More often than not when you're going to see an improv show, it's comedic. Short form games are often played with a comedic outcome in mind, and long forms often have a payoff with hilarious consequences. Second City use improv as a tool to create sketch comedy. Comedy is so baked into many improvised formats that concepts like The Game, where patterns are heightened and repeated inevitably result int comedic effect.
Not all improv has to be funny. Improv was originally developed as a theatrical training tool, and we know from theatre and film that not all films and plays are comedy, far from it in fact. The majority of tools are reusable for any kind of theatre, but there are certain things which get trained into most improvisers that are not helpful when trying to create something dramatic.
Comedic improv often relies on exaggerated emotions for laughs. Go big! Go even bigger! In dramatic improv, genuine emotional depth is crucial. Over-the-top performances can feel forced or insincere. Your responses need to look further than trying to "find the funny".
When you are improvising comedically, it often focuses on quick character sketches and punchlines. Dramatic improv requires complex, well-developed characters with believable backstories. Without a strong foundation in character development, dramatic improvisations can feel superficial or one-dimensional.
Though there are many differences between comedic and dramatic improv, there is also a lot of overlap in the skillsets required for either. One feedback note I often find myself giving improvisers is to commit more to their characters in order to make a scene more engaging and make their characters come to life. I would far see a hilarious scene organically develop from players leaning in to who they are in the scene than trying to find a way to squeeze in some gags. Too often players are trying too hard to make the point that what they're doing is supposed to be funny rather than committing to it and trusting the process.
Regardless of the end-result you're going for, the majority of teachings are fully applicable and trying to increase your skills and abilities in both can make you a more all-rounded player in general.
Are you curious about dramatic improv as a form? Sometimes you may see this with easylaughs, so always keep an eye on the upcoming shows to see if there's something coming up soon. If you want something more specific though, then look no further than the upcoming show Could They Be Wrong? from easylaughs's very own Bodei Brouwer as director and Ollie Mason as technical director.
In this dramatically improvised show, a group of people need to make a unanimous live or die decision, but the clock is ticking. This psychological, unscripted play is inspired by the movies Women Talking and Twelve Angry Men. They’re all equal, they all have a voice but could they be wrong?
The cast features some familiar faces and some newer additions to the improv scene here in The Netherlands, but is a great way to see how dramatic improv can bring different concepts to the stage.
Get yourself a ticket to see Alice Hamberger, Lawrence Jacobs, Loes Rietkerk, Mimi van Amerongen, Paresh Mathur, Steven Morgan, Thiago Bremm and Vero Moore tackle this intricate, dramatic long form improv play, with a different moral dilemma each time.
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