10 – The Harold: Group Games

[Music] Welcome to Imbrave beat by beat. I'm Curtis Rutherford. I interviewed 24 different improvisers and then edited together chunks of those interviews to investigate different aspects of Imbrave one piece at a time. This is episode 10, The Herald Group Games. [Music] This episode continues the episodes breaking apart pieces of the Herald. In a Herald after the opening in the three first scenes is a group game. Then after the three second beats, which return to the games of those three first beats, is another group game. Those two group games split up each set of returns to the beats. They are a chance for the entire team to do scenes as one unit rather than as a series of small scenes. They're commonly referred to as a palette cleanser. A chance to do something different to refresh the audience before returning to the beats. You know, like the palette cleanser you have at all those cheese and wine tastings you're always going to. You know, those. Anyway, you get the idea. Because group games can involve everyone on stage at once, they can often get very messy. But, they're one of my favorite things to work on and to do. A team that can do a great group game can in general easily do great two person scenes. When I'm coaching, I'll have teams generally do three group games as part of a warm up. And I'll also often spend the last 15 to 20 minutes of each practice just working on group games. Because getting good at group games requires a heightened peripheral vision to see people making moves anywhere on stage. Extreme amounts of listening and agreement. And they require knowing exactly when to take focus and make a big clear move. A common phrase you'll hear with group games is that they should be 90% yes and only 10% and. If you've got eight people on stage, you can't have every single one of them anding non-stop. One more thing. At UCB and at many other places, it's common to have eight person teams for heralds. The assumption is that if six people are in the first beats, each of the other two people can initiate one of the group games. They don't have to, but it's generally considered polite, especially in classes, to let one of those people who weren't in those first beats to get a chance to initiate. Up first is John Ascrabis to talk about different types of group games. What I love to drill into people with group games is that there can only ever be two opinions on stage. And so it's very similar to just a two person scene. You're either both on the same page or one of you's unusual and one of you's a straight man. And so if there are eight people on stage, it means that everyone has fallen on one side or the other of our positions. We're either all eight unusual and we're therefore half to frame ourselves and say why we're being funny. Or one person is the straight man and we have seven unusual people, but they're all unusual in the same way. So that's what I drill and probably what most people drill into people with group games. Don't do your own thing. You are representing one person effectively. And it's very similar to the idea in the group game of how do I combine with this idea that somebody else pitched. If I'm also one of the unusual people, not how do I add my own kind of spin to it, but how do I just jump on that premise? Yes, yes, right away. And yeah, that's really hard to do in group games. You have to jump on the first thing that was said and try to say yes to it or it gets confusing really quickly. Or else you have a very crazy world, very fast. Are there any exercises that you particularly like running for that kind of thing? I like to run just different kinds of group games. I definitely love having everybody come on stage and just do the same thing. And then the last person out has to label what's happening, but they're still doing the same thing. So it's just practicing that muscle of labeling, making it clear. Even if you feel like the odd man out, even if you're coming in late, you don't have to be the coach and everybody else is the team. You can still jump in as the team and just clarify why we're here, why we're doing this. I also think in group games knowing how to share focus and keeping in mind that we want to see the unusual thing more than anything else. So even if you're seven straight men and one unusual person, you seven straight men are still just one voice. And you should be less of the scene. We still want mostly the fun thing. And that's really hard to do if there are seven of you trying to straight man for one unusual person. Everybody wants to say why it's weird. And it becomes then like one eighth of the scene is unusual and seven eighths is just like, but. Yeah, exactly. I find the same thing also happens on the other end when you have the seven people playing unusual that sometimes it's like seven moves. And then the one voice of reason gets to say like, wait, but this is funny because and then there's already five more moves on top of it. Exactly. Yeah, we need we need that mix of both those things. It should probably I guess I've never really thought about it in terms of numbers, but I feel like it should be maybe 70% the unusual thing in 30% the voice of reason. Yeah, but you're right. It's really easy to get it really loaded on the side of the other in a group game. So as far as running, then different types of group games, let's talk about like some of those like different types. Oh, yeah. So obviously there's just like so everybody out. My favorite kind gets to you get to be really silly. It's really fun to have eight really smart people