is happening in the story, which might naturally lead to an ending. Always try to end on a high note, after big laughs.
Source...