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

Thu Mar 10 11:06:28 UTC 2022

Thanks, Garson. The "yes, but..." version may owe something to the writings
of the psychologist Alfred Adler on neurosis:

https://www.adlerpedia.org/concepts/68

...as well as the "transactional analysis" of Eric Berne, popularized in
his 1964 book _Games People Play_. One of the transactional "mind games"
discussed by Berne is called "Why Don't You - Yes But."

https://ericberne.com/games-people-play/why-dont-you-yes-but/

I can see how "yes, and..." could have emerged contrastively from these
"yes, but..." precursors.

--bgz

On Thu, Mar 10, 2022 at 3:39 AM ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
wrote:

> 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