thinking of ways you can play the game. You know, you can really open it up. So I like that. Then there's all versus one. Obviously. And I tend to think that's more fun if it's seven unusual people in one straight man. I've also been thinking a lot about and trying to work on what if what if we are seven straight men and one unusual person? Is there a way we can all begin to play that game one at a time? Yeah. And you know, slowly transition so that more and more of us are on board with the unusual person. Last night I was two nights ago, I was coaching Big Mouth Judy and they had that. And now and the way that I put it is I want you guys to pan over. If there's seven unusual people in seven straight men, if we're only seeing the voices of reason, seven voices of reason in one unusual person. Yeah, let's like peel away each voice of reason and have them join that like unusual person as a new character. Or just start playing that game like you said. Yeah, it's hard to do though. Yeah. And a lot of times you can get misread. I definitely have tried to make a move where I've tried to go support that usual person. And it has definitely just seemed like I, you know, didn't know what the game was. But I noticed in our practice two days ago, we had a really fun group game where Liz was like a mystical bridge. And she was unusual and all seven of us were straight men in that scene. And at a certain point she just made herself disappear. Yeah. Goodbye. Yeah. And it was great because I had been thinking like, oh, I wish there's a way for more of us to play this fun game. And as soon she disappeared, it opened up the door for someone else to pop up as a genius. I don't know. The girl was a wizard. A wizard? Yeah. It was you. Yeah. And then you were the sphinx after that. Yeah. And then all three of us got to be on stage being unusual. And it was just such a cool. So I guess if you're the unusual person in group game, you should make yourself disappear. Sure. Yeah. That's the lesson. It is. It was a very like also like savvy and trusting move as far as like you guys have this. I'm now going to set up the next person without making it clear. I'm setting up the next person. Yeah. And yeah, you guys have this. Yeah, it was great. It was really smart. Yeah, the unusual person doesn't often like just let off the gas like that. But it did it forced us to like, oh crap, this vehicle still moving. We got to jump in. Yeah. What are some other like types of group games you like to see or in like different ways of then initiating? Yeah. I really love a nice presentation group game. I think that can be anything. It can be super weird. It can be commercial obviously. It could just be a presentation. It can also just be, you know, we're different organs in the body. And I think those are really fun for a second group game. Yeah. Because it really changes things up of we've only been talking to each other. We get to then talk to the audience. Yes. And especially like thinking of it. Like we're all comedians. I'm more used to watching television or like watching or doing stand up and seeing that and like interacting with the audience, which we don't normally get to do. Yeah. I also think it's maybe a good opportunity to think about what the theme of the show is or to bring the suggestion back in some cool way. And you just don't see them that much. So I think it's, you know, surprising and fun. Yeah. What else? I like a hero's journey. A good hero's journey group game. So it's where you're like then going to from place to place? Yeah, you're taking one character and, you know, exploring their story arc in the group game. So how does that not become plot? Or like what are then the good elements of plot that we can take that and to keep it from just being like, and then he went here and here and here. How is that a group game and not? That's a good question. I think it often is plotty. I guess sometimes I don't mind that. But I do think the way you prevent that is by having a take, you know. I think that's important to remember in especially in group games. What's your take on this? Why? It's funny that we're all repeating this pattern, but why? Yeah. Or if we're seeing this hero's journey and it's just a, I mean, it could literally be a superhero, right? Like what is our feeling as the narrator on this character? Right. So I think that's important to just what is our comedic voice in this scene? And it can be anything, you know, it doesn't have to be a joke. But as soon as we figure out how we feel about what we're watching and why we're doing it, it's going to, I think, remove it from being a plotty thing and it's going to start to hone it in a direction of, like, a comedy. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's like when we did the movie, it's like very much a- We have to have plot in terms of events happen and things change. Yes, but it's always that same game It's always whatever we found fun in each new place or as new events are happening. Exactly. Yeah Any other types of group games you really like? I mean, I guess there's one that starts as a single person on stage or starts as a Two people on stage and more people join I don't know what you would call that. I mean, that's fun to do But I don't I don't specifically practice that one. Yeah, it just feels more like sometimes you do it Yeah Sometimes you start a two person scene in the group games slot and then people figure out how they're gonna join it Can you think of any other types of group games? Yeah, I'm sure there are many that we're forgetting and I'd love to Think