A new feature on The Radical Agreement website is The Improv Gym, a page on the site where several training chatbots are available for beginning students to use at their convenience. These bots are designed to help hone and reinforce best improv practices or instincts. I really want to underline this purpose.
In many ways improv best practices are similar to manners; they are weirdly counter intuitive:
Don’t ask questions.
No transactions scenes.
Say yes to ideas that sound bad.
And so on.
Manners feel similar to me:
Don’t put your elbows on the table.
Chew with your mouth closed.
Don’t bite your finger nails.
They all make sense, but they aren’t necessarily obvious or natural. The best way to get good at them is not to overthink them but to practice them through rote repetition.
Right now the chatbots on the Improv Gym page are designed to help beginning students work successfully with difficult partners. Sure, we can all learn and understand the rule not to ask questions in our improv scenes. But, that doesn’t mean you won’t be doing lots of scenes with partners who ask too many questions.
Currently there are bots designed to help students practice with partners who:
Ask too many questions
Are argumentative
Refuse to make decisions
Interrupt you with unrelated ideas
I thought it would be a fun post to take a look at how to use these chatbots a little bit more specifically. What follows below are a couple of scenes I did with the different chatbots along with my own my notes on our scene work. I think reading through these scenes will help beginning students understand how to best use these bots to hone their own skills.
NOTE: The bots make other mistakes besides the ones they are programmed to make. For example, they often have trouble remembering who is Roger and who is Cynthia in a scene. Fortunately, human students make the same sort of mistakes frequently. The tactics that work in dealing with such errors with human partners work with the bots too. I’ll cover this as examples arise.
Any case, here are four sample scenes with improv tips or notes throughout in red.
A Failed Scene With Questioning Carol
Suggestion: EXHIBIT
USER
Okay, this is a too-scale model of the proposed City Council infrastructure investments for downtown. I thought this would help us focus our thoughts as representatives on the Council.
I initiated this way because I was thinking I should try to be specific in my first line. Questions often put our focus on what isn’t in the scene already, so I wanted to put a lot into the scene right away to counterbalance what I knew was coming. But I didn’t do a good job. All my specifics were about a thing and not at all about me and my scene partner. Watch how this causes problems. I did manage to define WHAT was happening and WHO we were, at least on a superficial level.
QUESTIONING CAROL
But do you think this model accurately represents how the upgrades will affect traffic flow in the area?
Carol asks a question about the model not about us, now I’m going to have to answer it.
USER
I sincerely do. I spent hours on it. I know your concern is the traffic will become too congested due to the addition of new attractions. This model will help us evaluate exactly that.
I answer specifically but the details are all about an imaginary thing and imaginary problems, pulling focus away from the people in the scene.
QUESTIONING CAROL
But have we considered how the proposed changes will impact pedestrian safety and access to public transportation options in the area as well?
Another question that points at faraway, imaginary problems.
USER
If I can get personal for a second, you're my mentor. I built this model because of your concerns. It addresses each and every concern you initially voiced, because that's how much I care about your perspective.
Okay, this is a good move (maybe the first one by me in the scene so far), I’m aware the scene isn’t about the characters in it and I’m trying to fix that by saying something personal about my scene partner. It probably won’t work b/c of Questioning Carol’s prompted behavior, but if this were an audition, I think the adjudicators would appreciate it.
QUESTIONING CAROL
But what about the environmental impact of these infrastructure investments?
There she goes again, pulling us away from focusing on each other and back to problems.
USER
It's in there. Surely you trust that I understand how important the environment is to you.
I try to answer in a way that is personally affected by the question. Good instinct that could lead to good things.
QUESTIONING CAROL
But have we thought about how these changes will affect wildlife habitats and green spaces in the area?
Annnnd back to more problems.
The scene goes on for a bit more, but no need to analyze it. It is essentially what we’ve examined so far on repeat. We can see from the scene why questions can be so destructive: a tendency to deny your scene partners moves while adding nothing of value to the scene save problems.
