Method

In Pairs.

Round 1

Person 1 is the suggester, Person 2 is the decider.

Person 1 suggests things to do: “Let’s…” with all the joy and positive energy they can muster.

Person 2 can choose one of 2 options:

• If the idea sparks some inspiration or joy for them, they reply “Yes, lets!” If they say this, both people do the thing together with gusto!
• If it doesn’t, they respond with a Joyful “Nope!” - it has to have the most joy in it they can put in a no. If they say this, then Person 1 has to suggest a new thing.

Round 2

Exactly the same, except if Person 2 says a Joyful Nope, they can now say “But we could…..” and suggest something that’s in the same universe as Person 1’s suggestion. At this point who is suggesting and who is deciding can flip flop between the two as they decide an adventure together.

IE:

Person 1: Let’s sit on the floor

Person 2: Nope! But we couuuuuld sit on a chair

If Person 1 says “Yes, Lets!” then they do it, if they give a Joyful Nope, Person 2 will suggest something else.

Teaching Notes

• Joyful Nope Must be joyful and a bit silly sounding. It’s hard to recieve a ‘no’ (a block) in a scene - even in this silly, contrived game. So do so with the most love you can give your partner.

We are practicing being in tune with your own inspiration and sense of joy. If the suggestion doesn’t tickle you, give a Joyful No - we will find something that sparks joy for both of you… And that’s where scenes really come to life!

• Keep Suggesting We are practicing not letting a block get in the way of a good time. If you suggest something and your partner gives you a joyful nope, keep your head up, shoulders back, joy in your face, and keep suggesting things with joy and purpose.
• This is a Tuning Exercise. ”Tuning” is what I call exercises that help us understand each other as an ensemble, and what types of offers / endowments / characters / shows we love to play and what kind of things genuinely inspire us. Like the idea of how a band tunes before they play together, improvisers can tune our choices to ones that are more likely to inspire the specific partner / ensemble we're working with atm.