about what those are and also it depends on I guess how we're then Classifying them because it's like it would be a matrix of over-robbing things if we're thinking of initiations It's like yeah, are you initiating is one two or eight people? Are you initiating with a line with a movement all those things as opposed to like what is the end results? Yeah, I also think group game slot in a show is a good place to figure out what's been happening in the show and where we need to go now Energy wise so if we've had a really crazy high energy show which I think would Be fun and probably is a rarer problem for a team to have like the show's been too fun. Yeah Yeah Then a group game would be a spot where you could like really change the energy and slow it down or I guess you could keep that really fun momentum going But generally it's man We've had like three kind of talky scenes. We haven't had a load of activity now's our chance to try to turn the show around and bring up the energy and let's you know Let's start with an everybody doing the same thing everybody being physical get in here kind of scene Yeah, and I think starting physically for group game is really fun I love when a team decides to allow especially for a second group game just for anything to happen in that spot Because I think that's a good time for it. Yeah, yeah That was John as Grabis by the way in that interview I incorrectly said big mouth Judy referring to the Lloyd team Judy big mouth because at the time I'd only coach them choice Sorry Judy big mouth. I fucked up also. I think I should explain what I meant by panning over a little bit more Imagine there's a line of eight weird people and eight voices of reason right in a row like that left to right If we're only seeing the voices of reason in a scene or Mostly seeing the voices of reason in just one weird person Imagine that the camera is only showing us the right side of that line So the camera could slowly pan over to the left revealing each weird person who was always there in that scene We just didn't hear from them As that happens we're losing sight of one of those voices of reason who maybe then has to switch and become a new character playing the game Or they're the same character, but now they're playing that game as well Whatever the idea is that the entire world still contains some of these weirdos even if we're only seeing the people saying hey you You're weird So let's see more of those weird people one by one those voices of reason can peel off and become the weird person So just because we start with seven voices of reason doesn't mean we need to end that way Here's Joey Price with more on group games and weird people What's your favorite part of the herald to do or teach I think the last three or four years on a house team? I I think group games are the best great. Okay, so let's talk group games So what is the ideal Joey Price group game? It's either eight weird people or seven weird people in one normal person. How come I don't want to see like I Mean I've seen this seat this kind of scene will work So it's not like this never works because I've definitely been seen where this does work But I don't I don't want to see seven normal people yelling at one weird person right Which I think is a common thing that we all don't want and again that can work But in general, I just think it's like more fun if everybody's on the same page Yeah, so I guess my ideal thing is like kind of starting out maybe with only a half idea Just kind of getting out there and starting to do something and everybody's kind of jumping on board that saying like I love A group game that's maybe 30 seconds of everyone just saying the same thing over and over again without Anything added to it then just like oh, hey, it's already five o'clock. It's already five o'clock. What? All right, it's already five o'clock. Hey, it's five o'clock. Right. Just that for a little while I think it's like there's it's maybe not the funny, but there's something just kind of like engaging about it from an audience perspective and So slowly building on to that is really great. I also If this was a Sleuth group game once I believe I also like group games where it's like they're fairly presentational and Can sometimes like antagonize an audience. I do think those are fun. Yeah, we did once where it was where it was like a Freak show at a circus do you remember this group game was a freak show to circus and and I think like the stuff that we were doing wasn't that freaky right and then we would just turn to the odds and be like Who you're the real freaks like you would scream at the audience and call them freaks and like I think that's so funny Yeah, so yeah something like that too. I mean that's a fairly specific answer, but I like I like Presentational ones where everyone's just kind of on the same page with each other. Yeah And even when you say eight weird people it's eight weird people in the exact same way right? Yeah, that's an important distinction Oh god like eight weird people with their own point of views would be a nightmare. Yeah Yeah, so that's a big thing that I do in 3012 and 401 It's just like just everyone be the exact same once you get to once you're like working Haralds every week then maybe you can like branch out of that and find some other ways to do it But I think especially when you're first working on group games just everyone jump on board and be the exact same Idiot and so yeah, that's definitely my favorite part of group games. Yeah What are your favorite things to do with a class or a team to get them better at