A Practical Guide to Gorialla Theatre™ & Micetro™

A Practical Guide To

Gorilla Theatre™ & Micetro™

by Richard Ross

Preface by

Rebecca Stockley

Illustrations by

Nina Paley and Richard Ross

Published by

Bay Area Theatresports™

San Francisco, California

First Edition Published 2001
© Richard Ross and Bay Area Theatresports™
Center for Improvisational Theatre, Building B, Third Floor
Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA 94123
Phone: 415-474-8935 Fax: 415-474-9385
E-mail: info@improv.org
www.improv.org

Bay Area Theatresports Performing Gorilla Theatre™ & Micetro™ is fully

protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America, and of all coun-
tries covered by the International Copyright Union (including the Dominion of Can-
ada and the rest of the British Commonwealth), and of all countries covered by the
Pan-American Copyright Convention and the Universal Copyright convention, and
of all countries with which the United States has reciprocal copyright relations. All
rights, including all form of mechanical or electronic reproduction, such as infor-
mation storage and retrieval systems and photocopying, and the right of translation
into foreign languages, are strictly reserved.

We put this stuff on here not because we are trying to make a whole

bunch of money, or because we are control freaks. It is because too many people
lose the rights to their work if they do not specifically state things. All hail the law-
yers.

You must be licensed by

The International Theatresports Institute in

Calgary, Canada, to perform Theatresports™, Gorilla Theatre™

and Micetro™.

For more information or to order Keith Johnstone’s Newsletters

Contact the International Theatresports Institute

P.O. Box 82084, 1400 - 12 Ave. S.W.,

Calgary, AB, T3C 3W5, CANADA

Telephone 403-246-5496 o Fax 403-249-8670 o E-mail

admin@intl-theatresports.ab.ca

I would like to thank William Hall, Paul Killam, Sean

Hill, Diane Rachel, Sheffield Chastain Kasey Klemm and all
the people who attended Keith’s intensive sessions at Bay
Area Theatresports™ over the years for all of their time,
support and insight. I would like to thank Rebecca Stock-
ley for telling me I should write this handbook in the first
place. I would also like to thank my wife Libby for her edit-
ing skills and for being nice to me, Ann Feehan and Bar-
bara Scott for their proofing skills, and Bay Area
Theatresports™ for existing.

And I want to thank Keith Johnstone for creating all

the formats, for teaching them to me, and for not lying to
my face after a bad show.

I n t r o d u c t i o n

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 1

Preface

Why This Book?
In San Francisco, there was no “directed” improvi-

sational theatre performed until 1994, when Gorilla The-
atre™ was introduced to the BATS community.

Initially there was a lot of resistance on the part of

the players to being directed, and confusion as to just how
to direct. It took several years for directed improvisation
to be fully embraced as a performance format in Califor-
nia. We hope that others who are exploring directed
improv might be spared the discomfort, growing pains,
discussion and anxiety that BATS went through.

We now perform a good deal of directed improv in

San Francisco—first Gorilla Theatre™, then Micetro™, and
finally More or Less have come to us from Calgary. The
players are having fun, and the shows attract audiences.

Rich Ross’ work has been key to the acceptance of

Micetro™ (and therefore directed improv) in San Fran-
cisco. Since he has taken acres of useful notes on directing,
I asked him to put together this handbook.

In 1996 in Utrecht, The Netherlands, Keith

Johnstone learned one morning over breakfast that he was
expected to direct Theatresports™ that day, with a large
group of students in front of an audience. He didn’t want
to. So, he invented the Micetro™ format on the spot to
accommodate this large group of improvisors.

A few months later, Keith shared the format with

the students of the BATS Summer School, among them
Rich Ross.

Page 2 Richard Ross

In the Fall season of 1996, BATS did a short run of

Micetro™, calling it “The New Game”. It wasn’t very good.
Experienced improvisors balked at being directed; inexpe-
rienced improvisors had no idea how to make the show
work. The format was dropped.

When Rich Ross became co-producer of the Work-

shop Players (the BATS students), he decided to produce
Micetro™ instead of Theatresports™. He researched every-
thing about the format--exploring the Summer School
information, going to Calgary to see how they played it
there, running workshops in directing—and through trial,
error, and dedication, helped to make Micetro™ a BATS
format.

Rebecca Stockley - 2001

P.S. The name of the game is Maestro. Keith’s pen-

chant for animal names in the theatre led him to suggest
casually that called the game “Micetro” would provide an
easy logo association; and of course, as often happens with
Keith’s musings, it was accepted as The Rule.

I n t r o d u c t i o n

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 3

Introduction

Keith Johnstone’s directed impro formats rock.

They’re fun, they help you improve your skills, and they
present improv in a different and exciting way to the audi-
ence.

This handbook is meant to support Keith

Johnstone’s writings on Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™,
not to replace them. To get the basics, please read Keith’s
“News 5" and “News 6"

and if you can get your hands on

it, the paper he wrote called “Gorilla™ and Micetro™”. I
also recommend “Impro” or “Impro for Storytellers”. The
more you understand Keith’s views on improv, the better
you will understand his formats.

Please keep in mind that the examples in this book

are just that - examples. They are not meant to be “the
way” to do things. If you try to understand the principals
behind the examples, you will enjoy the formats more, and
you will get better at the formats faster.

1. Both are available from The International Theatre-

sports™ Institute, http://www.intl-theatresports.ab.ca

Mischief

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 5

Mischief

Mischief or bad behavior is one of the things that

makes Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ exciting to watch
and play. In fact, I would say that the formats thrive on it.
Mischief connects the players and makes Johnstone for-
mats feel different from other forms of improv. If done
well, mischief makes the show feel like a big, friendly fam-
ily reunion.

A useful way to think of Gorilla Theatre™ or Mice-

tro™, or even Theatresports™, is as two shows going on in
the same space of time. One show consists of all the short
form scenes in the evening. The other is the soap opera of
the competition. Think of the time “between the scenes” as
a long form show; you have characters and relationships
a n d y o u g e t t o c h a n g e a n d r e a c t t o e v e r y t h i n g t h a t h a p -
pens. This will help to make the show into and event, make
it different from other shows, and make it wildly exciting
for the audience.

What is Mischief or Bad Behavior?

Mischief is basically causing minor trouble or dis-

turbances during a show in a way that makes the show
better or more entertaining. You can muck with scenes as
long as your mucking is benevolent and good-natured.
You can make fun of the other players or yourself; you can
take the rules too seriously or object to a score between
the scenes. There are many different kinds of mischief, but
mischief should never be abusive or designed to destroy a
scene. You must be helping the show with your mischief,
not showing off for your own sake.

Mischief

Page 6 Richard Ross

There tends to be something childlike about mis-

chief, whether it is fun mischief or heel mischief. Bart Sim-
pson is a great example of mischief: he is never cruel or
mean, his is just playfully wicked.

Have you ever been to a kid’s birthday party? The

kids do all kind of weird stuff that is funny, at least to
them, and they seem to be having the time of their lives
doing it. They are irreverent, they do inappropriate-ish
things. That is mischief, and it is fun to watch. Of course
when the mischief goes too far, and someone gets their
feelings hurt, it is not fun anymore. When the mischief
gets dangerous, the adults have to put a stop to it.

In Theatresports™ the players are like children

while the judges are like parents. In Micetro™, the players
are the children while the directors are the parents. In
Gorilla Theatre™, the directors take turns being the parent
when it is their scene. When it is not their scene, they are
the children.

A family, and the status within a family, is a good

way to think about mischief. The kids can go crazy up to a
p o i n t , b u t w h e n t h a t p o i n t g e t s p a s s e d t h e p a r e n t s o r
other siblings must put a stop to the nonsense. So, in a
show, the directors can control the mischief, but so can
the other players.

Once, in a Theatresports™ show, I tried being angry

with the judges for being grossly unfair. Actually, I was
yelling at them. The judges were not doing anything to
stop me (not punishing me, not telling me to sit down, and
not telling me to stop), I was rapidly running out of things
to say, and the audience was confused. Paul Killam, my
teammate, tackled me, and dragged me kicking and yell-
ing, back to the team bench. Paul’s actions did a couple of
things; I got punished for yelling; it showed the audience
that we could control each other; it gave some sort of end
to the mischief sequence; and most importantly, it showed
the audience that it was all part of the show, rather than
just an improviser losing it on stage. The audience loved it.
When I went to argue with the judges later in the show,

Mischief

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 7

Paul was ready, and the audience wanted to see how he
would handle me this time.

M i s c h i e f c a n n o t e x i s t i n a v a c u u m .

The per-

son doing the mischief must have someone to play against.
If the other players and the directors ignore the mischief,
it just looks odd. The mischief is like any other offer - it
must be acknowledged and reacted to; if it isn’t it will just
come off as lame.

Kasey Klemm did some mischief if a Gorilla The-

atre™ show where he came out and said something like “It
is hard to be an improv prodigy. I am the youngest ever to
be in the BATS company and I was voted in because I am
an improv genius”. The first night he did this the other
players did not know how to react and didn’t really do
anything. He stuck with it, but the audience did not know
how to react and thought that maybe he was just a jerk,
and the whole thing felt odd. It got better as the night
went on. The second night he did this, the other players
quickly reacted, they made faces, said “oh please”, and
would call him up for scenes but immediately send him
off. In short, they teased him for being so pompous. They
acknowledged what he was doing, which let the audience
know it was in good fun, and allowed him to be the bad
guy on stage, instead of just a jerk. It worked and it was
wonderful.

The Mr. Davies Convention

Sometimes a player will go too far with mischief. It

stops working, it is offensive, it is getting in the way of the
scenes. So, there needs to be a way to curb the mischief if
it gets out of hand. The problem is how do you control
mischief without crushing the ability to do mischief?

Graham Davies from Calgary is very good at mis-

chief. His mischief is almost always funny, yet it has gotten
in the way of the scenes. Graham came up with a way sim-
ple cue for his fellow directors and players to let him know
if they were sick of what he was doing, if what he was
doing was going too far, or if it was hurting the show. The

Mischief

Page 8 Richard Ross

cue is simple: call the person doing the mischief by their
formal last name, Mr. Davies. Mr. Hall. Ms. Stockley.

The beauty of this cue is that it allows the people

doing the mischief to go as far as they want, to be unre-
strained in the mischief, while giving the other players a
way to tell them they have gone too far. The cue is easy to
hear, because it is very different from the way improvisers
n o r m a l l y a d d r e s s e a c h o t h e r .

Shana Merlin from “We Could Be Heros” in Austin

was directing in a rehearsal and the entire cast was getting
out of hand. They kept forcing their way into the scene set
up. She said something like “Mr. We Could Be Hero’s, I
would like to start the scene”. It was great because up until
that point what they were doing was fun, they all heard
the cue, and she was able to get the scene going.

Where To Start For Mischief

I suggest you start with some characteristic of your

personality and amp it up. It is easier to expand something
you already have, than to force a new personality on your-
self. If you are enthusiastic, be even more so. If you are a
control freak, try to be in charge, or be hyper aware of the
rules. If you are confident, become a little pompous. If you
express yourself physically, take that a little farther. Just
don’t forget that your mischief should not be wrecking
scenes, or slowing down the show, it should help the show.

Don’t just blindly copy someone else’s mischief.

