The First Unusual Thing

My improv teacher gave us some homework (my kind of comedy class) to read through The Upright Citizen’s Brigade Comedy Improv Manual. It’s a really well laid out book that outlines the basic structure of an improv scene and includes some exercises to build basic skills. I hope to do the book justice with a simple overview, and then I’d like to do an exercise with you to show you how Option C uses these skills as well.

The arc of an improv scene starts from a base reality that establishes key components of any scene: who the characters are, where they are, and what they are doing presently. Without props or costumes or a backstory, players quickly establish these components with a few rounds of dialogue. This is where the “Yes, and…” principle lays the foundation for the scene, each player building a stronger more specific picture of what their reality is for the audience. This phase continues until the first unusual thing pops up.

As soon as something unexpected occurs, the scene launches out of a predictable setting and the game begins. Players must identify and agree on the first unusual thing in the moment and convert the surprise into rules for a game each player can join in on. The scene proceeds by applying the frame, “if this unusual thing is true, what else is true” in increasingly funny ways.

The first unusual thing is the pivot point of the scene and is the crucial discovery for all players to join the game. The exercise below practices identifying the first unusual thing. Watch how it propels the scene.

Exercise: when a player hears the first unusual thing, all players repeat it verbatim before finishing the scene.

Player 1: Timmy, stop kicking me and sit still in the cart. I need to finish grocery shopping before lunchtime.

Player 2: But I don’t want celery, I want ice cream.

Player 1: If you sit still in the cart and keep your buckle on, we’ll get ice cream.

Player 2: I don’t like the buckle. It’s too tight.

Player 1: Stay calm and it won’t feel so tight.

Player 2: At some point, Mom, I’d like to address the larger issue of having to to sit in the cart still. I’m turning 17 next month.

Player 1: You are still in the cart and turning 17 next month.

Player 2: I’m still in the cart and turning 17 next month.

Player 1: They need to make the buckle on these things larger. No wonder you’re uncomfortable.

Player 2: I’m always uncomfortable. The snaps on my pants chafe my legs.

Player 1: But you look so cute in this blue onesie. You’re mama’s big boy.

Player 2: Gina doesn’t think it’s cute. She said she won't go to prom with me if I'm still using my pacifier.

At Option C, we are in the business of building custom applications. Often clients ask whether they should build or buy solutions for their company. Frequently, the answer is buy. If you need to solve a problem, chances are, others do too, and there’s an app for that. But sometimes the answer is different. This is when we hear the first unusual thing.

You may need a tool that tracks leads and takes notes on customers. There’s a CRM for that. You may need reports on prospective deals and pipeline visualizations. There’s a CRM for that.

But you don’t want your sales team buried in data entry, staring at a screen instead of connecting on a personal level, satisfying call quotas to make the numbers look good when it’s the people who matter to you. Hmm. That’s unusual.