When I first started improv, I thought, “Great! No lines to learn! Nothing to mess up!”
I quickly found out that "no scripted lines" is not the same as "no lines". There are rules:
1) Pay very close attention to (and remember!) what has been said by your scene partner
2) Acknowledge and build on what has already happened. "That just happened, so now what?"
In reality, you DO have ‘lines to learn’…you are responsible for everything that has been said in the scene. Then another nuance was added to the mix, even while you are NOT on stage;
3) Pay very very close attention to what has been said by everyone on stage. You might need to jump in as side support.
Key word: "Might". Those actors in the wings have a very important choice to make: What you as an actor need (“I've got a great idea for a joke and I want everyone to see me.”) vs. what the scene needs (“It’s going off the rails and I can fix it!”).
Imagine two actors on stage building a meaningful scene about mother/daughter trust while hanging laundry. The wing man decides HE needs to jump in (as the step dad walking into and soiling the laundry; funny, right?), but he should think long and hard if the SCENE needs him. Dirtying up the clean laundry is a great 1-liner, but if that's not the button ending the scene, then there are now three people on stage that still have to figure out "that just happened, so now what?"
Alternately, picture two actors up on stage in a dog training scene that devolves into boring, one-sided, teaching scene. The SCENE needs a boost, so a 3rd actor jumps in to add conflict or an "until one day" storybook twist (the spoiled husband that needs to be trained).
Trust goes both ways: A good partner knows when you need support and when you are doing great on your own. Side support is a very powerful tool...and that power comes from knowing when it is needed...and when it is not.