Copying tends to make mischief seem forced rather than
spontaneous. It is like putting on someone else’s tailored
suit - it may fit you but it will look odd. Your mischief
should come from you. This is not to say you shouldn’t
learn from other people’s mischief, or that your mischief
will not be similar to theirs. Just try to think about it and
make it your own.

Running Gags

Sometimes someone will enter scenes as a charac-

ter from a previous scene, and the director will send them

Mischief

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 9

off. The audience laughs, the scene is not ruined, and the
audience sees that everyone on stage is good-natured. It
seems as if this is only acceptable in the first thirty sec-
onds or so of a scene. It is important to not enter with a
gag because you think it is funny; you should only be
entering because it will make the show better.

Once the

scene is going, entering with the gag is too intrusive and
derailing to the scene, while the early entry is not really
stopping the momentum of the scene. Entering with the
gag to end a scene may be a helpful option.

Heat And The Heel

From Keith Johnstone’s “Gorilla and Micetro”:

“‘Heat’ is a wrestling term meaning uproar among the
crowd, and wrestlers create it by self-aggrandizement,
a n d b y s e e m i n g t o p u m m e l t h e i r o p p o n e n t ’ s p e r f e c t l y
healthy but heavily bandaged arm. In Gorilla The-
atre™

heat is usually generated by the performers

behavior between scenes and by their interactions with
the ‘directors’.”

To generate heat, you need to give the audience

permission to boo and yell at you, and to love to hate you.
Booing is good. When the audience boos a director in
Gorilla Theatre™ (or at an incorrect score in Micetro™),
the energy in the house goes way up, and generally they
all laugh a lot at the end of the booing. The audience gets
more interested in the show if they get to boo as well as to
cheer. There is no feeling like having the audience boo you
when it is your turn to direct in Gorilla, but give you a
banana because your directing was so good. An example of

1. Keith’s comments: “Dubious value [of such a gag]

establishes the expectation of stupidity [for the audi-
ence].

2. I believe this description of heat holds true for Micetro

as well

Mischief

Page 1 0 Richard
Ross

giving the audience permission to boo is the reigning
champion in Gorilla Theatre™ taking the stage at the
beginning of the show proclaiming arrogantly “the simian
will be mine again”.

The heat in Micetro™ is slightly different from that

of Gorilla Theatre™ because there are so many players on
stage. You may not necessarily want to be a heel, but you
may want to do some heelish things to generate heat

Sheffield Chastain was in a scene early in a Mice-

tro™ that got a 5. As the next scene was being set up, he
came onstage, pointed at the players and said in a cocky
way “You’ve got to follow the five”. This set him up as the
heel and he continued to be arrogant for the rest of the
show.

The heel is the person you love to hate. There is a

fine line here between the audience loving to hate you and
just not liking you. Somehow, you need to convey that the
mean attitudes you are using are all in good fun. It is diffi-
cult to explain how to do this, so I suggest you watch peo-
ple who are good at it. They seem to have a gleam in their
eye that lets you know it is all in good fun. They also don’t
always win the status battles with the other players, which
makes them seem genuine and vulnerable in a way that
engenders the “all in good fun” feeling.

One night in Gorilla Theatre™, Paul Killam played

Director X and wore a Mexican wrestlers mask the entire
show

. He would strut on the stage and claim that he was

going to win the gorilla. He would command the players
o n t o t h e s t a g e a n d c o m m a n d t h e m i n t h e s c e n e s i n s t e a d o f
nicely directing them. The audience did not like him, but

3. Keith’s comments: “It is awful when someone does

‘heat’ when they have nothing else to offer. ‘Heat’ is
o n e e l e m e n t a m o n g m a n y o t h e r s ”

4. Keith had some issues with the Wrestlers mask; “The

makes might have worked if he hadn’t been a player in
scenes. But to play each scene in the mask - in the
same mask - seems pointless. ‘Heat’ should seem to be
playful, not a ‘put on’.

Mischief

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 1 1

they loved not liking him. I threw him out of a scene
because he was not playing it the way I wanted and he
t u r n e d a n d s t a r e d a t m e i n t h a t “ h o w d a r e y o u d o t h i s t o
me” way. Under his breath he said, “I will kill you”. The
audience was leaning forward waiting to see what would
happen. Would he attack me? Would I put him back in the
scene? That’s heat. I stood up to him and he backed down
and the audience loved it. Later in the show, all the direc-
tors were messing with him by finding ways to come into
his scene when he didn’t want them too. It was like King
Kong fighting off the biplanes. The great Director X had
lost control! Finally he had enough when I knocked on the
d o o r a n d e n t e r e d t h e s c e n e , a n d t u r n e d t o w a r d s m e , f o r -
getting all about the scene, and yelled “Kill You”, and
attacked me. We wrestled out way off stage and I got away
from him. It was a great way to end the show.

Dan Klein was another great heel. He claimed that

he would win the gorilla because he knew what the audi-
ence wanted to see, and that was audience members in the
scenes. He brought people up and directed great scenes
with them, and the audience gave him forfeits because
they did not like being told they had to like him! What
made it so wonderful were his reactions. He looked
shocked, he told them he was shocked, but he kept trying.
The scenes were great and when the audience finally gave
him a banana they went crazy with cheering. It was awe-
some.

For the heel mischief and heat to work the other

people onstage must react to what is being done. Whatever
the heel is doing is an offer, and if an offer is ignored it
just lies there like a dead fish.

Of course, not everyone can be a heel in the same

show. The heel needs someone to play against. So we need
some kind of “good guy” to battle the guy we love to hate.

Being the heel can be hard for several reasons.

Mainly because you are trying to get the audience to not
like you. This is generally difficult for improvisers because
we are trained to be good-natured, so the audience likes
us. The other reason it seems to be hard is because it is

Mischief

Page 1 2 Richard
Ross

tricky. You need to get the audience to not like you, but in
the way that makes them love not to like you, not just
think you are a jerk. Give being the heel a try, it can be
rewarding, fun, and it can open up a whole new way of
being onstage.

Some Random Stuff Keith Said About Mischief And
Bad Behavior

•  If 2 people are asked for, 10 should rush up - but
not always.
•  Anxiousness may disappears with mischief.
•  There becomes no division between the playful-
ness and the work, depending how playful it is.
•  The directors are lion tamers and the beasts are
always pawing at them.
•  It should look difficult for the directors to control
actors, but it shouldn’t look malicious – cannot look
mean – just high spirits.
•  Said secretly to the players - “Mess with me, screw
me up” - when directing.
•  It’s about putting up a good show, not shining.
•  Be ready to jump into a scene if you are needed,
as a character or an offstage voice.

Some Examples Of Mischief

•  Dennis Cahill intentionally mocked the judges in
a Theatresports™ show until they made him go
backstage for two minutes.
•  Fall in love with someone on the stage or in the
audience and keep trying to get them to go on a
date.
•  Once, in Micetro™, I was eliminated in the first
elimination. I kept my number and from time to
time would show up onstage when the directors
called out the players.
•  Be outraged at other peoples score.
•  In Micetro, go onstage every time players are
called out.

Directing

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 1 5

Directing

An E-mail conversation between Rich Ross and John

X Heart about Directing Micetro™, but the ideas are also
applicable to Gorilla Theatre™.

X> H e r e ' s m y q u e r y , w h a t a r e t h e t r i c k s

o f t h e t r a d e , i n y o u r o p i n i o n , f o r t h e
d i r e c t i n g o f t h e M i c e t r o ™ ?

RR>First and foremost, follow your instincts. I

will write it again, it’s that important. Follow your
instincts. Immediately. You know what is right, and
y o u h a v e t o j u m p o n i t t h e m i n u t e y o u t h i n k o f i t . I f
you don't the scenes will get out of your control. I
still forget to do this and it pisses me off.

X> B y t h a t I g u e s s I m e a n w h a t h a v e y o u

f o u n d t o b e t h e f u n a n d u s e f u l t h i n g s t o d o
w i t h t h o s e s c e n e s ?

RR>Getting players to do things they generally

avoid, or are scared of is fun. Setting up scenes that
i n t e r e s t m e ( b u t n o t b e i n g w e d d e d t o m y t h o u g h t s )
m a k e s t h e s h o w m o r e f u n .

X> D o y o u g e n e r a l l y h a v e g a m e s o r

t h e m e s i n m i n d b e f o r e y o u s t a r t ?

RR>No games. Don't do games, or what Keith

calls "lock ins". Instead of setting up a new choice
game, play the game somewhere in the scene. Play
the game without naming it. Say "new choice" as a
direction. That way you are not locked into doing a
scene that sucks because it should be going its own
direction, but it can’t because it is locked into the
game. If you get a laugh I will replace you, you can

Directing

Page 1 6 Richard Ross

only say yes, that’s right, sounds good to me, and
stuff like that should also be used, but should not
be played as lock ins. You should only set up game
for variety if the show needs it.

Before each show I make lists. Current events,

Platforms, tilts, Platforms specific tilts, directions
(ones I tend to forget like slow motion, back it up
to..., or freeze), relationships, lock in games - to not
be played as lock ins but used as direction, solo
scenes, accents. These list are short, if you do one
scene that draws from each list you have a well-
rounded show, and I make them before the show. I
used to make huge lists at home just for practice.

Have all kinds of themes, but remember these

are just starting points and you should not be wed-
ded to your idea. Gorilla is about the directions
vision, Micetro™ is about making the scene onstage
work.

X> W h a t h a v e y o u f o u n d u s e f u l i n s h a p -

i n g t h e s h o w ?

RR>Having a sense of shape of show. Duh! Also,

a list of scene types you want to do, that make up a
good show, and go through them. Group, physical,
verbal, solo, two person, cultural, fun, and more.

X> I s a p a r t i c u l a r s t y l e o f d i r e c t i n g m o r e

p r o d u c t i v e t h a n a n o t h e r ?

RR>Yes. Aggressive. You have to not be afraid to

push the scene around. You know what is right, or
you wouldn't be directing. Your job is to make
scenes good and you must be able to control the
scene WHEN it needs it. Tentative directors, well,
suck. By the time they decide to do something, the
scene is gangrenous. Don’t sit on your calls. You
don’t have to be a dick; you just need to get it done.
Don't over direct, and shut up when something
interesting is going on.

Directing

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 1 7

We Direct All The Time

In a sense, we direct all the time. When you are

watching improv, theatre, TV, or a movie you are con-
stantly making up stories in your head about what is going
on and where you think the story is going. This is one of
the ways you stay interested, and if what actually happens
is too far outside what you think should happen, or what
you have been lead to expect to happen, you change the
c h a n n e l .

Keith calls this the “circle of possibilities” or the

“circle of expectations”. Given the initial information in a
scene, there are only so many things that make sense to
come next. As more information is given, the circle of pos-
sibilities gets smaller. As offers get farther from the center
of the circle, they become less satisfying to the people
watching the scene.

For example, imagine a scene set up on a lifeboat.

Immediately a whole bunch of stuff springs to mind that
you might expect in the scene: dehydration, starvation,
sharks, desperation cannibalism, struggle for the flare
gun, mermaids. Most people would, and should, be
unhappy with an offer of having a party on the lifeboat,
because it is way to the outside of the circle of expecta-
tions.