I tried to combat this by making some moments personal, and that’s a good strategy. Even better would be to add more information in response to the questions and react to them more dramatically, thereby making the questions themselves important to my character.
Don’t freeze because of questions or shy away from them. Questions are problems in your scene and they need to be dealt with promptly.
The big mistake was starting the scene all about an invisible prop. It might have been okay if the prop itself was funny, but even then I wouldn’t recommend the practice. We were focused on a boring, invisible prop the whole scene instead of each other or something funny, or even better, something that was funny about our relationship with each other.
These are the sort of goals you can set for yourself when working with Questioning Carol in order to build an instinctual ability to dealing with a questioning partner well.
A Better Scene With Questioning Carol
Suggestion: Subprime
USER
Okay, I can get you into your dream home, Mr. Ornestra, but it requires a risky loan.
Okay, interesting start. We know who, we know what. Maybe we don’t know precisely where, but this is probably happening in an office. That’s a lot of info for just one line. I like the name Mr. Ornestra for its specificity. I don’t think I’ve heard that name before in an improv scene? I am introducing a low grade problem, which isn’t great.
QUESTIONING CAROL
Wait a minute, risky how?
Okay, it would be better if Carol knew how the loan was risky already and said it. That’s not a note for Carol, who is prompted to ask questions, but for all of us human improvisers.
USER
(I flip through papers) The loan is somewhat suspicious…
Biding time here, eh, I don’t hate the decision. I like it for aesthetic reasons that are all personal taste. There is no super good reason to do this from an improv perspective that I can articulate.
QUESTIONING CAROL
What kind of terms are we talking about here?
Okay, QC is focused on the problem I introduced, time to do something about it.
USER
Well, for one thing, the company offering it also runs a zoo. (I take off my glasses) And if you accepted their terms, you would need to repay the loan only in living monkeys.
And I do my favorite thing, by making a joke out of it. Suddenly we have an unusual thing linked to very strange behavior. The immediacy of this behavior is somewhat distant, because it emerges from absent characters not in the scene. This is the best I can do since the problem that I first introduced and now want to jokify was about people who weren’t in the scene. That was a tough first line. I like the specificity of them owning a zoo and how that absurdly justifies their preferred currency.
QUESTIONING CAROL
Living monkeys?
Fair question, almost feels like QC is underlining and framing my move.
USER
Right dead monkeys are considered interesting but of no value, that's what the fine print says.
I double down with some specifics.
QUESTIONING CAROL
Living monkeys, you say?
Another underlining move, I don’t hate questions used this way. Okay QC doesn’t know she’s doing this but it is still a good move.
USER
Am I stuttering? Yes. It is a bad loan. Or at least an eyebrow raiser.
Oooo, I get feisty.
QUESTIONING CAROL
But what do they expect you to do with all those monkeys once you repay the loan?
This feels like an exploratory question coming from a Voice of Reason perspective. I like it.
USER
They cover that in clause 16c, they insist that is their business. But they run a zoo, so you do the math.
I’ve got specifics, plus two more jokes that feel on game, one of them repeating my earlier justification. I like all of this.
QUESTIONING CAROL
So, are you telling me that in addition to a mortgage payment, I'll also have to worry about feeding and caring for a bunch of monkeys?
Okay! Carol misunderstands what I’m saying, and this is a limitation to working with a chatbot. Unless I finetune it, it will always make mistakes like this. Still, so do my human partners. So do I. So you shouldn’t let moments like this undercut practicing with QC, it is a valuable opportunity to ask yourself how you would deal with a similar misunderstanding in a scene. I see two good pathways, there are probably more, but generally speaking you want to either correct the mistake so your partner understands or shift over to the misunderstanding and YES AND it. I think the better improv move is to YES AND it, from like a theoretical perspective. Let's see what I choose to do.
USER
No, the mortgage is the living monkeys, it is not in addition. You can think of this as being asked to consider monkeys the only form of currency.