group games? I guess in 301 I do a little bit, but in 401 I don't do a lot of like exercises with group games I just kind of have them do a lot of group games and then just note and then note or Just be like they'll start one in 30 seconds and I'll be like okay stop Start at the exact same way and now but everybody just be this everyone just match what we What the initiation is don't do anything else. I think like that is has been a lesson that I've learned to By watching other teachers. I sat in on like a Zach Willis class and he did that a handful of times Just kind of like 30 seconds into a scene just being like stop start over And I think like that is big students learn more from good scenes than they do bad scenes. Yeah, and so being Okay, stopping a thing and just having them started over again. That's a valuable tool to have and then so they're learning group games essentially by That kind of like guided repetition of like hey, you're doing it now. I'm gonna adjust you this way in this way So that way it's the only purpose of an exercise is to feel what something feels like exactly And then you're then just doing having them do that in the group game. Yeah, I mean I think that there are very valuable exercises I think like panel discussion is like a great exercise for that we do on like the first day of 101 that is Like yeah, all it is is you know a handful of people up there You as a teacher kind of get to lead it so you're able to kind of help them along the way too and just have them Just all match and be the same person. I think that's a valuable exercise That you can run that's probably the one that I do the most outside of just running group games. Yeah That was Joey Price Joey talks about agreement as did jonna and as will everyone else in this episode It's the most important part of group games. It is of course foundational to all improv But group games are a quick way to see when it's not there with the two person seeing the coach and maybe some of the audience members can tell when there's not enough agreement But with group games Everyone can tell when there's not enough agreement. It's the difference between testing a bridge by slowly walking across it Or by just getting a bunch of people to jump up and down on it all at once If people aren't agreeing your group games gonna go south really quickly. Here's Devon Richie So this comes from the jams too when I have to just echo what the students say, you know, I like to I don't have to I like to yeah, I'm like me too. We all think that you know like really just Blowing it out. Yeah, I really like a lot of these warm up exercises that are all about like whatever choice somebody made They're just true now. Yeah, just move on. It's just true and celebrate it move on and celebrate it One time I was in a class with and this is really just like yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes So like I was in a class with Christian We were doing a like a scene in a A spaceship that was like a captain of a spaceship or something and somebody was like oh captain We like some interlopers are coming and we had their boarding and blah blah and we're like oh okay this and like one person Phoebe's at marie just like get sucked out of a black hole randomly and all of us stood there just like Like a little bit of rides like that's not what we're doing Like we're kind of doing this and kind of ruin the baseline reality But like oh and then we kind of just kept talking as we're like that was weird Keep talking about like what we're actually doing and Christian was like hmm Seems like somebody got sucked out of a black hole. I don't like yeah And they're like I don't care what you think about that move do not judge it. Yeah, just get sucked out of the black hole too And we're like okay, fine and I got sucked that black hole and that seemed so fun Yeah, and I had to like really tell myself like do not judge each other's moves at all. If they're bad, you know it, whatever. But it's more often than not just going to be fun if you just accept it as true. - Yeah. - So many people take that don't think as don't think what I'm doing rather than like, hey, also don't think about your teammates and what they're doing, just like be with them and react with them. - Yeah. And so now when people say like think of your seed partner like a genius, like that is always a little hard for me, but recently, I think I've had a couple of people explain to me this way, but like, and Wilheim's like, when I want to imagine my seed partner as a genius, no matter who they are, he's like, I imagine I'm just Neil Casey saying that. You know, whatever they're saying is Neil Casey doing it. And I'm sure whatever, if he said that, I would think it's brilliant. - Yeah. - You know, and I'd be like, okay, we'll do whatever, and I do that. So I imagine like, whatever, who the best improviser I think is, who for me is Brandon Scott Jones. And I'm like, if he said this, I would love it and support the shit out of it. And so I really just try to imagine like, how would I love this? And I'm gonna love this, even if my character, like, is feeling the emotion of not liking this or something, I'm celebrating it as fucking true, you know? And so I really like to have everybody just glom on to points of view, you know? And just really just like group games have two points of view, like really hard for. - Period. - Yep. - Period. That's it. If we're all just being weird buttered turners, I'm like, I just need somebody being not, just give me one person being not the same type of weird buttered turner. - But we