The point is, be obvious when you are in scene or

when you are directing one. If you make sure the obvious
thing comes next in the scene, you can’t go wrong.

It is important to note that “obvious” is different

for different people. What is obvious to me may not be
obvious to you. However, if you do go with what you think
is obvious, chances are that choice will be within most
other peoples “circle of possibilities”.

What Comes Next

It is easy to know what has to happen from the out-

side of a scene, but harder from the inside.

If you have played "What Comes Next", you know

what I am talking about. In "What Comes Next", it is easy

Directing

Page 1 8 Richard Ross

to know what the scene needs from the audience, slightly
h a r d e r w h e n y o u a r e o n t h e c o m m i t t e e o f 3 , e v e n h a r d e r
w h e n y o u a r e t h e c o m m i t t e e o f 1 , a n d e v e n h a r d e r w h e n
you are telling yourself what comes next.

I try to get into the mind set of an audience mem-

ber when I am directing. Or, I pretend that I am just watch-
ing a scene from the audience, or watching TV in my living
room. At home I “interact” at the TV all the time because
the characters don’t do what should come next. Pretend
you are in your living room watching TV and trust your
own instincts.

Who Should Direct?

Keith Johnstone says it perfectly in “News 5"

“Gorilla Theater™ [directing] is not for beginners, and
even a good improviser may be a poor coach. ‘Directors’
need to understand the art of story-telling, and they must
be able to identify the defenses that the improvisers are
using, and intervene to remove them”.

Some Of Keith’s Coaching Hints From “News 5"

• Eliminate ‘Bridging’
• Force Transitions
• Remove defensive Blocking
• Enforce a ‘Positive’ attitude
• Combine elements
• Remove Cancling
• Enforce Recapitulation [reincorporation]
• Suggest ‘corrective’ games
• Explore latent material

Directing Is A Responsibility

The director is the critical position in the show. It is

your duty to prepare all you can before a show. You need
t o t h i n k a n d p u t t h e m e n t a l e n e r g y i n t o l e a r n i n g h o w t o

1. Read News 5 for detailed discussion of these hints.

Directing

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 1 9

direct. Think about how and what you are going to do as
director. You are asking the players to trust you totally, to
instantly do what you tell them to do, to believe you are
there to help then – the least you can do is prepare ade-
quately.

Scene Lists

I make lists of types of scenes and directorial aids.

Group scenes, hoops, platforms, solo, platforms, relation-
ships, tilts, platform specific tilts, games, genres, mantras,
open tilts, mechanical endowments, character types, titles,
movement, current events, movie styles, play styles, etc. If
we do a scene from each list in a given night, the show
c a n n o t h e l p b u t b e w e l l r o u n d e d .

Making lists is like practicing martial arts tech-

niques. You work the parts over and over again so they
become second nature. If you make lots of lists like the
ones above, you are more likely to recall something from
the list while you are directing in a show. They also make
great reference material. I think generating lists is critical
to becoming a good director.

Directing vs. Side Coaching

The difference is intent. In side coaching the play-

ers are in control, and the coach is just trying to help.
When you direct, you are in control. It is your scene, and
your responsibility to make it good, and sometimes you
will have to grab the scene by the throat and shake it back
on track.

How Do You Become A Good Director?

Read Keith’s newsletters. Think about what makes

good improv. Put the mental energy into getting better.
The role of director can be practiced. To learn to be a good
director you can’t just practice it a couple of times in a
class, or rehearse it a few times at a workout. You need to
think about it. You need to talk about it. You need to want

Directing

Page 2 0 Richard Ross

to get better, because it doesn’t just happen by itself. What
worked for me was generating lists. Think about scenes
while you are driving. Think about what is going on in
your life. Look for platforms and tilts in TV shows and
movies. Keep a notebook with you at all times and write
stuff down when it comes to you. Research. Even now,
when I think I have a handle on directing, I am constantly
thinking and writing. Sheffield Chastain read TV Guide
religiously. Understand platform, tilt and short form
improv in general. Practice, prepare, rehearse.

Concise Directions

Directions need to be given in a clear, short, under-

standable manner. This is hard to do. “I didn’t know what
you wanted” is something you don’t want to hear from the
actors. Being concise lets the players know exactly what
you want immediately. They will love to be directed by
you, because they understand what you want. If they trust
you they will feel that they can do or say anything.

Concise directions are also less intrusive to the

scene. As is waiting for a natural break in the dialogue
before giving your direction. If you wait for the break, you
a can avoid talking over the players, and if you wait, they
may say what you are about to tell them to say on their
own. Giving directions is like entering a scene: sometimes
you know you have to do it, but if you wait just a second
your entrance will be more powerful.

Setting Up Scenes

You also want your scene set ups to be concise. If

you are talking for more than 30 seconds you are proba-
bly confusing everyone with too much information.

You should only give enough information to make

the actors comfortable so they stop thinking and impro-
vise. You don’t want to give extraneous details or too
much information, because that is what the actors are for –
to fill out the scene. If you are giving them too much info,

Directing

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 2 1

you might as well just write a script for a sketch show. Just
give them enough to get them going in the right direction.

Going Back

Rewinding the scene 20 seconds or so to the point

where it went off track is one of the most difficult things to
do while directing. It just feels odd to stop the scene from
going forward. It is, however, sometimes necessary. When
you get the impulse that the scene is going in the wrong
direction, you should deal with it immediately. If you
don’t, not only will the scene continue to spin out of con-
trol, but you may start not paying attention to what is cur-
rently going on in the scene. Then you don’t know if you
should stop the scene because maybe the players got it
back on track - but you are unsure because you weren’t
paying attention - which makes it even harder to go back
and get the scene on track. So, trust your impulses, and act
on them quickly.

Look For Endings

Directors should always be looking for endings.

Always be asking yourself “How do you get out of this
scene?” Look for a good laugh or some reincorporation or
a good summation line and then wave the scene down.
Endings are so important. Many scenes go on way to long,
and we can stop this.

Examples of things to say to encourage endings:
• Find an ending.
• Repeat the last line with confidence.
• Let whatever happened sink in.
• Find a way to leave.
• Hug
• T o u c h h e r / h i m
• Kiss

2. Keith’s comments: “[directors] should be looking of

tilts. Everyone should be looking for endings.

Directing

Page 2 2 Richard Ross

Don’t Try To Improve A Scene By Making It More Com-
plicated

When you are directing, you should be looking for

ways to reincorprate what has come before in the story
instead of piling on the offers. Adding more to a scene
does not help it just gives you more to deal with. Simple is
better. You really only need one interesting idea in a
scene, so instead of adding to a scene that is tanking, try
to use what is already there.

Tell Stories And Use Story Forms That You And The
Audience Already Know

People love to watch stuff they are familiar with.

Familiar stories are easy to absorb. Audiences feel good
when they’re right about what is going to happen. If you
hit on a story structure that you are familiar with, don’t be
scared to go with it.

The format “Once upon a time…And every

day…Until one day…Because of that…Because of
that…Until finally…Ever since that day…” is a great one.
Don’t be afraid to use it. Simple is good.

Tilts

Keith has written a whole bunch of stuff about tilts

in “News 6". Read it. What follows are some different ways
to think about what Keith wrote.

•  A tilt is an offer that changes the relationship of
the characters on stage.
•  A tilt scene is a scene where the tilt is the signifi-
cant offer of the scene. The idea is to set up plat-
form for the scene in which not much happens
until the tilt. In a tilt scene you want the tilt to be a
strong tilt.
•  A platform is the first part of the scene in which
we get to know who is in the scene, what their rela-
tionship is, where they are, and maybe what their
objectives are. CROW stuff. Basically, we get to see

Directing

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 2 3

the characters in the scene in their normal, boring
e n v i r o n m e n t s .
•  In a platform/tilt scene we see the impact of the
tilt better because we have a good idea of what life
was like before the tilt.
•  There are strong tilts and weak tilts. In a tilt scene
we want the tilt to be as strong as possible. Keith
describes it as a large rock being dropped into a
small puddle. When this happens, the pond, or the
scene, is undeniably changed.
•  The reactions to tilts are critical. The relationship
between the characters can only change if the char-
acters react to the tilt. In many ways the weight of
the tilt can be attributed to the reaction of the
tilted. If you over accept an offer, it can become a
stronger tilt. If you are not affected by an offer, it
becomes a weaker tilt.
• Tilt scenes are nice but all scenes do not have to
be tilt scenes.

The trick to setting up a tilt scene is to have no

clever ideas happen in the first 30-45 seconds of the
scene. The audience will be content to watch very little
happening on stage for this amount of time because they
believe something significant will soon happen. They are
content to get to know what the scene is about for a while.

However, there is a point in a scene where some-

thing has to happen. We have all felt it as improvisers and
as audience members. Once we understand characters,
relationships, objectives, and where, the scene needs to
move forward. Try to identify that moment and try not to
stretch the platform beyond it.

Setting up a scene with a specific tilt in mind can be

tricky. You need to make sure the players don’t do any-
thing interesting, because then the scene will be about that
interesting thing. If I have a particular tilt in mind, I need
to figure out what the platform for that tilt will be. If I
can’t set up the platform, there is no way I can make the
tilt happen. Keith lists lots of tilts in “News 6" and in

Directing

Page 2 4 Richard Ross

“Impro for Storytellers”. To make these lists useful for me,
I had to make corresponding lists of platforms to go with
the tilt.

For example, the “Discover your roommate is an

alien” tilt can only be a strong tilt if the platform has been
set. To set up this tilt, I would set up the platform by tell-
ing the improvisers “You are two roommates fixing din-
ner”. If they do interesting stuff, I might say “too
interesting” or “be less interesting” or “just be normal”.
Once we have the idea that these are just two normal
roommates, the tilt that one is an alien should have a big-
ger impact.

Most of the time you don’t want to tell the audience

or the improvisers what the tilt is when you are setting up
the scene. First, the scene will probably just be bridging to
the tilt. And second, you are locked into the tilt. If you
keep the tilt in your pocket, you can disregard it if some-
thing brilliant happens onstage, and the scene is moving
f o r w a r d i n t o t h e u n k n o w n .

The idea of platform is useful in non-tilt scenes. We

let the audience know what the scene is about. We estab-
lish genre, time (roman, contemporary, future), style, lan-
guage, etc. Basically, we are easing the audience into the
scene.

Some More Thoughts On Directing

•  Some of the best directed scenes happen when
the director has to say almost nothing after the set
u p .
•  Sometimes a director will have to supply every
line in the scene.
•  Don’t forget about the theatrical elements of the
theatre. Use the lighting, the sound system and
whatever props are around to create different feels
for your scenes.
•  Trust your instincts and don’t sit on your calls. If
you are thinking it, the audience is probably think-
ing it as well.

Directing

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 2 5

•  If someone enters a scene at the wrong time, send
them off.
•  If people are making too many offers in a scene,
s t o p   t h e m .
•  Look for players who look lost or confused and
t r y   t o   h e l p   t h e m .
•  Look to keep the promises that have been made at
the beginning of the scene.
•  You might want to direct a lot at the beginning of
the show to let the audience see that the players are
o.k. with being directed.
• If an action is completed, you might consider it to
b e   t h e   i n t r o d u c t i o n .