I go with correcting my scene partner, because I’m a greedy improviser. But it still works! And in all honesty, if I YES ANDED QC’s misunderstanding it would have changed the dynamic of a scene I was really enjoying, so I stuck with my initial intent.
QUESTIONING CAROL
But what if I'm allergic to monkeys?
QC seems to accept my answer and uses a question to raise an inherent absurdity to the main joke of the scene. This is another good way to use a question. Yes, QC doesn't realize she is doing this, but she is doing it nonetheless due to the flow of the scene and her natural inclination to question things. Interesting right? Do you think something similar could be duplicated with a human player also given to asking a lot of questions?
USER
Look, I don't want to talk you into this, but you would be giving them the monkeys. There is no stipulation requiring you to spend an extended period of time with them.
I answer it with an on game joke.
QUESTIONING CAROL
Well, what if the monkeys escape from my property and start causing chaos in the neighborhood?
Another inherent absurdity pointed out in question form.
USER
It's a danger. Personally I would never bring the monkeys home.
Joke. I think on game?
QUESTIONING CAROL
But what if the monkeys have a really good credit score?
Now QC is raising off game jokes, threatening to degrade the specificity of what we’ve been playing and to switch her from the Voice of Reason position to a new Unusual Point Of View character (ie instead of being someone who is shocked another human wants to receive payment in monkeys, she becomes someone who believes monkeys apply for credit and are rated on how well they manage their credit with a credit score.)
USER
We're on different pages here. Look, you may be wondering why I work with Monkey Brothers Financing. I don't like it. The answer is, I try to keep an open mind.
I acknowledge the off game comment by stating we’re on different pages and then use the opportunity to interpret this discord as a question about why I choose to work with a financial company as this one which I define as being named Monkey Brothers. I like this move but it would have been better if I found a way to connect the credit score move into the larger pattern. Still I do justify my strange willingness to work with Monkey Brothers, bringing an Unusual Point of View into the scene.
QUESTIONING CAROL
But what exactly makes Monkey Brothers Financing stand out from other lenders?
Good exploratory question.
USER
Only that they will lend someone with terrible credit vast sums of money.
Joke.
QUESTIONING CAROL
But how do they even determine the value of a living monkey in relation to the loan amount?
Joke.
USER
They say a monkey is worth a hundo.
I’m trying to be cool by using "hundo" instead of "hundred dollars" or "$100". I think this is a bad move that undercuts the integrity of the scene, but you know what? I’d do it again.
QUESTIONING CAROL
But what if the monkeys have high demand in the market and end up being worth more than a hundred bucks each?
USER
I mean that's a great question, personally I would say valuing monkeys as worth $100 a monkey is straight up bananas.
A real dumb joke. Not a bad button, IMO.
So this scene worked a lot better than the first one, but it would have been even better if I hadn’t started with a problem and had made the funny thing about me or my scene partner, instead of Monkey Brothers.
We saw instances in the scene when questions were helpful instead of destructive. This was because I made a comedic offer and Carol asked about it. Questions can often be a good way to begin framing the game, and once a game has been established or found, questions can be useful to explore the nooks and crannies of that game.
(Yes I know this is counter to the rule, Don’t Ask Questions. You could maybe modify that rule to Don’t Ask Questions, Except About Funny Things. This concept is not that far off from times when it is usual to say no in your improv scene)
Sure, Carol didn’t know she was doing these things. But hey, if you’re playing with a partner who has a tendency to ask questions a lot, maybe you can position a comedic offer in such a way that your question prone partner unwittingly frames your game with all their questions. I think trying to figure out how to position offers in a scene so that a player with a tendency to ask questions will ask some about your offer is an excellent way to use the Questioning Carol Chatbot.
NOTE: As I am breaking these scenes down by writing my thoughts in red, I’m learning things about my own instincts and how they could be improved more to my aesthetic liking. You don’t have to do this so formally with your own scenes, but asking yourself how you did and where you can improve after every performance and class is a good way to get better. No reason not to do the same after a scene with one of the chatbots.
