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Long
Form
We just
need an everyday phrase…
Long
form, while less familiar to most, is considered among the “purest” forms of
improv. Long form improvisation is more
about developing a character and finding a plot or story than short form, which
is often played just for laughs.
Requiring a totally different attitude, long form often allows an entire
hour of improv to evolve from just one word or phrase.
While there can be rules for the
format of a long form, it is also possible for a long form performance to
simply be a group of improvisers sincerely inventing everything in the show as
they go along. Long form requires a slightly different skill set and mental
attitude than short form to be successful.
Since long form improv can take so
many shapes and forms, it is often difficult to describe or even practice
without having seen it first hand. A group of improvisers might try to come up
with a cohesive improvised play, with each improviser portraying a particular
character for the course of the performance. Such a performance might be “pure”
improv, or work from a framework, with the plot defined only in broad strokes
and the particulars of the scenes remaining spontaneous.
Other kinds of long form
improvisation, such as the Harold, Montage, and Soundtrack, are based on simply
inventing short scenes, one after another after another. As the improvisers
become inspired by what has come before, scenes may recur and be continued, or
they may not.
The Agents of Improv are currently
experimenting with Harolds and other long form improvisations.
For
more information on the Harold, see the book Truth in Comedy by Del Close et al.