Micetro™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 2 7

Micetro™

The Best Game

Micetro™ is the best game because:
•  People of all skill levels can work together.
•  The game has different roles, so everyone is con-
stantly learning.
•  New and experienced improvisers can experiment
(with trusting their instincts, exuding energy, work-
ing on new characters, mischief, being bolder, mak-
ing positive choices or learning when it is o.k. to
break the rules of thumb) because if the scene goes
goofy, the directors will fix it.
•  You can ask the director to push you in any direc-
tion you want to be pushed that evening.
•  Directing makes you a better improviser.
•  When you are eliminated, you learn to be humble
and enjoy knowing you had a part in a good show.
•  Winning the match makes you feel great.
•  Losing the match, but knowing you helped make
a great show, feels great too.

One Big Team

The main theme running through this discussion of

Micetro™, is that everyone should be playing for the good
of the show. I have, and have seen others, get eliminated
on purpose because it makes the show better. If you can
make the show better not only will the audience enjoy the
show more, but also your fellow players will love you. So,
focus on making the show good, rather than on making
yourself look good.

Micetro™

Page 2 8 Richard Ross™

Also, trust the other players and the directors, even

if you don’t think they are “good”. You have no choice but
to work with them and the show will be better and every-
one will feel better if everyone works together. Everyone is
learning and no one is perfect

It is wasted effort to be pissy about being in a scene

with or being directed by someone you don’t think is
“good”. It is better to use that energy to make your own
play better. It works. Just decide to trust everyone. Really.
Stay away from the dark side and bring up any “feelings”
you have in notes after the show or with those people you
have “feelings” about in private. The shows will be better
and you, and everyone else, will have more fun.

Description Of The Game

In Micetro™, individual improvisers compete in

directed scenes for points given by the audience. After
each round of play, low scoring improvisers are eliminated
from competition, until only the evenings best, the Mice-
tro™, wins a framed five dollar bill.

Logistics

The players should enter and line up on the edge of

the stage in ascending order of the numbers so the audi-
ence can get a good look at everybody.

The players gather on stage right until they are

called into a scene or join a scene. After they have per-
formed in a scene, they move over to stage left. When the
round is over, all the players cross back to stage right for
t h e n e x t r o u n d .

At BATS sometimes we have the players waiting

stage left and right in the wings, sometimes in the moat in
front of the stage, sometimes in the seating area audience
left and right, and sometimes right on the stage. All these

1. Keith’s comments: “Accept that you learn by playing

the game, and that when you start everyone is a begin-
ner. Always use the best directors available”

Micetro™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 2 9

positions will work, and have their pros and cons. For
example, being in the wings gives the players easier access
to the stage, but hides them from the directors. Try it dif-
ferent ways and see which works best in your theatre. The
i m p o r t a n t t h i n g t o r e m e m b e r i s t h a t t h e r e s h o u l d b e a n
easy separation between players who have gone in a round
and players that haven’t.

The first elimination comes at the end of the second

round. This is to show the audience how the game works.
Going through three rounds before the elimination is just
too long. The interval comes in the middle of the third
round. This gives the audience some suspense as to who is
going to get eliminated and they want to come back after
the interval. The first half should run 50 to 60 minutes.
T h e s e c o n d h a l f s h o u l d r u n 3 0 t o 4 0 m i n u t e s

In general, scenes in the first half should be less

“gamey” (games can make it hard for directors to give
direction) and more concerned with doing good scene
work. Feel free to have the first half scenes involve only
two players – especially if there is a small cast that
evening. It is not necessary to always have group scenes to
“get through” the first two rounds. Good shape of show
should be the goal.

When all but 3-5 players have been eliminated the

last round begins. Often, the last round consists of solo
scenes. Don’t be afraid to have all the soloists do a solo
scene from nothing. The audience wants a chance to com-
pare to players for their “Micetroness” and a good way to
achieve this is to have the players perform the same type
of scene. There should also be some solo scenes in other
parts of the show.

At the end of the show everyone who is eliminated

should rush the stage to congratulate the Micetro. The
show is supposed to be good-natured competition; make it
feel that way.

2. The important thing is that the second half feels

shorter than the first.

Micetro™

Page 3 0 Richard Ross™

Unfairness

Keith intended Micetro™ to be an unfair game. Be

prepared for it. Sometimes the audience will vote a scene
low just for fun. Sometimes you will be in a scene that
tanks because the directors are not “on” at the moment.
Sometimes you will play with people whom you feel are no
good and dragged the scene down. Sometimes you will be
eliminated because the scorekeeper made a mistake that
nobody else caught. Sometimes somebody will get to the
final round simply because they had a solo scene early in
the show (and solo scenes almost always get high scores).
Forget about the unfairness. The point is to put on a good
show for the audience, and get better at improv, not to
shine.

Ego

To make Micetro™ work it is critical that everyone

involved let go of their egos and work for the benefit of
the show. This is especially important for players. Realize,
and get used to the idea, that you may only be in two
scenes on a particular night. Be happy in the knowledge
that the scenes you were in, no matter how good or bad,
help the show

. A good scene makes the show better by

being good, and bad scene make the show better by show-
ing the audience that sometimes improv does not work,
a n d t h a t g o o d - n a t u r e d n e s s a b o u n d s i n t h e c a s t .

In another type of theatrical production, you may

only have one line to say in the whole show. You would
show up to weeks of rehearsals, be at the theatre three
hours before you went on and you would say your one
line, be done and be happy about it. Enjoy the scenes you
are in, instead of being bitter you are not in more. The two
scenes in the evening are not your last two scenes, there
are more shows coming up. Remember that your goal is to
m a k e t h e s h o w g o o d ; b e p r o u d t h a t t h e a u d i e n c e e n j o y e d

3. Keith’s comments: “To hell with the show - work for

the good of the scene”.

Micetro™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 3 1

the show you helped make, regardless of how many scenes
you were in. Without you, the show would not be as good
as it was.

People who are “better” tend to get eliminated later

in the shows consistently. Some players who think they are
“better” get eliminated at the first elimination, and get
pissed off about it. Don’t. If you are getting eliminated at
the first elimination consistently, it may not be because
the game is unfair and the directors’ suck and you were in
scenes with “bad” people, it might be because you are not
as “better” as you think. The audience, over time, is a good
judge of skill, trust them and learn from them. If you keep
getting eliminated, do something different: more mischief,
more character, look happier, open your eyes more, do
more accents, do less accents, calm down, etc. Talk to
other people for more ideas on what you could do better.
After all, in improv you should always be learning.

Remember that you are not being eliminated

because you are a bad person or you are a bad improviser.
You are being eliminated because that particular audience
did not like the scenes you were in, on that particular
night for particular reasons germane to a particular show.

Why The Numbers

In Micetro™, the players all wear pennies with num-

bers on them. According to Keith, having players wear
numbers is critical to the format, and I agree. The num-
bers allow the audience to instantly identify the players
with their score on the score board. There are too many
players onstage for the audience to remember names or to
connect those names to faces.

Also, the numbers tend to make the players into a

group instead of individuals for both the audience and the
players. A group tends to act in the group’s best interests,
while individuals tend to want to be liked by the audience.

The numbers also make the show look different

from any other improv show.

Micetro™

Page 3 2 Richard Ross™

Think of Micetro™ as a horse race (I think it would

be great to have bookies taking bets before the show and
during the interval). Now, imagine going to horse race and
trying to see if your horse is winning if the horses are not
w e a r i n g n u m b e r s . T h e n u m b e r s m a k e t h e s h o w m o r e
accessible to the audience. Wear the numbers.

Directed Impro?

The directors are there to direct because Micetro™

is a directed format. It seems weird to write this, but if you
really don’t like directed improv, and you have in your
heart of hearts really given it a chance, then you should
ask yourself why you are participating in the format. If
you truly hate it, don’t do it.

Directing is the directors’ job, know that they are

going to do it. You may be going somewhere brilliant and
the director will direct you to take the scene in another
direction. Go where the directors take you. Disagreeing
with the directors rapidly undermines their role in the
show. Disagreeing with the directors, breaking the scene
and telling them you know where you are going, should be
done only if you have a whole lot of experience in the for-
mat, and even then almost never. Remember, the directors
are to blame for the scene, not the actors in the scene, and,
after all, this is only one scene of the thousands you will
perform during the rest of your life.

Directing in Micetro™ is different that directing

Gorilla Theatre™. In Gorilla Theatre™, the director is con-
cerned with getting their vision on stage. In Micetro™, the
director is concerned with making what the players do
look good. Micetro™ is about the players and Gorilla The-
atre™ is about the directors. So, in Micetro™ it is impor-
tant for the directors to pay attention to what is going on
onstage, and if it is working drop their idea, and let the
scene work.

Some players worry that directed improv doesn’t

look improvised to the audience

. Don’t worry, it does.

Micetro™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 3 3

Once the setup is given it is clear that everyone is flying by
the seat of their pants.

Playing

Micetro™ can be played with 10 – 50 players. Any-

thing above 15 is a lot, and the directors will have to do
many group scenes at the beginning of the show, and
there will have to be large eliminations. There is nothing
wrong with this. I like 12-14 players, because there can be
more “scene” scenes at the top of the show. With 10 or
less, the energy of the eliminations seems to get lost.

Players need to trust the director. They need to hit

the stage with enthusiasm and look confident. Players
should have something in mind for the scene in case the
directors ask.

Most importantly, the players need to remember

that the directors are there to direct them, not to tell them
what to do – a player must play the scene as if there is no
director, making choices and following the story of the
scene and integrating the directors directions seamlessly.
Play the scenes as if there is no director, and pay attention
to shape of show. If you know what comes next shape-of-
show-wise, tell the director you have an idea when you are
called out. At the same time, don’t forget the directors are
there and you can ask them for help if you are lost.

Don’t be afraid to join a scene in progress if you

have a call. If the directors don’t want you in the scene
they will send you back. This is good! The audience sees
the good-naturedness of the cast, and sometimes the
player’s call is just what is needed in the scene. Go with
your instincts; you can’t mess up a scene because the
director is there to fix it.

4. Keith’s comments: “We don’t care. Only improvisors

care if it is improvised”.

5. Keith’s comments: “12 - 15 is good, 10 - 15 is o.k., just

try not to go above fifteen”.

Micetro™

Page 3 4 Richard Ross™

Once you have done a scene in a round, you can

still play in scenes in that round. Pay attention and be
ready to help a scene if you can.

If you haven’t been in a scene in a round, and you

join a scene, the host or directors will ask you if you want
to be scored for that scene. If you think the audience will
score the scene high, you may want to get that score. If
not, maybe not. Be warned the audience tends to like you
more if you stick with your scene mates, but this is not
always so.

Players should not be waiting for the directors to

tell them what to do; they should be making their own
bold choices. If you look confident onstage, the director
will be less likely to direct. If you look scared or lost, the
director will try to help you.

Taking Directions

If the director says “Say ‘I have come to the jungle

and I brought you this’" do not say “I was thinking about a
trip I took, and I thought you might be interested in…”. If
the director says “Say ‘I love you’" do not say “I was think-
ing about our relationship and think it is time to…”.
Repeat the words of the director immediately and exactly
because the director wants you to say them for a reason -
to get the scene on track as quickly as possible, to elimi-
nate bridging, to move to the action, etc.