A Fun Scene With Steve The Steamroller
Suggestion: Calculation
USER
According to my calculations, the asteroid will reach Earth in two weeks. Once…
Just like with Carol, building a base reality quickly is extremely important. I manage to give a WHAT that carries strongly implied WHO’s and WHERE’s. This is a scene out of a movie like Deep Impact or Armageddon, we know WHAT and we’re probably in a bunker or lab or command center of some sort. The program randomly cuts the USER’s lines off after 7-14 words (or so, I might have set the range higher). Later in this line I referred to Steve as Mr. President or General, I can’t remember which. It would have been smarter for me to start the scene with the naming, as in “General, according to my calculations…” Then I would have added more, faster, which is a good practice when working with a steamroller.
STEVE THE STEAMROLLER
Sorry to interrupt, but I've already made plans for the end of the world. I'm thinking a barbecue on the beach, you're welcome to join if you bring your own sunscreen.
Steve cuts me off, as is his tendency, but at least he says sorry! He also introduces a pretty funny plan to have a barbecue.
USER
Uhm, look we have a chance to save the Earth, we shouldn't…
An okay beginning to a framing response, maybe with more intelligent stuff that gets cutoff. I think I could have responded more directly about the barbecue idea. How could I have framed Steve's last line more effectively by front loading my response?
STEVE THE STEAMROLLER
Sorry, but I've already RSVP'd to the asteroid's party. Plus, I've got a killer playlist planned.
Steve steamrolls right over me but he is on game so it feels fun. Don’t do this to your scene partner though!
USER
Listen to me, Dammit, we could save civilization! Only you can give the order for…
Okay, I’m upping the stakes and giving some more context.
STEVE THE STEAMROLLER
Sorry, I've already booked a table for two at the end of the world diner. But if you want,I can save you a seat next to the dessert cart.
Things are getting a little more fantastic now. There’s going to be assigned seating at tables at Steve’s barbecue, and dessert. I should react to these details specifically.
USER
You've gone mad.
I don’t, but the line feels like it is out of a 1950s movie or Star Trek or something, which is fun.
STEVE THE STEAMROLLER
Mad with excitement for the impending asteroid party! Shall I save you a dance with the apocalypse?
Steve really has lost it.
USER
Good Heavens! Think of your family! Think of yourself!
STEVE THE STEAMROLLER
My family will be fine,they'll be joining me at the end of the world barbecue. But thanks for thinking of us!
USER
They'll be dead once the asteroid hits! They'll be incinerated. The worst burnt piece...
STEVE THE STEAMROLLER
Outshines your barbecue chicken any day!
USER
Look, please, I don't want this to be confrontational.
STEVE THE STEAMROLLER
No worries,I'll save you a seat at the end of the world barbecue. Conflict-free enjoyment guaranteed!
USER
(Calmly) I don't want to attend your insane, nihilistic barbecue. I want to collaborate...
STEVE THE STEAMROLLER
I appreciate your concern,but I'm afraid the asteroid and I have already synced up our schedules. Enjoy the barbecue,though!
This is a huge reveal. Steve has somehow been in contact with the asteroid and synced up with it!
USER
I'm not going! I told you I'm not going. I…
I miss reacting to the reveal, which isn’t the worst thing ever in a scene that feels fast paced like this. But it would be better if I reacted to it.
STEVE THE STEAMROLLER
Understand completely! More barbecue for me then.
A nice button.
And there you go, that’s how I use the chatbots to practice improvising. We shouldn’t shy away from working with flawed partners, because all of us are flawed as improvisers. We all make mistakes. Given that, we should be asking ourselves, how can we be successful in spite of that truth.
Improv has a tradition of great improvisers wanting to working with brand new or deeply flawed performers. The mark of a great improviser is their ability to do a successful scene with anyone. I hope these silly chatbots in The Improv Gym help you on your journey to that skill level and I hope my improv tips are helpful too!
Great! My instincts need improving apon.