don't need both somebody saying, hey, why are you guys turning all the butter? And then like, the boss's daughter comes in and thinks something else, and then the boss's son comes in. And yeah. - And group games like at their worst are like eight clever people standing in a half circle or an in a not a being more clever than each other. - Yeah. - And it's usually funny, because like, you're funny if you've gotten to the point. - Eight funny people, exactly. - Eight funny people who are clever and it will work, but like, it's not the point of a group game. The point of a group game is like to really like, flush out an idea like, we're never gonna have a second beat of this. I mean, you might call it back a little, but like all the other ones like you have to heighten kind of slowly, this one, you blow it the fuck out the first time. You're never gonna see it. So like, go to Crazy Town this one time, this is when we're asking you to. And like, you can heighten anything. Like literally, I just love just like matching somebody's physicality, their voice, whatever they're saying. I err on the side of just repeating it. And like, 90% yes, 10% and for group games. Now you need something to, you need something to yes. So it should be better be making some choices. 'Cause otherwise it's gonna be like, errr, oh we're all just waving our arms. - Right. - It's weird, oh, until like, I'm like, no, it's not gonna make a bold choice still. And somebody else make another variable choice and we just glom onto our sides and heighten the shit out of it. - People often don't use yeses as a way to honor comedic choices. I'm like, I'm yesing specifically, I noticed you did this thing and I think this thing is great and that's why I'm yesing this out of everything you did. I'm yesing all of it and especially accentuating what I love. - Yeah, yeah, I think that's a great way to put it. - That was Devon Richie. Group games aren't the time to judge the other people on your team. I mean, really, there's never a time you should be judging the other people on your team. As with the pattern game, you're doing something very tough as a group. If you're wasting your mental energy at that time by judging your teammates moves as wrong, you're the one doing something wrong. You're slowing everyone down when you should be helping them out. Jump on board, get in there. Here's Lydia Hensler. At one point, she will reference Wasp Set of Dinner Party referring to her metaphor that was in episode one, framing the game in justification. Basically, it was, respond to unusual things, react to them. Don't let them pass you by with a tight-lipped smile and a nod as with a bunch of uptight white Anglo-Saxon Protestants at a dinner party. So here's Lydia Hensler. - Group games are one of my favorite things to teach. And one of the things I'll always talk about in that, you know, when somebody's like, "Hey, architects, get in here. "We can't make buildings," or whatever. And then there's a million different pitfalls that happen with scenes like that. But the one of the things, the politeness thing that I talk about that is one of those pitfalls is everyone thinks the person stepping out has some expected reaction that they want from everybody as though they've come up with some amazing premise by saying, "Architect's "get in here." It's like, they're not, they don't hold the keys to the scene. They are, they're like, being a trooper and just starting the scene. And I think it's like, we have to treat, we want to treat everybody like geniuses, but we can't treat them like they know how the scene is supposed to go. The scene hasn't been created yet. Yeah, and so if you're like, "Architect's "we've got to build building, we don't know how to build buildings "anymore or something." And if somebody's like, "John, you have to stop calling "these meetings in the middle of the night. "I know you're lonely, but like this is ridiculous." You know, then it's about John and his loneliness and we just did that. Now we're doing that scene. And it's not like the guy who started that scene or the gal who started that scene is like, "That's not what I had. "My." It's like, they just were starting a scene 'cause it's time to do a group game and nobody stepped out. And they wanted that response, but the response generally is more of a typid, like, "Yeah, rather than a strong yes and. " And it's just like, "Yeah, okay, let's work on the building." You know? They try to, we oftentimes initially when doing group games, especially ones like that where somebody's pitched, like saying something to a group, it becomes this weird line of people and everyone pitching ideas to actually solve the problem. And that's something I think we talk about in 101, you know, even if somebody's just like, "Oh no, my car won't start." Like, we never care if you start your car. Like, the problem never needs to get solved 'cause the scene is always about the people in the scene and the relationships in the scene and the problem or the scenario, the premise, whatever, that's there to serve the fun thing and the fun thing should always be you guys, you know? Or the world that lars, you know? 