I think that it is important to take the direction

given by the directors instantly. News anchors on TV are
constantly being given information and directions
through a small speaker in their ear, the ear prompter.
They generally do or say whatever the person speaking to
them via the ear prompter tells them to. If they stopped to
argue or to ask questions the flow of the program would
be ruined. In Micetro™, the director is just like the ear
prompter; the quicker you accept and act on the direc-
tions, the less intrusive those directions are to the scene,
and the better the scene will flow.

Micetro™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 3 5

The audience loves to watch a player with their own

idea instantly change when a direction is given. It looks
g o o d n a t u r e d a n d s h o w s t h e a u d i e n c e t h a t t h e p l a y e r s a r e
working with the directors.

Hosting

Hosting Micetro™ is deadly important and incredi-

bly fun. Remember to enjoy it. All the players love you,
because you are helping to make the show great. Below are
some guidelines and ideas about what the host needs to do
and how to do it. These are just guidelines, don’t be afraid
to bring your own personality to the role of Host.

General Hosting

The Host is the first person the audience sees. It is

i m p o r t a n t t o a p p e a r g o o d n a t u r e d a n d k n o w l e d g e a b l e
a b o u t t h e f o r m a t .

As host you are the caretaker of the show, you are

in charge; you need to make sure things keep moving. You
decide when the first half is over. You will call when the
eliminations happen, while the directors will actually
announce the eliminations. You decide if you want to
introduce the directors or if you want them to be “found”
in their seats.

You are there to keep the show hot…to keep the

show going and to get rid of “dead time”. Don’t let the
stage get cold. Get the score quick, throw the focus over to
the directors, and then GET OFF THE STAGE.

The show is not about the Host. The Host is there to

grease the wheels and keep the show moving, not to be the
star. The players are the stars of the show, let them shine.

Prepare Before The Show

PRACTICE what you are going to do. Hosting stuff

can be rehearsed. If you bumble through the opening, you
are taking up time that could be used for scenes.

Micetro™

Page 3 6 Richard Ross™

Get rid of the clipboard at the beginning of the

show. Do it from memory, its not that hard. Make it sim-
ple. “Welcome to the show, I’m your host Jim Bean. Who
has never seen Micetro™ before? Who has never seen
improv before? Welcome them - this is a big deal and we
want them to come back. Describe Micetro™. Tell them
that the show is for them, and how they will score the
scenes. Get them to clap for both a “1” and a “4”, bring out
t h e d i r e c t o r s a n d t h e n t h e p l a y e r s , a n d t u r n i t o v e r t o t h e
directors for the first scene.

IMPORTANT: in your introduction you must make

the audience clap for a “1”. If you don’t, they will be afraid
to give a “1”. When talking about the one make sure you
t e l l t h e a u d i e n c e t h a t t h e i m p r o v i s e r s a r e t o u g h a n d t h a t
they know when a scene deserves a “1”. Don’t have them
clap for a “5”, do a “4” instead. This keeps the “5” special
and magical.

A Sample Introduction Of Micetro™

Hello, and welcome to BATS. I am Susan Jones. Has

anyone here never seen Micetro™ before? Has anyone here
never seen improv before? Well, welcome, and thanks for
coming.

As you may know, tonight we are playing Micetro™.

In Micetro™, individual improvisers compete in directed
scenes. After each round of play, low scoring improvisers
are eliminated from competition, until we are left with the
evening’s best, the Micetro™.

In this game you, the audience, determine the score

for each scene. If you like the scene, for whatever reason,
give it a five, if you don’t like it, give it a one. After each
scene I will come to you and ask you to vote on a scale of
one to five by applause only. A one is a scene that you did
not like at all, while a five moved you to tears, made you
think, or cracked you up. So let’ practice. Let’s say this
scene is a one (and don’t be afraid to give a one because
these improvisers are tough, they can take it). So, was that
scene a one, a two, a three, a four, or a five? That scene

Micetro™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 3 7

was a one. This time let’s say the scene is a four. So, was
that scene a one, a two, a three, a four, or a five? That
scene was a Four.

Great. I would like to introduce tonight’s directors -

Claude Raines and Jane Doe. And without any further ado,
lets bring out the players…(the directors will ring the cow
bell for the start of the first scene).

Commentating

After the introduction, the host can become more

like a television sports commentator, giving useful infor-
mation and reacting to things that happen in the scenes,
both good and bad. You know, “thrill of victory and the
agony of defeat” kind of stuff. You can even give some per-
sonal information on the players so the audience gets to
know them better. You can talk about who sponsors them.
You can even help push scenes along by saying, “it looks
like we are coming up to the ending” or “Looks like the
scene went off track there”. Remember that the show is
not about you as the commentator, so everything you say
should be to help the show or the scene in progress. Be
careful when you commentate while the scene is going on,
do it sparingly and make sure you are trying to help.

If you go the commentator route, the directors may

take over more of the host functions like calling the elimi-
nations, calling the half and announcing the Micetro™.
The commentator is more like a sports caster than a host.

T h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t p o i n t i s t h a t t h e c o m m e n t a r y

a d d s t o t h e s h o w , r a t h e r t h a n i n t r u d i n g o n t h e s h o w o r
becoming more entertaining that the show. Commentary is
to support the show.

Seeing good commentary is the best way to under-

stand it. The cable show “Junkyard Wars” has great com-
mentary, and is like the commentary we are looking for in
Johnstone improv shows.

Micetro™

Page 3 8 Richard Ross™

Scoring

After the scene, get the score fast. If you go slowly,

you can end up eating 15 – 20 minutes of show time with
getting scores; time which could have been used for
improvising. Be efficient. Also, be sure players who have
done walk-ons, or players who were called out by number
but did not get used in the scene, are asked if they want to
be included in the score for the scene before you get the
score. Sometimes the directors will do this for you.

When getting the score, give the audience a chance

to clap for each choice “Does that deserve a 1…a 2…a 3...a
4...or a 5…?

If the vote is close, you can have the audience re-

vote between the two numbers that were close. If you do a
re-vote, you might want to ask the audience to vote by
applause only so you can hear what the whole audience is
voting, rather than just the people who scream the loud-
est. A re-vote should happen rarely, because it is better
and faster if you just make a decision about the score.

If the audience is voting high on a certain night,

you might want to choose the lower score if the vote is
close, and vica versa.

When getting the score it is generally important to

not sway the score. Don’t sarcastically say “And now
whaddya think of that great scene”. Be neutral, don’t make
comments about the scene, don’t let the audience know
your opinion, and let the audience decide what they
thought of the scene.

Scorekeeper And Scoreboard

There should be a scorekeeper in addition to the

host. The scorekeeper should keep a list of scenes, who
was in the scenes, and what score they got – this will be
useful in notes after the show. The scorekeeper also is
responsible for updating the scoreboard.

At BATS we have a great big scoreboard with hori-

zontal channels that dry erase placards slide in. Each
p l a y e r w r i t e s t h e i r n u m b e r a n d t h e i r n a m e o n a p l a c a r d ,

Micetro™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 3 9

and as they get scored the placard is slid further along the
channel. This is nice, because the audience can see at a
glance how the field is doing. We are working on a new
scoreboard that will use rows of LED lights to track the
scores of the players.

T h e i m p o r t a n t t h i n g t o r e m e m b e r a b o u t a s c o r e -

board for Micetro™ is that the audience should be able to
easily see and compare the players scores.

Eliminations

At the end of the first round say something like

“That is the end of the first round and we are not going to
eliminate anybody”. They players should cheer. This will
help define the game, and generate good feeling in the
audience.

After the end of the second round, say something

like “Its time for the first elimination, its time to say good-
bye to” and list the players who are leaving. “The competi-
tion gets tuff now because we will be having elimination’s
after every round”. Then throw it over to the directors for
the first scene of the second half. Sometimes the directors
will lead the eliminations.

Eliminate however many people make sense to

eliminate each round. In the first elimination, eliminate at
least 2 people, because cutting one is too painful for the
audience. The rest is up to you, given time constraints of
the show.

When elimination is coming up, keep an eye on the

scoreboard and get an idea of who is to be eliminated.
Sometimes it is obvious who is going to go. The more effi-
ciently you can run the eliminations, the more time in the
show there is for improv.

Plugs

Plugs go at the beginning of the second half, if you

have to do them. They can also go anywhere there is a
delay - a confusion in the score, bringing on the sofa or
whatever. Keep the plugs simple: “If you like what you see

Micetro™

Page 4 0 Richard Ross™

here, we do more improv four days a week. We have a spe-
cial show coming up on the 12th to benefit people with
extra limbs. Check up front when you leave for more infor-
mation”. Keep it short and get right back into the show by
introducing the directors, bringing out the players and
doing the first elimination.

Ending The Show

Before the last scene, check the scoreboard so you

will know instantly who is the winner of the night. While
the score is being “figured”, thank the musician, the light-
ing improviser and the directors. Say something like “Is
t h e r e a n y o n e h e r e w h o t h i n k s t h a t t h i s p e r s o n d o e s n o t
deserve to be the Micetro™ (almost always one person will
clap)? Is there anyone here who thinks this person does
deserve to be the Micetro™ (Huge applause)? Give the
Micetro a framed five dollar bill, then get everyone off the
stage.

Directing Micetro™

The players in Micetro™ are of all different skill

and experience levels. The Director needs to be able to
direct all kinds of players.

To direct Micetro™
•  You need to understand Micetro™.
•  You need to be able to direct.
•  You need to know how to direct Micetro™.
•  You need to read “News 5" and “News 6".
•  You need to be prepared.
•  You need to understand storytelling.
•  You need to understand shape of show.
•  You need to understand how to feed the beast.
•  You need to be able to take control.

What Is The Directors’ Role?

Directors need to be “on”. Look for ways to end

scenes. Know when to direct and when the players are on

Micetro™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 4 1

the right track. Make sure the scenes are good and shape
of show is diverse. Keep the stage hot by being prepared to
introduce the next scene.

Directors Set Up The Scenes And Help Each

Other

Directors take turns setting up the scenes. Once the

scene starts, both directors are directing. Of course the
directors should be in tune with each other so as not to
step on each others toes, and directors should be free to
overrule each other, but only in extreme situations. Once
someone sets up a scene, they don’t know where it will go,
a n d t h e o t h e r d i r e c t o r c a n h e l p .

Directors can ask the players if they have some-

thing for the scene or tell them to start from nothing.

Directors Are Part Of The Show

Directors need to get up, and not sit all the time.

Just as when you are playing, if you sit, your energy goes
out your butt. Direct from standing or out in the audience.
Crouch in the moat so you are closer to the players. Move
around. Be part of the show, not a voice from the dark that
says things once and a while. Be a character in the scene.
Be the offstage voice. Get invested in the scene. Narrate a
s t o r y . C o n d u c t t h e h u m a n o r c h e s t r a .

Why 2 Directors?

The directors work as a team. They take turns set-

ting up scenes so the one not setting up the scene has a lit-
tle time to think about shape of show. What does the show

6. Keith now seems to disagree with the idea that Mice-

tro™ directors need to move around. I think this is
because he just doesn’t want to stand up. He also has
seen may directors make the show about themselves
and not the players, which is exactly opposite of what
is needed in the format. Go figure

Micetro™

Page 4 2 Richard Ross™

need? What kind of scene should come next? Six people?
Solo? Game? Endowment? Narrative? Verbal? Physical?

