Classically, as you begin an improv scene, you need to establish the following - who you are, where you are and what you are doing. This is sometimes called building the platform of the scene. Conventional wisdom holds that an audience can’t truly relax and enjoy an improvised scene until the performers have answered these questions.
Who are the characters in the scene? And, just as importantly, who are they to each other?
What are the characters doing in the scene? And perhaps also, what is the scene actually about?
Where is the scene located - this can be geographically (Spain!) or more specifically (a laboratory!) or even both (a laboratory in Spain!).
These are the traditional components of a platform, but it’s a little known fact that in reality there are many more questions that need to be answered for an improv audience to enjoy your scene work. Next time you’re on stage, try to answer the following questions also:
When is the scene taking place? Is it set contemporaneously or way back in the mists of time? Perhaps even in the future? This is important for the actor so they know what vocabulary to use and what hairstyle their character has.
This is a technique made famous by Stanislavsky and is sometimes referred to as the Magic If. Essentially the actor asks themselves - if I was this character, and if I’d had all the experiences this character has had, if all that were true - what would I honestly do in this moment? So to put it into a commonly suggested improv context - if I really was a sex worker in a Film Noir, and if I honestly couldn’t stop farting, what would I do with this pineapple?
How is the scene going? Is it going well? Could it be funnier?
Why are you doing the scene? I mean, really, WHY? Perhaps your parents were right? Perhaps you should have got a degree in Computer Science instead of wasting your time making a fool of yourself in front of people with real jobs?
How much would this scene be worth if it was transcribed into a script and sold to a big shot Hollywood producer? What if it made £1,000,000? Would you be proud of me then, Mum? WOULD IT?