'Cause we can't see the car. Yeah, nobody cares about this car. This building's never getting built. Yeah. It's the same thing with like teaching scenes and like, nobody came to an imbecile to like learn how to ballroom dance. Like, I don't care. Like, that's not what it's about. I wanna see your ex-boyfriend teach you how to ballroom dance 'cause you didn't know he was teaching this class and this is awful, right? Like, that's where there's a fun scene, yeah. - What's your like elevator pitch for like group games? So like, this is what I want to see in a group game. - Well, I think the thing that we talk about a lot when we're first teaching group games is this idea of like 90% yes, 10% and because it's just listening. I think the biggest thing is listening because that's when you get six different ways to build a building and instead of just being like, whoa, whoa, even if one person makes one choice, like everybody needs to get on board with that choice 'cause we're looking for that first unusual thing, not just a bunch of clever pitches. But I think I love group games so much because I've been on such fun cohesive groupy teams and especially grandma's ashes, we, I mean, our heralds were like all group games. Heralds like we love group scenes and I think it's because I really think it's just listening and then just joy. Like it was just like let's have the silliest, most fun time while making sense that we can possibly have. So when I get, I don't know, I feel like I'm not really answering the question but I feel like with a group of scenes, I think, I often say 90% yes, 10% and which I think is a common thing I'll teach her to say, a big thing is like, keep treating it like a two person scene. Like everybody work together, find the game and that once you know the game, same as like when we rest, like once you know what it is, you know what you're doing. You know there's like a blueprint, you know what the game moves will be but you know where you're headed. So then there's all this room to indulge and all the other fun stuff. And I think my favorite group games to be a part of anyway, when we all know what the game is, we all know it's fun but also every one of us has like a weird character game too that they're playing whilst everyone's driving the scene for another game. So I love when there's a hard game that's like the architect of the scene and then there's like all these sub games and patterns and stuff and it's just a dream. - Which feels almost like a sitcom or a cartoon. I'm like, oh, we know what this character's gonna do. We know Goofy's gonna do, we know what Mickey's gonna do, whatever. - It's so fun. - But they are all trying to build the boat or whatever. - Yeah. And it's just like, I remember, this is like from a very recent show where we were doing like, it was a presentation on group game and we were, you know, like we'd come to the school to talk about your body and we were doing like talking about pubic hair and what's, what's growing down there? You know, so we're all doing these like silly, rhymy fun things, but like the fun of it was that it was like a very pro body, but also like we were highlighting what's so scary about it. And so it was really fun, self love kind of group game. And then we just, you know, kind of gifted Brandon with the idea that he kept bringing up his personal experience in this. And so it was so fun because like the actual premise was so fun and then anytime Brandon popped in with like some experience. He's like, when I was in school, I had a boy but we're like, Jeremy, stop it, stop it right now. You've got to stop bringing your stuff into this, you know? It's just so fun. And that's if I may, to segue into another pitfall that happens in group games a lot, is like maybe we found that fun thing. And if somebody didn't hear it or didn't catch it, they'll pitch some other weird fun thing. And again, don't be wasted. It did our party like label that dig into that because if the minute you give that personal label or that idea label, then there's all this freedom to do it again and it doesn't look like a mistake. So if like I had wandered on stage in that scene and was just like drunk or something, they'd be like, oh, sorry, that's Bev. She's actually on a leave of absence from the tour group. She's got a drinking problem. And then like even though that wasn't the right thing to do because we already had what we were working with, it's now it's another thing. So now anytime I decide to like cry or throw up or just wander around, it's on game for me. - Exactly, it's like I'm like, I'm folded in so it'll no longer derail the whole thing. - Yeah, it's like a fun little balia can rang, you know? - That was Lydia Hensler again. and letting a brat up the idea of not judging your team, of not worrying about the right thing to do and instead just reacting to it, bringing it into the scene. Finally, here's Molly Thomas to talk about one particular type of scene that really only exists in general as a group game. I love a group game. Well, Igan's makes fun. Not makes fun of me, but like, I guess I've come out a couple times and I'll just like do it. Specifically, Igan says like a drip. I'll just make a drop of water fall somewhere on stage. More eloquently, a physical add-on group game. So yeah, my favorite is starting physical and just building whatever it is as a team. And so when you initiate that, is it generally like going back to the suggestion or is it pulling a little bit from like some random physical thing from the opening or? Well, for a while we weren't doing openings and so it would just be usually based on the suggestion. So that's more if we don't have an opening. But also, I really love either doing a first beat or a second beat and just knowing what premise you're going to pull and starting from there just like, "Oh yes, I already know. I already know where we're going to start." That's probably the control freak in me. But with those like physical style group games, if you're coaching