Also, each director gets to take a small mental

break when the other director is directing. The director
who set up the scene is more “responsible” than the one
that didn’t. Note - even if you did not set up the scene, pay
attention because your fellow director may experience a
brain bubble at any time – you are just as responsible for
the show, and scenes, as they are.

If both directors are lost in a scene, end it and send

the players back into the pool for another chance in that
r o u n d .

Picking Players

Scenes are cast in Micetro™ by the director picking

numbered coins, which correspond to the player’s num-
bers, and calling off those numbers. Thus, the scenes are
cast at random, which gives some sort of casting equity to
the players. People tend to get upset if the “good” people
are always cast with other “good” people. With the coins,
everybody gets to play with everybody.

Keith says that you should drop the coins into a

metal bowl of some kind when you call off the numbers.
This makes a noise that lets the audience know that the
players are being picked for the scenes randomly.

If the coins are mucked up (they weren’t separated

correctly, the got mixed up, or the most recently elimi-
n a t e d n u m b e r s h a v e n o t b e e n r e m o v e d y e t ) y o u c a n c a s t
by saying “I need three people”, or looking to see who is
left in the game and calling out their numbers.

Sometimes you can load the scene with players who

either know the scene you want to direct or who will do a
good job for shape of show reasons. I suggest you do this
rarely.

What I Check Every Night I Direct Micetro™

• Get to the theatre for the warm up and warm up.

Micetro™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Mictro™ Page 4 3

•  Direct some freeze tag so the players get used to
my voice and my direction.
•  Make sure everything I need is on a table near
where I will be directing during the show.
•  Know which director is doing the first scene. Pick
the numbers for the next scene while the score is
being gotten.
•  While the other director is directing, figure out
what I am going to do next.
•  Let everyone know when the rounds are over.
•  Separate the coins when every scene is scored so
as not to confuse players who have played in a
r o u n d   a n d   t h o s e   w h o   h a v e n ’ t .
•  Know who is directing the first scene in the sec-
ond half.

Gorilla Theatre™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 4 5

Gorilla Theatre™

The Other Best Game

Gorilla Theatre™ is the other best game for several

reasons:

•  It allows you to express yourself by putting scenes
you want to see on the stage.
•  The audience really gets to know you as a player
or director by what you choose to direct, and from
watching your interaction with the other directors.
•  Since the scenes are directed, you, as a player, get
to go with your first instinct, and if it is not what
the scene needs, the director will fix it.
•  The potential for mischief between the scenes
makes the show fun and different.
•  The competition is easy to understand.
•  The scoring of the scenes is visceral for the audi-
ence.
•  Getting punished in a good-natured, safe environ-
ment, and getting punished is just plain fun.
•  Gorilla Theatre™ is a great way to package
improv.
•  Often, a Gorilla Theatre™ show feels more like an
event, rather than a theatre show - people scream-
ing and booing, a gorilla onstage, people being pun-
ished – it is all very exciting.

Not For Beginners

Keith says Gorilla Theatre™ is not for beginners,

and this makes sense. Everyone is directing, and to direct
well you need an understanding of scene structure, story-
telling, improv theory, and general stage experience.

Gorilla Theatre™

Page 4 6 Richard Ross

The directors in Gorilla Theatre™ need to be good

at directing. It is not fun for the players or the audience to
watch a director stumble through a scene. Do your home-
work; people are counting on you to be good at your job.

One Big Team, Ego, And Unfairness

Even though winning should look important to the

audience, it should be more important to the players to
make the show good. It is important to remember that you
are all on the same team.

If you get a forfeit when you think you deserved a

banana, let it go for the sake of the show, or make a big
deal out of it if it helps define the heel or ups the stakes of
the show. Don’t let the audience see pain on your face if
you are really feeling that pain. Whatever you do, don’t
get the vote changed. Losing can be just as important to
the show as winning

Remember, the game in itself should not be impor-

tant for the players, but it needs to look i m p o r t a n t t o t h e
audience. Don’t get caught up in winning and losing. Just
because you won the game does not mean you are the best
improviser/director. Just because you lost does not mean
you suck. The heel may do great scenes but never get a
banana because the audience is enjoying punishing the
heel.

It is important for the audience to think you want

to win. You can even really want to win, but you have to be
good-natured about it when you lose. Don’t try to win at
the expense of the show.

Description Of The Game

In Gorilla Theatre™, five improvisers take turns

directing each other in scenes. Each improviser has a total
of twelve non contiguous minutes in which to direct. At
the end of each scene the audience will vote weather the

1. Keith’s comments: “Lose happily and people will like

you”.

Gorilla Theatre™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 4 7

scene was directed well or not. If yes, the director gets a
b a n a n a ; i f n o t , t h e d i r e c t o r m u s t p e r f o r m a p u n i s h m e n t .
The improviser with the most bananas at the end of the
night wins a week of quality time with the gorilla

Four Or Five Directors?

I have seen Gorilla Theatre™ done with four, five or

six players. I believe that six is too many.

Keith prefers on four players, and I think I would

agree with him. Each player then gets 15 minutes to direct,
the interaction between the players can go deeper, and
since there are only four faces the audience really gets to
know each director.

Still, I think five is pretty good. Each player gets 12

minutes to direct, and the audience does gets to know
each director (While 15 minutes would be better, it would
make the show run too long).

With six players, there is not enough time in the

night for the directors to direct, and the audience cannot
get to know the personality of each. Getting to know the
players is one of the compelling things for the audience in
this format.

I tend to cast five directors because it works well,

and one more person gets to play that night. In a big
troupe, cycling through people is helpful.

Why Time The Directors?

I have heard stories of directors hogging 30-40

minutes of directing time in shows that have no time limit
- leaving little for the other directors.

Timing is a great way to make sure everyone gets

equal stage time. It is good for the players and it makes the
game more equal for the audience. It also forces the direc-

2. Keith said he did this because a group was having trou-

ble but he doesn’t think of it as an intrigue part of the
game.

Gorilla Theatre™

Page 4 8 Richard Ross

tors not to squander their directing time with long confus-
ing set ups.

The best thing about timing the directors is that

inevitably, some of them end up with 30 seconds, or less,
for scenes at the end of the show. This is cool because the
audience gets to see something completely different from
the rest of the scenes in the evening. The really short
scenes tend to happen at the end of the night, giving a nat-
ural climax for the end of the show.

Directors can also try to trade time, or buy extra

minutes from each other. This is fun mischief.

Timing the directors also makes the overall length

of the show feel right. A show should last between one
h o u r a n d t h i r t y m i n u t e s a n d o n e h o u r a n d f o r t y - f i v e m i n -
utes, with the second half being shorter than the first.

If each director (assuming five of them) gets 12

non-contiguous minutes of directing time, we get a total of
60 minutes. Scoring and forfeits take roughly 2 minutes
after each scene. Assuming three scenes a director, the
between scene time is about 30 minutes. This adds up to
an hour and a half, which leaves 10-15 minutes left for
introductions, mucking around and wiggle room.

Score keeping, Timekeeping And The Scoreboard.

It is best if you have a scorekeeper/timekeeper in

addition to the commentator, so they can each pay full
attention to their important jobs.

I suggest you get countdown timers for each player,

b e c a u s e s u b t r a c t i n g t i m e o n p a p e r o r i n y o u r h e a d c a n b e
confusing.

The scorekeeper/timekeeper is responsible for

up da t in g t he sco reboard, not the comment ator. The sco r e-
keeper/timekeeper should also keep a list of scenes, who
was in them, who directed them, and what score they got
for notes after the show.

On the scoreboard you should have a column for

how much time a players has left and a column for how
many bananas they have received, as well as a way to let

Gorilla Theatre™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 4 9

the audience know who is directing each scene. We put the
d i r e c t o r s n a m e s o n t h e b o a r d a n d h a v e a b i g m o v a b l e
arrow that says “the person responsible for this scene is”
on it. When you are directing, the arrow gets moved to
p o i n t a t y o u r n a m e .

The important thing about the Gorilla Theatre™

scoreboard is that the audience can see how many
bananas each player has, who is responsible for the scene
in progress, and how much time each director has left.

The Gorilla

It is great to have a live gorilla at the show, mean-

ing a person in a gorilla suit, because it makes the show
more of an event. This is much better than a big stuffed
gorilla. Not only does this make the idea of “winning a
week of quality time with the gorilla” make more sense,
but it adds a useful element to the show. The gorilla is
around during the opening, the gorilla is a directable ele-
ment in the show, and the gorilla can help with sceneogra-
phy. You can put the gorilla in scenes. I have seen people
direct solo scenes with the gorilla.

The gorilla should really try to be gorillaish in

nature. Be simple, childlike, and be fascinated by small
things and remain focused on small things. Wander the
stage fascinated by the seams in the floor. Find a piece of
lint on a player’s clothes and get focused on it. Be nice and
gentle.

The gorilla should not upstage the show. The gorilla

is there to help the show, but not b e the show. This does
not mean that as the gorilla, you cannot show initiative. If
there is a café scene, you can go in as a person eating at
one of the other tables. Take chances and make choices,
but always know that your role in the show is to help, not
shine.

There are some gorilla suits that do not have gorilla

hands, and they are not the suit of choice. Get a full gorilla
suit. Gorilla suits are hot inside, so make sure to have

Gorilla Theatre™

Page 5 0 Richard Ross

some water and a towel in the wings. Take frequent breaks
in the wings, and take the mask off during your breaks.

Directors please remember that the gorilla needs

breaks. If the gorilla has just been in a scene

, maybe you

don’t want to use it in the next. Also, when talking to the
gorilla, talk to it like you are talking to a child. If you are
mean, you might scare the gorilla, and no one likes a
gorilla scare-er. Keith thinks gorilla’s are fun, but not
essential to the game - do it if you have players who enjoy
being the gorilla.

Reigning Champion

The last player introduced at the beginning of the

show should be the most recent winner of Gorilla The-
atre™, and they should enter with the gorilla. If it has been
a long time since the format was played, introduce the last
player as the “reigning champion” of Gorilla Theatre™.
You can lie about this and make up a reigning champion,
the audience will almost never know. Bringing on the
reigning champion jump-starts the heat for the show,
because the audience wants to see if the champion can be
d e t h r o n e d .

The reigning champion should also direct the first

scene of the show.

Commentating

General

The commentator is generally the first person the

audience sees. It is important to be appear good natured
and knowledgeable about the format.

As commentator you are the logistical leader of the

show. You call when the first half is over. The first half
should run 45 to 60 minutes. Look for a good scene to end

3. Keith’s comments: “Try not to use the gorilla in scenes

- except very occasionally”.

Gorilla Theatre™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 5 1

the half on. The second half should run 30- 45 minutes.
After the half, do a banana and time count.

The show is not about the commentator. The com-

mentator is there to grease the wheels and keep the show
moving, to possibly help scenes along, but not to be the
star. The directors are the stars of the show, let them
shine.

The commentator is there to keep the show hot…to

keep the show going and to fill “dead time” with commen-
tary.

After the introduction, the commentator becomes

more like a television sports commentator, giving useful
i n f o r m a t i o n a n d r e a c t i n g t o t h i n g s t h a t h a p p e n i n t h e
scenes, both good and bad. You know, “thrill of victory
and the agony of defeat” kind of stuff.

