5Improv is short for improvisation and has become a very popular form of entertainment. Games are not only played in theaters and comedy clubs for live audiences, but also in classrooms to help students gain valuable performance skills and at parties simply for fun. The game “Song Styles” (also called "Musical Torture") is similar to the game “Movie styles,” substituting song genres for movie genres. It is best played with the more advanced actor, or student, as knowledge of multiple song styles is necessary, as well as the ability to rhyme on the spot. Follow these steps to learn the rules of the game, and then get ready to hit the comedy circuit.
- Start a week in advance by having your actors learn as many different song genres as they can, complete with many examples of each. When they are called upon to sing dialogue in this game, they can fall back on a melody that everyone knows.Ask the audience or class to give you suggestions of song styles. Write the suggestions down. Try to make the list a good mix of well-known and obscure styles. If you are working with beginners, stick to the well known.Bring two actors to the performance space. Have the audience or class suggest a scene scenario. For this game, it’s best to keep the scene about the emotions and dialogue, and not complicate matters by forcing the actors to maintain anything physical such as playing a sport, or dancing. The scene will be almost entirely sung so it will be hard enough.Begin the scene normally. Let the characters be briefly established, and then randomly begin calling out song styles, at which point your actors continue acting, only they must now sing all of their dialogue in the style you have named. The game works well with an accompanist who can easily switch styles, but if none is available your actors can sing a capella.Change styles at crucial points, when the emotional stakes are high for added drama and comedy. Let your actors find a natural resolution to the scene, but if they are having difficulty realizing an ending (as many beginners do,) have the emcee end the game. If you are keeping score for the evening, name the actor who received the most laughs the winner.
