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There are many kinds of improvised comedy. Empty Stage Comedy specializes in long form group improv.
This guide includes short explanations of the different types of comedy you might see at an Empty Stage Comedy show, as well as some tips on what to expect as an audience member at an improv comedy show.
AUDIENCE SUGGESTION: The lifeblood of improv comedy. The audience may be asked for a location, a relationship, an action, an object, something about themselves, or just about anything! The goal is to provide a seed for the rest of the show. It sounds like the audience is under a lot of pressure, but that's not true; our improvisers can take anything you dish out! There's no such thing as a bad suggestion! That being said, some types of suggestions seem to work better than others. A good rule of thumb is, the more heartfelt the suggestion, the more the players have to work with.
BLACKOUT SCENE FORM: Improvisers begin a scene based on an audience suggestion. Another member of the group or the group's director then uses blacked out lights to cut the scene.
CLAP IN FORM: The "clap in" form is one of the signature forms of Empty Stage Comedy. A group of players stands on the back wall of the stage while a scene is playing. At an appropriate point (knowing when is one of the arts of improv!), a player will clap their hands loudly. Then, they will begin another scene.
GAME SET FORM: In this form, players are given a suggestion from the audience, and then a challenge on top of that, such as starting each succeeding sentence with the next letter of the alphabet. This form is most widely known from the hit TV show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"
LIGHTS FORM: In this long form style, a director/performer uses lighting cues to move a story along. Players are in different "zones" around the stage, and action advances both while the lights are on, and when the lights are off. Often, different story lines bounce off each other when the lights move from one set of characters to another.
LONG FORM: This is a generic term used to refer to any improvised form that takes more than around ten minutes to complete. Typically, a long form improv show consists of numerous connected scenes that lead to a final conclusion, like a short play.
MONOLOGUE FORM: Different from stand up, this form usually consists of several improvisors "riffing" on one suggestion. As the improvisors turn the idea over in their minds, they take turns relating short anecdotes or ideas that occur to them regarding the suggestion.
MUSICAL FORM: As the name suggests, musical form improv includes music as a major aspect of the performance. Typically, skilled musicians on piano or guitar provide improvised instrumental music as a partner to the improvised singing of lyrics (and often dancing!) by 1-10 improvisors. As in a typical American musical, these songs are usually interspersed with short monologues or full scenes.
STAND UP FORM: This form of comedy more often than not is not truly improvised, but is rather the result of intense writing and expert delivery. One performer entertains an audience with a mixture of jokes, stories, and/or physical humor.
TRANSFORMATION FORM: Another Empty Stage signature form, two or more players begin doing an action at the same time. This transitions into a scene. At some point, another action emerges, and the scene "transforms" into another scene. A misleadingly simple yet powerful form.
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