You can even give some personal information on

the players so the audience gets to know them better. You
can talk about who sponsors them. You can even help
push scenes along by saying “it looks like we are coming
up to the ending” or “Looks like the scene went off track
there”. Remember that the show is not about you as the
commentator, so everything you say should be to help the
show or the scene in progress. Be careful when you com-
mentate while the scene is going on, do it sparingly and
make sure you are trying to help.

Seeing good commentary is the best way to under-

stand it. The cable show “Junkyard Wars” has great com-
mentary, and is like the commentary we are looking for in
Johnstone improv formats.

Prepare Before The Show

Practice what you are going to do. The introduction

stuff can be rehearsed.

Get rid of the clipboard at the beginning of the

show if you are using it as a crutch. Do it from memory, its
not that hard. Make it simple. “Welcome to the show, I’m
your host Jim Bean. Who has never seen Gorilla Theatre™
before? Who has never seen improv before (welcome them

Gorilla Theatre™

Page 5 2 Richard Ross

- this is a big deal and we want them to come back)?
Describe Gorilla Theatre™. Tell them that the show is for
them, and how they will score the scenes. Get them to
shout “banana” and “forfeit”, and turn it over to the play-
ers for the first scene.

A Sample Description/Introduction Of Gorilla

Theatre™

Good evening everybody and welcome to Gorilla

Theatre™. I am Martha Smith. Tonight five improvisers
will take turns directing each other in scenes that will be
scored by you, the audience. If you like how the director
directed the scene you shout “banana”. Let’s try that. And
if you did not like how the director directed the scene you
shout “forfeit”. Let’s try that. For a scene to get a banana,
the vote must be overwhelmingly banana, so vote what
you really think. If the director gets a forfeit, they must
pick and perform a task from the Punishment Bucket. Like
“Strut across the stage while the audience boos you”. And
the player with the most bananas at the end of the night
will get to spend a week of quality time with the gorilla.
Each player only gets 12 minutes total to direct, so lets
bring on the players…

It is important to get across the idea that the audi-

ence will be scoring the director of the scene, not the scene
itself. We want the director scored, that is the game after
all, and audiences seem to want to be nice to the people in
the scene, thus not telling what they truly thought.

Plugs

Do the plugs, if you must, at the beginning of the

second half. “If you like what you see here, we have shows
here Thursday through Sunday. We have a special show
on Friday to benefit the homeless. Check up front for info
after the show”. Keep it short and get right back into the
show by reintroducing the directors.

Gorilla Theatre™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 5 3

Ending The Show

Before the last scene, have an idea who is going to

win, so you can avoid any dead time figuring it out. If
there is going to be a tie, you should be ready with a tie-
breaker. While the final score is being figured, Do the
thank you to the musician, the lighting improvisers.
Announce the winner “John Doe is tonight’s winner, and
gets to spend a week of quality time with the gorilla.
Thank you, and have a great night”. Then everyone gets
off stage.

No Commentator?

It is possible to do the show without a commenta-

t o r

. The directors take over the commentator functions

and introduce the show, call the half, etc. The Fratelli
Bologna Gorilla shows had a parent. The parent, mom or
dad, made sure everything was ready for the show, called
the intermission, and either led the introductions, or
decided which part of the introduction each player would
say. The reigning champion would not be onstage for the
introduction, but would be introduced at the end of it.

Getting The Score

When the scene is over, a player other than the

director should come forward and have the audience vote
on the scene. This should go as quickly as possible,
because the show is about the improv, while the stuff
between the scenes is support for the rest of the show. We
don’t want to waste time that could be used for improv,
getting the score. So, asking for the score should be really
simple; “And on the count of three, does the direction of
that scene deserve a banana or a forfeit? 1, 2, 3". Even

4. K e i t h p u t t h e c o m m e n t a t o r , a n d t h e t i m i n g o f t h e

directors, in when the shows were becoming self indul-
gent.

Gorilla Theatre™

Page 5 4 Richard Ross

when the between the scenes stuff is great, we still don’t
want to lose track of what the show is about – the improv.

When getting the score it is generally important to

not sway the score. Don’t say sarcastically “And now
whaddya think of that great scene”. Be kinda neutral. Of
course, this is a rule of thumb that can be bent if you are
generating “heat” onstage by messing with the score.

The decision on how the audience voted should be

based on the overwhelming shout of banana or forfeit.
Depending on your audience you might want to lean on
the forfeit side. There must be forfeits in the show so the
audience knows it o.k. not to like what happened on stage.

The person getting the score is god. They have the

final say on deciding what the audience voted

. If the audi-

ence disagrees with the decision, use it for heat. The same
goes for directors not agreeing on the decision. Use it. But
I think changing the score after a decision is not a good
idea because it slows the show down and lets ego get
involved. Remember it is not really about winning or los-
ing, it is about doing improv in a way that the audience
will enjoy.

Occasionally it will be difficult to decide what the

audience voted, and a reshout will be needed. This is fine,
but should not happen more than once or twice a show.
Make decisions and get on with it. If you make a bad call,
use it to make the heat hotter.

Forfeits

The forfeit is a punishment the audience gives the

director if they don’t like the way the director directed the
scene.

Forfeits are grease to keep the show interesting and

to heighten the competition – the audience is more com-
mitted to the show when something is on the line. A direc-
tor performing a forfeit should not blow off the forfeit by

5. Keith’s comments: “Never challenge the scorekeeper

unless there is and obvious mistake”.

Gorilla Theatre™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 5 5

saying something like “I like onions” for the forfeit “eat a
raw onion”. The forfeit should be, or at least look like, a
punishment. If you blow it off, you take away its power.

We keep the forfeits in a “Pail of Punishment”

, and

when the score is being voted on, a player holds the pail
and stands by the player getting the score. You can keep
the punishments in whatever you like; the important think
is to have them available so no time is wasted.

Players should never do a forfeit they are uncom-

fortable with. When you have to pick a forfeit, have one in
mind that you can do if you don’t like the one you pick.
Pretend it is written on the slip of paper. The audience will
never know.

Some Good Forfeits

A good forfeit should be short and slightly painful

for the director. I mean, it is a punishment for not making
the audience happy. Good forfeits are also nice because
they are very different from anything else people see in
improv shows. Examples of good forfeits:

•  Go out on the street (or lean out of the window)
and shout your apology for that lousy scene to the
passers by.
•  P hon e  your mot her  ons tage and  tell  her  how  bad
a director you are.
•  Have the first row of the audience stand up and
say “I am SO disappointed in you”.
•  Write “failure” on your forehead.
•  Give an audience member their money back (out
of your own pocket).
•  Apologize to every member of the audience as
they leave the theatre at the end of the show.
•  Wash your mouth out with soap.
•  Do an athletic feat.
•  Stride arrogantly around the stage while the audi-
ence heckle and boo you.

6. A Fratelli Bologna term

Gorilla Theatre™

Page 5 6 Richard Ross

•  Watch the other directors imitate your directing
style.
•   R u n   o u t   t o   t h e   c o r n e r   s t o r e   a n d   b u y   d o u g h n u t s
for the front row.
•  Apologize to the audience sincerely for your
existence.
•  Sit quietly for 30 seconds while the audience boos
you.
•  Tell the audience what you did wrong in your last
relationship.

Bad Forfeits

Punishments that are scenes take up time. Accord-

ing to Keith, this is a bad thing because the game is about
the competition between the directors and the scenes the
directors direct, not about how well the directors perform
punishments. The punishment should be quick so we can
get on with the game.

In Gorilla Theatre™, the audience wants to see the

d i r e c t o r p u n i s h e d f o r n o t p l e a s i n g t h e m a n d a l t h o u g h
making them do scenes like the ones below may be funny,
they actually reward by giving the director more stage
time. After all, everyone knows the players are onstage
because they want stage time.

Also, we want the punishments to be different from

everything else in the show. This is one of the things that
makes the format strong. Scene punishments are just more
scenes.

An additional problem with forfeits, like the ones

listed below, is that the player who performs them may
not pull them off. The scene may be bad and then the
audience is punished for giving a forfeit, which is opposite
of what you want in Gorilla Theatre™ - you want the audi-
ence to be rewarded with joy for giving forfeits. These also
have the potential to go long, and however entertaining
they may be, they are not the focus of the show.

Gorilla Theatre™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 5 7

Some examples of bad forfeits:

•  Sing a short song of repentance
•  Make up a Limerick on your failure as a director
•  Do a short performance art piece revisiting the
disastrous moments of your scene
•  Do a scene in reverse
•  Do a four character scene in which you play all
t h e   p a r t s
•  Make up a Limerick using an audience member’s
n a m e
•  Recite a monologue about a topic the audience
suggests
•  Sing a TV theme song
•  Perform a scene of a historical figure if he were a
celebrity (Example: Clint Eastwood as George Wash-
i n g t o n )
•  Mime an obscure task and keep doing it until the
audience can guess what you're miming
•  Do a scene at high speed
•  Do a scene in slow motion
•  Do a scene using the wrong emotion
•  Perform a popular scene from a movie as a Mup-
p e t

Throwing In The Towel

If a scene you are directing is failing, and you can’t

figure out how to fix it, or simply don’t like how it is turn-
ing out, stop it. I have only seen this happen once. Kurt
Bodden lost the thread of the scene, turned to the audi-
ence and said something like “I am going to stop this here
because I can’t fix it, and I would rather save the time to
direct something else”. Of course, the scene then has to be
voted on. Kurt’s case was great, because the audience
appreciated him being honest, but then they loved giving
him the forfeit since he didn’t direct the scene well.

Gorilla Theatre™

Page 5 8 Richard Ross

Be Hungry To Direct

There should always be someone ready to direct

the next scene. This keeps dead time down, and if three
people are clamoring to be the next director, the audience
gets the feeling that everyone wants to be on stage. It
makes them feel like this show is fun. Also, competition to
be the next director can be used for heat.

At BATS we have an movable arrow that says “The

Players Responsible For This Scene Is” that the players
move to their name while the score is being decided.

Directing Gorilla Theatre™

The point of Gorilla Theatre™ is for the directors to

get stuff they want to see on stage on stage. You need to
care about your scenes. If you, as a director, don’t care
about the scene you are directing, why should the audi-
ence care? And if the scene tanks, at least the audience
gets the pleasure of watching you try to get what you
want.

Gorilla is the format where you are in total control,

don’t waste it by not bothering to think about what you
want onstage

Fight For What You Want

The difference between Gorilla Theatre™ and Mice-

tro™ is that in Gorilla you are trying to get what you want
on the stage. Fight for it. If a player in not doing what you
want, replace them with someone else. Still not getting
what you want, go in yourself. I saw Patti Styles keep
pounding away at a scene she was directing for her entire
12 minutes. She just couldn’t get the actors to do what she
wanted. The audience got to see her struggle, and the
loved it. They love to watch you fight for what you want.

7. Keith’s comments: “Fight for what you want. Fight, and

failing is honourable”.

Gorilla Theatre™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 5 9

Make It Harder To Get What You Want

In Gorilla Theatre™, the audience loves to see you

fight for what you want. You can set yourself up for a
directing struggle by being clear about what you are try-
ing for in a scene. Being specific is the key.Saying “I want a
love scene” is pretty vague and pretty easy to accomplish.

