[Ads-l] "yes and" improv(isation)

Thu Mar 10 08:38:37 UTC 2022

Interesting topic, Stephen. Excellent responses Geoff and Ben.

A book about improvisation by Keith Johnstone that was first published
in 1979 mentions two types of games:

‘Yes, but . . .’ is an ‘accept-and-block’ game.
‘Yes, and . . .’ is an ‘accept-and-offer’ game.

Johnstone states that the games were described by the well-known
educator and acting coach Viola Spolin in her book “Improvisation for
the Theatre”. Wikipedia says Spolin's book has three editions: 1963,
1983 and 1999.

I performed a quick search in a 1969 reprint of the 1963 edition of
Spolin's book, and I did not find a match for the terms
"accept-and-offer" or "Yes and". Perhaps she described the exercise,
but did not use this terminology. I have not looked through the book
carefully.

Keith Johnstone gives examples for the ‘Yes, but . . .’ game. However,
he does not give examples for the ‘Yes, and . . .’ game. Johnstone
gives an example of bad improv followed by an example of good improv
for the ‘Yes, but . . .’ game.

Year: 1979 (1992 Reprint with corrections)
Title: Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre
Author: Keith Johnstone
Publisher: A Theatre Arts Book: Routledge, New York
Chapter: Spontaneity, Quote Page 103
Database: Internet Archive

[Begin excerpt]
‘Yes, But . . .’
This is a well known ‘accept-and-block’ game (described in Viola
Spolin, Improvisation for the Theatre). (Its twin game ‘Yes, and . .
.’ is an ‘accept-and-offer’ game.) I'll describe it because there are
two ways of playing which produce opposite results, and which tell one
a lot about the nature of spontaneity.

A asks questions that B can say ‘Yes’ to. B then says ‘But ...’ and
then whatever occurs to him. To play the game badly, B should think of
his reply before he begins to speak.

‘Excuse me, is that your dog?’
'Yes, but I’m thinking of selling him.’
‘Will you sell him to me?’
‘Yes, but he’s expensive.’
‘Is he healthy?’
‘Yes, but you can take him to a vet to check him out if you like.’
(And so on.)
Probably the audience do not laugh ...
[End excerpt]

Below is Johnstone's example of good improv for the ‘Yes, but . . .’ game.

[Begin excerpt]
‘Don’t I know you?’
‘Yes, but I'm going.’
‘You took my money!’
‘Yes, but I've spent it.’
‘You’re a swine.’
‘Yes, but everyone knows that.’
[End excerpt]

The term “accept and offer” was used to describe an improvisation
exercise in a 1997 book according to a Google Books snippet match.
The author Ana Valdes-Lim credited Viola Spolin with making this
exercise type famous.

Year: 1997
Title: Workshop: A Manual of Acting
Author: Ana Valdes-Lim
Quote Page: 110 according to GB
Publisher: Anvil
Database: Google Books Snippet (requires verification with hardcopy or scans)

[Begin extracted text from snippets]
Players : Pairs
Procedure : This is an “accept and offer” exercise made famous by
Viola Spolin . A asks B a question that he can answer with a “Yes” or
“No.” B, however, must answer “Yes ...” and then offer additional
information.

A: Do you want to go to the movies?
B: Yes, and it's boring here at school, let's skip class. Should we drive?
A: Yes, and let's use your Dad's new car to go there, so we can
impress the girls at the movie-house . We should get dressed then?
[End extracted text]

