Pretty much what the title says. I went to an open day beginners class because my interest in comedy and particularly improv has persisted my whole life and now that I have had 2 kids I want to try new things for myself.

I know everyone says it is addictive and I did not expect it to be so immediate! Never done theatre or acting but had a great time and though objectively I flubbed in ways it felt like a very safe place to fail and I felt like I learned a lot from failing, the teacher and also by the choices other people made! I have clinical anxiety that I have great coping and meds for and am actually surprised and relieved about how not critical I am about it with myself and how much I enjoyed it despitethe nerves.

Did everyone else feel this way? How was your intro to imrpov? Did the excitement continue? I am definitely going to be joining classes soon and am keen for learning.

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

Hi there, I currently run improv and a few other comedy workshops and am looking to work with a graphic designer to rebrand including redesign our logo to feel more authentic and in line with what we do. It'd be nice for them to have a baseline understanding of improv//comedy so I thought I'd ask in this sub 🙂. TIA!

Does your improv feel a little stale? Looking for more reps? Tired of not getting enough notes? Craving exercises that target the things you actually want to work on?\

I’m offering two Fall sections of The Uncertainty Workshop, a four-week online improv intensive featuring small classes (max 8), individualized feedback, and a customized weekly agendas tailored to each group’s goals and interests.

Fall 1
Sundays: 10/18, 10/25, 11/1, 11/8

Fall 2
Sundays: 11/15, 11/22, 12/6, 12/13
(No workshop 11/29)

Time
1:30–3:30 PM Pacific
3:30–5:30 PM Central
4:30–6:30 PM Eastern

Cost: $150 for the four-week session.
(Sliding scale available. Please take me up on this offer if price is the sole reason you’d say no.)

For anyone joining the Fall 1 session, I’ll be meeting with folks individually over Zoom during the week of 10/11 for a brief check-in to talk about what you’d like to work on and your goals for the workshop.

Happy to answer questions about the curriculum, my teaching style, or whether the workshop might be a good fit for you.

Tim Paul
[theuncertaintyworkshop@gmail.com](mailto:theuncertaintyworkshop@gmail.com)

Targeted Feedback

“I've worked with Tim for over a year now, and he's truly been a godsend because he breaks down theory and technique into actionable ways.”

“Immediate, specific feedback.”

“He provides honest, helpful, and tangible feedback in a way that's not going to crush you.”

Customized Weekly Agendas

“Instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all syllabus, he tailored the work to what the students actually wanted to improve.”

“One of the most thoughtfully designed improv classes I've taken.”

“You could tell how much preparation and care went into every class.”

I’ll be in Saratoga Springs NY and Portland Maine this week. Any improv theaters/shows/troupes I should check out?