a group and you want them to do that, what's like the advice that you give them of like, "These are the things to push towards and these are the things to look out for?" Well, I actually just was teaching a 301 class, these kind of group games yesterday. And the main thing I realized is that I could just kept saying them to them, "What does it feel like is happening?" And just keep doing that. So, and that's probably partially something that I love about it is that it's one of the times you can most turn your brain off. But no, I don't, I mean, we're never turning our brains off when we're doing this even though we say don't think. It's like, "Well, you're thinking a lot." But I guess it's more that the thinking is coming from like your guts and your heart than from your logical brain. And just like, yeah, just like, don't panic. Yeah. Follow that thing. Yeah, because especially those group games, the first like 15 seconds is very scary because it's like, you've defined nothing often verbally and it's like, "Oh, I don't even know what the world is. I just know there's a feather dropping or whatever." Right, right, or a drop. Or a drop. Yeah, or just a single water drop. It's like a water drop. Yeah. And you have to like really push into that and just go like, "Okay, so somebody else be another drop or something else or just like slowly adding to that." Right. And I think that's part of it too, which is sometimes hard for me to remember is that I've been with the same team for three years. So I know that no matter what happens, they're going to make sense of it. And so it's a lot easier to love those games when you know that everybody else has your back. Then when you're in a class or with a practice group or a team where you're not sure. Or even if you are sure they're going to try to get your back, I don't know, it's just maybe they're not going to pick up on what you're trying to do. Yeah. And then when you're in a one drop and they'll come out and go like, "Oh, what are you doing over there?" Right. And just like negate it instantly without. Uh, yeah. Yeah. I feel like those are the types of group games that you almost never see Unloid. Or you see a lot less frequently Unloid. And I think just in general coming up, it really, you don't see it as much until kind of Harold. And I don't know if that's like a. Well, part of it I guess is if you have, because you're doing the pattern game, it doesn't make as much sense. It's not as organic for them to come up because presumably they have at least five ideas. And so if you started that, then you're ignoring presumably one of the premises from the opening. And also even if you do that, your teammates are going to be thinking, "What's the premise they're pulling and how can I?" So it's easier if you're doing sound and movement up top or different opening. Also that stage isn't as conducive to doing big physical things as the Chelsea theaters. So, but yeah, they're so playful. They're such a great way for a team to play and get on the same page. Why do you love those particularly? You mentioned that it's very much just kind of like you're not really thinking, you're just pushing like. I think because they're so surprising and playful and theatrical. And also I guess the payoff when you do figure out what's going on, whether it's sooner or later, it feels like that like a "ha" moment is more rewarding than like an everybody get in here group game. Because the audience is seeing you guys figure out as well. Right, right. And then yeah, the nonverbal communication, that physical communication that's happening is so exciting. It feels even more magical watching it where it's just like, "Oh, how do they do that so quickly?" Right, right. And even being in it. Yeah. I especially love. I mean, I think this is why my team teases me about it is that I love the feeling of I'm just going to make a bold move. And then I trust that somebody else, first of all, I trust that the team will back me up. But then I trust that one of the six or seven or eight of us will figure out what's going on. But we don't need to worry about that in the moment. Yeah. That was Molly Thomas. One last note about group games. And this is one that I stole from Shannon O'Neal. Sometimes in group games, everyone ends up in a scene, but a single person. Still hanging back on the back line. For instance, seven people in the scene and one person on the back line waiting to make a move. Maybe to make a move to give context to the scene or to walk on and be a voice of reason or whatever. Shannon's note for that person was always, "Get in there." If it's a group game with nearly everyone out there, don't be that one asshole still on the back line. Instead, jump in and have fun with your team. You can still make that move to clarify or be the voice of reason as necessary. You'll just have to peel off from the group and re-enter that scene as a new character. So do that. Have fun with your team. That was episode 10, group games. Group games can be very messy when they're bad, but when they're good, they're incredible. My favorite scenes in any Harold I do are nearly always the group games. It's where I get to have the most fun with an entire team of incredibly funny people. Please rate and review the podcast on iTunes, and if you have any feedback for me, please send it to [email protected] that's C-U-R-T-I-S-R-E-T-H-E-R-F-R-D. Thanks to everyone who has already done so, and thanks to everyone who has part of this episode. Johnis Crabis. Joey Price. Devon Richie. Hi, Lydia Hennflur, Bolly Thomas. And I'm Curtis Rutherford.