Garson O'Toole

On Wed, Mar 9, 2022 at 5:00 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> From 1984:
>
> _Back Stage_, Aug. 24, 1984 [ProQuest]
> "Tonight We Improvise! Creating Theatre On-The-Spot" by Ronn Mullen
> p. 18, col. 3:
> [Barbara] Contardi outlines the basics of improv, the rules of the games,
> as it were, as: "Don't deny": Whatever reality is proposed by a partner
> must be supported. "Yes, and...": Take a statement made by your partner,
> agree to it and add some information of your own to further the scene.
> p. 28, col. 1:
> Establishment of place and character are skills taught; accepting
> assumptions from the other performer and building on those assumptions
> demonstrate the "yes, and..." technique.
> p. 28, col. 2:
> "Say 'yes, and...', embellish, add, expand the scene."
>
>
> On Wed, Mar 9, 2022 at 2:03 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Here's "yes-and" as a verb in 1987.
> >
> > https://archive.org/details/secondcitybacks00mccr/page/95/mode/1up
> > Donna McCrohan, _The Second City: a backstage history of comedy's hottest
> > troupe_ (1987), p. 95
> > "Basically, as a director," says Don DePollo, who has appeared on the
> > Second City stage, conducted workshops, and directed, "you _yes-and_, which
> > is a term we use. You have to yes-and the actors and let them do their own
> > material."
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Mar 9, 2022 at 1:54 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> You can access Delton T. Horn's _Comedy Improvisation_ (1991) in full
> >> view on Internet Archive. "Yes and" appears on pp. 18, 68, 69.
> >>
> >> https://archive.org/details/comedyimprovisat0000horn/page/18/mode/1up
> >> https://archive.org/details/comedyimprovisat0000horn/page/68/mode/1up
> >> https://archive.org/details/comedyimprovisat0000horn/page/69/mode/1up
> >>
> >> On Wed, Mar 9, 2022 at 1:43 PM Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >>> GB, 1991, yes and merely provisional:
> >>>
> >>>  <
> >>> https://books.google.com/books?id=RK4RRWgC7FQC&q=rule+of+improv+yes+and&dq=rule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&printsec=frontcover&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgDEAI
> >>> >
> >>> Comedy Improvisation: Exercises & Techniques for Young Actors <
> >>> https://books.google.com/books?id=RK4RRWgC7FQC&q=rule+of+improv+yes+and&dq=rule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&printsec=frontcover&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgDEAI
> >>> >
> >>> books.google.com › books <
> >>> https://books.google.com/books?id=RK4RRWgC7FQC&q=rule+of+improv+yes+and&dq=rule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&printsec=frontcover&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgDEAI
> >>> >
> >>>
> >>> Delton T. Horn<
> >>> https://www.google.com/search?tbs=cdr:1,cd_min:Jan+1_2+1982,cd_max:Dec+31_2+1991&tbm=bks&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Delton+T.+Horn%22&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ9Ah6BAgDEAU>
> >>> · 1991 · ‎Snippet view
> >>> FOUND INSIDE – PAGE 68
> >>> This rule is especially important in a character improv structure . ...
> >>> Of course , an improvisation may be performed in any style , especially
> >>> broad farce and absurdism , which are ... Instead of saying " No , ” say “
> >>> Yes , and — .
> >>>  <
> >>> https://books.google.com/books?id=trn0lsct4g4C&q=rule+of+improv+yes+and&dq=rule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&printsec=frontcover&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgEEAI
> >>> >
> >>> Improv Comedy - Page 189 <
> >>> https://books.google.com/books?id=trn0lsct4g4C&q=rule+of+improv+yes+and&dq=rule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&printsec=frontcover&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgEEAI
> >>> >
> >>> books.google.com › books <
> >>> https://books.google.com/books?id=trn0lsct4g4C&q=rule+of+improv+yes+and&dq=rule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&printsec=frontcover&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgEEAI
> >>> >
> >>>
> >>> Andy Goldberg<
> >>> https://www.google.com/search?tbs=cdr:1,cd_min:Jan+1_2+1982,cd_max:Dec+31_2+1991&tbm=bks&tbm=bks&q=inauthor:%22Andy+Goldberg%22&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ9Ah6BAgEEAU>
> >>> · 1991 · ‎Snippet view
> >>> FOUND INSIDE – PAGE 189
> >>> One Sentence at a Time ( Two performers ) This scene has the same rules
> >>> and setup as One Word at a Time except that , in this case , the performers
> >>> may use only one sentence at a time . ... Review the exercises “ Yes , an
> >>> Stephen G.
> >>>
> >>>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org