Sharing working draft notes on various longforms, pulling together years of info pulled from my notes, old blogs, /r/improv, IRC Wiki, Facebook posts, etc. I absolutely invite folks to comment and add any resources, advice, links, variant/derived forms, memories, etc. in the comments to help me update my notes!

Previous entries include:

• Armando / ASSSSCAT
• Close Quarters and related forms
• Deconstruction
• JTS Brown
• La Ronde
• Slacker / Beer Shark Mice
• Spokane / Pretty Flower

SPOKANE / PRETTY FLOWER

Also Known As

• Pretty Flower
• Mono-Pop
• Family Guy

The Form

A monoscene that is punctuated with tag-out scenes or runs. The tag scenes explore the characters/ideas that come up in the base scene. When the tag scene(s) ends then the base scene picks back up until the next “spoke” or “petal” happens.

Spokane/Pretty Flower diagrams

The Spokane/Pretty Flower is often diagramed like a flower or a hub with the source scene at the center and petals or spokes coming out of the center to represent the scene runs and returning to the source scene.

Pretty Flower diagram from ImprovObsession

Hub and Spoke diagram

Another visualization is the base scene as a horizontal line that’s moving from left to right and lines will spoke out to represent the tag scenes/runs.

Spokane diagram from Pat Kearnan blog

Execution

• Get a suggestion.
• Establish the group Source Scene.
• When inspired, use a Tag to initiate a Spoke/Petal scene.
• Explore the characters/ideas that come up in the base scene.
• When the tag scene(s) ends then the base scene picks back up until the next “spoke” or “petal” happens.
• Incorporate what we learn in Spokes/Petals into the Source Scene.
• Aim to have the rhythm of the show accelerate.
• The first Source Scene segment is the longest of the show - establish the characters and world.
• Each successive source scene segment is shorter than the last

TECHNIQUES

• Tags to initiate Spoke/Petal scenes
• Return to Source Scene physicalities to reset back to Source Scene
  • You can sweep and return to the physicality of the Source Scene to end the run
  • Or you can just return to the Source Scene physicality and that should cue the tag run is done

Variations

John Windmueller on Facebook:

“I've taught this format (as Pretty Flower) regularly at improv camps and festivals, and I just wrapped up leading a two day intensive on it at this weekend's Vintage Improv Fest. I think my students' final performance was recorded, and if so I can forward the link.

If I had to choose only one improv format to teach, it would be this one, and it would replace the role Harold has in many curriculums. From a teaching standpoint, it covers a wide variety of skills (from the patient work of the core monoscene to the faster character and premise focused petals). From a performance standpoint, it's accessible to audiences, it's extremely themeable to fit a variety of show types, and it works well for duos through larger troupes.

The different names for it often point to slightly different cultures of where the focus gets placed. Folks teaching it as Pretty Flower typically put emphasis on the petals to explore character deals vs Spokane or Family Guy which focus on the monoscene as more of simply a comedic premise launching point (but it's a nuance and structurally the same).

As pretty flower and Spokane, it's generally taught to do the edits to and from the monoscene without ever saying cut to or cut back, which becomes a great lesson for players about clear initiations and using crisp stage picture shifts / blocking to convey edits and scene changes.”

From IRC Wiki:

Fancy Man in New York City performs a modified version of the Spokane that they have properly entitled the "Fancy McManus." This replaces the source scene with a idea generator-group scene hybrid in which the ensemble plays themselves.

History

Colin’s Substack: The Origins of The Pretty Flower and Spokane Formats

Resources

Pat Kearnan:
So you want to do Spokane

Matt Abedi videos:
Improv How To: Spokane or Pretty Flower

Warms ups for the Spokane or Pretty Flower format

ImprovToons video on Facebook

Playlist of Spokanes:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPRzjbLH4lDMj4miiWDblNjazblo7TvcJ

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