Organizing an Improv Party is not complicated, but it requires some preparation. The is page will walk you through the key steps to ensure your event is successful.
Build your Teams You will need to build two or more teams. Each team should be no more than 10 people. Use the tools under Guest Characters to create your team, upload a team picture and assign guests. By using these tools, all of these details will be included in this guide. If you do not enter this information, this guide will not include teams, table tents, or nametags. You may choose to have your teams come up with their own team name and ask them to dress the part or coordinate outfits.
Deliver invitations You can print the invitations or send them through email. Both options will provide the details the guests need to log on to your pre-party website (which is provided by Host-Party.com at no additional charge). You can find both options, as well as email tracking, from the Invitations page on our website.
Build the anticipation Use our communication tools to send notes to your guests leading up to the event. Each note will include links that allow them to quickly log in with their guest id.
Set the Stage Obtain props, decorations and music that fit the theme of your improv. You will need a space to perform the activities. This need not be a stage, but a stage does not hurt. Make sure the room is comfortable for those watching. A good setting is a large family room with the furniture cleared to a side to free space for a stage. You may want a backstage area to stow props and costumes.
Playing the Game Divided into teams, your guests will vie for the coveted honor of “Improv Champions”. Each team will accrue points based on the C. Fahey scoring system, a totally subjective grading scale that will be explained later in this document. The game is divided into rounds and each round will have multiple improv activities.
The activities will be played by various members of each team. Generally, it is not necessary to appoint people for playing activities, but if you have a shy group you may need to do this to prod them. There are references to guests, team members, actors, players and performers throughout this document. All of these terms are used generically to refer to members of each team. Notes regarding an audience refer to spectators or members of both teams when no spectators are present.
Gibberish – The International Language of Improv From time to time, improv activities will require players to speak in gibberish. Gibberish is a nonsensical language that means nothing to anyone. There is no talent to speaking gibberish just move your lips and let what ever comes up, come out. Sometimes it’s easiest to try to speak a language you don’t know and that will invariably come out as gibberish.
Ask-Fors Many of the activities will specify ‘Ask-Fors’. These are places to plug in details provided by the audience or opposing team. For instance, if an activity has an ‘Ask-For’ for famous artist and the audience says ‘Picasso’. Then ‘Picasso’ will be used in the activity where instructed.
Scoring System The C. Fahey scoring system is named after Colin Fahey who challenged the objective testing world by intentionally scoring the lowest possible score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (S.A.T.), thereby lowering the curve – however slight. In Colin’s honor we present a totally un-objective scoring system in which our improv games should be scored.
Each activity is scored based on subjective categories appropriate for the specific activity (e.g. Originality, Dramatic Flare, Athleticism or lack there of). These categories will be identified with each activity. It is up to the judge to score the teams based on these categories. As alwa
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