I have recently been focusing on the
concept of “expectations” when I am hosting a show. There are certain
expectations I try to be aware of during each performance. “Lowered
expectations”, for example, is when we set up the idea of failure so that the
payoff is greater when we succeed. If we were to start a scene or game by claiming
that “this will be the best game you have ever seen”, it will never live up to
its potential or expectation. Keith Johnstone talks about lowered expectations
in workshops. He often tells students they are about to do a really hard
exercise that they should expect to fail at, and the result is that they then
are able to just experience the exercise rather than worry about the outcome.
This idea was taught to me a long time ago, but is starting to play more of a
role while I am hosting or playing in a show. I also think it goes way beyond
just setting each game up to give it the best chance to succeed. I believe I practiced
this subconsciously, but have now started to actually focus on expectation and
give it more weight.
There is a certain amount of expectation
that an audience will enter a show with. Some audience members have never seen
improv and others are improv connoisseurs, so we should be aware that they all
come into the venue with some sort of expectation or pre-existing idea of what
it is they will experience. I am still getting responses from hesitant audience
members that they have a fear they will get pulled up on stage and forced to
look stupid. Whether you do that in your show or not, you should set up what
you will be doing during the show right off the top so that they can either
breathe easy or sit in anticipation of being volunteered. (We do not usually
involve audience beyond giving suggestions or stories at our space unless it is
a private event). This can all be done with a good introduction to the format
or show delivered to the audience by the host. We strive to get the audience’s
energy to be relaxed and excited at the start of each of our shows. Once the
show is explained and set up, we can move on to the next few steps.
Expectation and marketing are closely
related; audience members will be disappointed by shows that are marketed as
something they are not. For instance, I remember being incredibly excited to
see a show a few years back that was advertised as: “The most hardcore improv
group you have ever seen. We commit so hard it could kill us!” Unfortunately,
it was just like any other improv show and did not deliver what it had
promised. Promoting a show as it actually is will help set up a good audience
expectation. Let them know what they are about to see and be clear. I am still
learning the best way to market an improv show so it reaches the most people
and looks appealing, and this constantly changes with trends and developing
social media. However, the point remains that an audience will respond
positively to a show that meets the expectation set by your marketing campaign,
and then more intimately by the host/set up of the show.
Once you have your audience’s attention and
the show is on its way, there are all kinds of ways to play with expectations.
Something I have been doing recently is setting up a certain improviser to
succeed as the show goes on. I read their dynamic and their energy to play with
them so that at some point they can have their big moment. I tease them a
little and give them a harder time so that as the host I look like the bad guy.
Subsequently, the audience decides that they are the underdog and feel a
personal connection with the performer and ultimately crave the payoff of the
underdog blowing the show out of the water in the end. I have spoken with my
improvisers about this concept, and they are aware that the razzing has a
purpose for the show dynamic. This is a layer of expectation on top of the
overall show that takes practice and hyper-awareness of audience expectation
and the players’ energy. As a host I have also experimented with having the
audience cheer and give me applause when I “mess up” or fumble over my words.
This sets a great tone for the show as well as the audience realizes not only
that the show is truly improvised, but that all the performers including the
host are human and, therefore, relatable. By encouraging the audience to applaud
“failure” as well as “success”, you are setting the precedent that both are
positive and enjoyable and shattering the assumption that there is a “right”
and “wrong” way to perform the show.
A show format we did recently took the
concept of applauding or positively accepting failure to another level. The
improvisers were partnered up randomly and asked personal questions about each
other. At the start of the show, I asked each pair how well they thought they
knew each other. This set up the expectation that the group that knew each
other the most should win. At almost every show, the pair that seemed to know
each other the least was actually the team that came out on top. This was very
rewarding for the audience because the underdog story played out for the whole
show. The audience really supported the team that had the biggest obstacles to
climb.
Let me define some terms for a moment; when
I refer to “winning” or “losing” a show, it is not the classic definition that
we use in everyday conversation. If a show is set up like a competition then
yes, someone is technically winning and losing, but this does not mean that one
performer was necessarily “better” than the others. Even in a show that is not
set up as a competition, the audience will undoubtedly cheer on a specific
player because some improvisers will naturally exude an energy that makes the
audience want them to win. On the other side of the coin, other improvisers
make amazing antagonists that the audience would love to see “lose” to the
favored player.
I think every improviser should be setting
themselves up for success in each show they are involved in. This means
exploring the roles of the “winner” and the “loser”. If you play the “heel”
well—to use a wrestling analogy—then play that so someone else can play “face”.
Both of these types of improvisers “win” in the end if the audience’s
expectations and hopes for the show are fulfilled. This all needs to be in a
healthy environment but can be a fun exploration of how you perform and are
viewed by an audience; once you become more aware of the roles you naturally fall
into, it can be a great deal of fun to learn to play the opposite role
successfully. A host should try to be
aware of whose side the audience is on and help build that dynamic throughout
the show. The audience may even be routing for the host to “win” the show,
which is another fun dynamic to develop.
People laugh when they are surprised in a
show, and expectations can be a great way to set up surprises for an audience.
Through use of effective marketing, hosting, and playing, expectation becomes a
diverse and ever-changing way to create quality shows to which your audience
can’t help but feel personally connected.
