Scenic Improv Long-form Edits

Note that these are NOT used for unscripted plays, as they destroy the illusion that a play is being watched.

Cut to-cut back: Off stage person yells “Cut to X!” and when beat is finished, yells “Cut back!”, whereupon the previous scene resumes.

Time edit: “Three weeks later!” or “Two hours earlier!”

Location edit: “Meanwhile, back on the farm!” or “Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall.”

Montage: “Getting in Shape Montage!” or “Falling in Love Montage!

Tag: A player runs on stage and tags actors out by tapping them on the shoulder. Can tag out everyone, or only a few. If actors remain, they are the same characters, but in a new situation.

Dissolve: New scene is begun downstage of the other actors, who continue for a few seconds, miming their actions, before fading off the stage.

Revolving door: Middle actor interacts alternatively with actors to their right and left, switching from one situation to the other repeatedly. Left and right actors can initiate switch by grabbing middle actors shoulder and swinging them towards them. Should be done at least four times.

Rashomon-type: “That was how Character A saw things, but this is how Character B remembers events!”. We then replay the scene, but from a different person’s point of view, which can be very different than the first scene. Can do multiple times with multiple characters.

Wipe: Actor calls an end to the current scene by walking in front of it downstage with hand held up, wiping the scene away.

Split-screen: Actors initiate new scene to the side of current scene, but indicate to the others to “stay put” with a gesture. They then pass the focus back and forth while maintaining a soft freeze when not the focus.

Scene painting: Actor strides onstage and confidently describes elements of the location or a character’s appearance directly to the audience, then strides off. 

Soliloquy: Actor decisively breaks engagement with partner, turns out to audience and walks downstage and delivers a speech talking in character directly to audience. Upon finishing, they return to their previous position, where their partner has been frozen, and continue the scene where it left off.

Repeat 3x’s to initiate edit from onstage: Player repeats their line three times, which calls for an edit from the off-stage player, who initiate a new scene.