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Game of the Scene

1970s-present

Also known as The Game, Finding the Game

The single funny idea, pattern, or unusual behavior that defines what a scene is about and is then heightened and explored.

Known for

Origin in Del Close's teaching at iO; codified more systematically in the UCB Manual (Besser/Walsh/Roberts, 2013).
UCB definition: 'the first unusual thing in a scene and how it will go on to define the scene.'
Alternative definitions treat Game as an emergent pattern from character relationships, not an unusual thing.
Some senior teachers warn that consciously hunting for Game prevents finding it; trust character and relationship instead.

Connected to

People

Schools & Theaters

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre iO Theater (ImprovOlympic)

Forms

Concepts

Heightening Base Reality If-Then Framing / Framing Device

Notes

CONTESTED DEFINITION. Two camps:

UCB (Besser/Walsh/Roberts): Game is a specific unusual thing, framed and heightened through If-Then logic.
iO / Annoyance-adjacent teachers (Kevin Mullaney, Jimmy Carrane): Game is an emergent relational pattern — the energy between two grounded characters — and cannot be pre-identified. The UCB approach is more teachable and produces more reliable laughs; the iO approach produces more emotionally complex scenes but is harder to codify. Both claim Del Close as origin.

Sources