Saying “I want a love scene between a teacher and a

student” is better, but also pretty easy to accomplish.

Saying “I want a love scene between a teacher and a

s t u d e n t t h a t m a k e s t h e a u d i e n c e c r y ” i s p r e t t y g o o d a n d
not so easy to accomplish.

It seems like it is better in Gorilla Theatre™ to not

direct just around just the “story points”

, but also on the

reaction you are looking for from the audience. This cer-
tainly makes you have to fight harder to get what you
want from the scene.

Some examples:
•  I want to see a horror scene about children that
makes the audience terrified.
•  I want to see a scene between a waiter and a cus-
tomer that makes the audience laugh hysterically.
•  I want to see a first date scene that makes the
audience fondly remember their first love.
•  I want to see a scene on an airplane that makes
the audience never want to have children.
•  I want a scene in Hawaii that makes the audience
want to go on vacation.
•  I want to see an office scene that makes the audi-
ence want to work harder at their jobs.
•  I want to see a scene about farming that makes
the audience become vegetarians.
•  I want a scene about a lost puppy with pathos
that makes the audience go “awww”.
•  I want a scene so realistic that the audience sees
the set.

8. I cannot thank Sean Hill enough for helping me clarify

my thoughts on this aspect of directing.

Gorilla Theatre™

Page 6 0 Richard Ross

• I want an ER story where the audience cares if the
person on the operating table dies or lives.

There seems to be another class of scenes that are

challenging to pull off. These have something to do with
extravaganza, or specificity of style:

• I want a huge musical production with all the
bells and whistles.
• I want a super slick science fiction scene with tons
of special effects.

Themes

Having a theme for the evening can be nice because

it gives the audience a way to recognize you as different
from the other players, and to know what to expect from
you when you get up to direct. William Hall came up with
a great method to generate themes concisely. The formula
goes “I believe…I pledge”. Examples:

•  I believe in true emotion and I pledge that all of
my scenes tonight will contain true emotion.
•  I believe in Satan and I pledge to show you his
glory tonight.
•  I believe in the goodness of marriage and in my
scenes I pledge to show you how wonderful mar-
riage is.
•  I believe improvisers don't take enough risks, and
I pledge that tonight I will push the improvisers
into scary, risky places.
•  I believe that all good stories come from TV
Guide, so tonight all my scenes will be based on
descriptions of movies airing on TV last week

• I believe in narrative and I pledge all my scenes
will tell stories.

9. Keith’s comments: “Err...mmm...a bit weird”.

Gorilla Theatre™

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 6 1

Personas

When I first saw Fratelli Bologna perform Gorilla

Theatre™, some if the directors had a persona they played
for the evening based on a theme. John X Heart was the
“Artist formerly known as the Prince of Darkness” and
would do scenes about the dark underbelly of humanity.
When he came onstage to direct, the lights went red,
dimmed and the music got scary. Richard Dupell was the
“librarian” and would do scenes based on things from a
cart of books he would bring onstage. The point was that
each of the directors had a different persona so the audi-
ence could tell them apart easily and could also judge if
they fulfilled the promise the persona made in setting up
the scenes.

The theme, or persona, should be in support of the

show, not at the expense of the show. I have seen people
go too far with a persona, and make it more interesting
than the scenes they were directing. They would take up
over half of their directing time with shtick before they
even set up their scene. Yes, it was entertaining, but I feel
that the goal of the format is to direct scenes you care
about, not to be a stage for a funny sketch show character.

Directing Style

There are many different ways to give your direc-

tions. The important part of giving directions in Gorilla™,
is to be invested in the scene.

Some examples:
•  Some people sit in a chair like they are directing a
play.
•  Some people stand in one of the downstage cor-
ners of the stage.
•  I tend to crouch in the moat by the lip of the
stage.
•  Dave Dennison stands on stage very close to the
characters.

Conclusion

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 6 3

Conclusion

The learning process is ongoing, especially in

Improv. Once you think you have it all figured out, some-
thing happens that makes you see your work in a whole
different way. It is great to always “know” how improv
works, and when you get new information or experience,
integrate that into what you already believe.

Every time I direct or am directed in a show I learn.

I come away from the show with something to work on for
myself, and a better understanding of how to work with
and communicate with my fellow players.

We all continue to figure out new things every time

we take the stage, take a class, write notes, or have discus-
sions with other improvisers late into the night. It is this
constant learning that keeps us involved. It also keeps
improv fresh, exciting and worth all the countless hours
we put into it.

Appendix A: Notes

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 6 5

Appendix A: Notes

I believe notes are critical to any theatre. If you

don’t talk about what happened onstage, how can you pos-
sibly make it better?

Notes are also a necessary pressure release valve. If

you avoid telling a person that they did something you did
not like onstage, when you finally do tell them it will be
fraught with your pent up frustration. If you tell each
other stuff in notes, you will develop a better working rela-
tionship and avoid bad feelings.

Keith suggested we do notes that aim to be done in

10 minutes, with a maximum of length of 15 minutes. Go
through the list the scorekeeper made of the scenes in the
show, and only give a note on something you really feel
needs to be said.

• The goal is not to discuss anything, not to ask any
questions, just to say what you think, and to get out
of the theatre as soon a possible.
• Don’t justify yourself - make statements about
w h a t y o u t h o u g h t h a p p e n e d .
• Discussion is great in a workshop situation, but
not in notes.
• Discussion is not always bad, but you want the
notes to get finished so everyone can go home.
• Discussion will go on forever, but all you really
want to do is have your point heard. You don’t
really need to discuss why you did not want some-
one to come into a scene; you just want them to
know that that is how you felt.
• Notes go to discussion very easily, so everyone
should be looking to spot discussion and stop it
before it gets out of hand.

Appendix B: Keith Keith Keith

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 6 7

Appendix B: Keith Keith Keith

A lot of people seem to not understand why refer-

ring to Keith is important or why we should give what he
has to say about his formats some weight. This perplexes
me. Others want to change Keith’s formats before they
have really given them a chance to be played the way
Keith conceived them. This also perplexes me.

I think changing any format should be like remod-

eling a house. When you remodel a house, you need to
understand why things are the way they are. You don’t
want to remove a load-bearing wall by accident. If you do,
the whole structure could fall down, crushing you into a
thin paste. So, before you remodel, you look at the blue-
prints, the electrical and plumbing schematics and try to
get a feel for how the house works. Keith built these
houses. We need to take the time to try to understand
from him why things are the way they are, so our shows
don’t collapse around us.

I am not saying that Keith is infallible, and neither

is he. He has been known to change his mind as he watches
his ideas in practice. So should we all. And while he is will-
ing to share his opinions with us about the formats he cre-
ated, we should listen.

Appendix C: A Conversation With Keith

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 6 9

Appendix C: A Conversation With
Keith

On August 9, 2001, Rebecca Stockley and Richard

Ross had the following conversation with Keith Johnstone.

RS: What is one of the things that you do when you

direct micetro.

KJ: I try to reveal what’s latent in the scene.

RS: What is the purpose you are fulfilling when you

are in the chair as a micetro director?

KJ: To make things happen, first. I would also like

the things that happen have some relevance to something,
other than just yuck, yuck.

RS: What is the purpose of having two directors in

Micetro?

KJ: To take the stress off one director. And to share

the blame, which is partly the same thing. My experience
in Micetro, is that usually its fine with one director, but
the stress level goes up, and you cant say help help. Also,
the two directors should both be directing the scenes. The
very first Micetro was with me alone in Utrecht. The sec-
ond few were with me and probably Dennis I think, where
the directors were competing. So a director won, and we
soon thought that was pretty stupid. Because, you are des-
perately trying to get good work. So for Dennis and me,
he'll set up a scene, and I'll say “do you have something”,
and he'll say something to me. So one director has some-
thing he wants and you add something to it that is going
to work. And you hope the other director trusts you
enough to say yes to your idea. And I trust Dennis in Cal-
gary and he trusts me. And another really important this

Appendix C: A Conversation With Keith

Page 7 0

is that the directors could be really enjoying it. Giggling
together and having a good time. So that lowers the stress.

RS: Is there anything directors should avoid, when

setting up improv scenes?

KJ: Two questions there. You meant the actual set-

ting up the scene?

RR: Yeah.

KJ: Avoid doing what we just saw. When you start

you want to get the first round over quickly, so you want
lots of group scenes. Gradually you move into two person
scenes which is what theatre is really about.

RS: I wonder if you might have the secret of direct-

ing for us? For BATS, for our community?

KJ: To make people laugh, is a very second rate,

inferior, cheap aim. If that’s all you want, I think you
should do something else. I think if you are benevolent,
towards the audience, you want to give them good things,
you wanna sell good stuff. You don't want to palm them
off with second rate products and lots of hype. So I think if
you're benevolent in your intention, you can't just repeat
what the TV does, because the TV has no benevolence. It
justs wants to sell you products. And is actually pretty evil.
Then you have to decide what benevolent is. Is it benevo-
lent to just waste their time like some kind of valium, so
they get two hours closer to death without much pain? Or
would you like to do more? So I think the idea of benevo-
lence to them, and trying to give them something worth-
while, is very important. Its comic mostly, because its a
public improvisation form and comedy goes well. But most
people set an improvisation where nothing serious can
possibly happen, cause the whole thing is supposed to be
stupid, and that's established at the beginning... Anything

Appendix C: A Conversation With Keith

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 7 1

that moves the work towards organized stupidity, like edu-
cation for example, in our schools - which is certainly
organized stupidity - is bad. The idea that the laugh at you
because you're stupid is very valuable for very short little
ten minute, no five minute, bursts. But in general, you
should try to wean people away from the idea that being
stupid is worthwhile if they laugh. And you really want to
make comment. Its no good making a wonderful sword if
you don't cut anything with it.

RS: Do you see value in our putting together hand-

books like this one?

KJ: Yes.
There is a problem though, which I don't know how

to solve. Somebody once produced a book of my games.
He watched ten or twelve shows and wrote the games
down. But they weren't games. They were things I told the
actors to do.

If you tell somebody its a good idea to go on the

stage and take somebody off and replace them. So you tell
them that's a good idea, but then they do it four times a
night. And actually we do it in every 8 or 9 shows when we
need to do it. But if you thinking funny, you think the
audience like that, you'll do it. Or in Theatresports™, the
judges will give stupid scores to annoy the audience. But
the judges job is to be fair. It only works if you are honest
from your gut feeling.

If the person on the stage is trying to be comical, or

make himself look good, or herself look good, or make
them think what a wonderful mind they are and shit like
that its a waste of time.

Everything you say there [in this book] may be

dead right on occasion. People are gonna seize on certain
things and they'll say “that’s what we do in Micetro™”. I
did five days in the mountains, this is a long interview, on
the Life Game™, and managed not to do a complete Life
Game™ but to show bits of it. So they couldn't take the Life
Game™ that they saw and “fix” it. I got five people saying

Appendix C: A Conversation With Keith

Page 7 2

they would have liked to see a whole Life Game™, as if I
didn't know that. I did the Life Game™ in London, and
they put it on Broadway and they took it round. I did a
really good one which “fixed” the form for them, and went
back the next day for a free day hoping we could do a bad
one. We did a bad one. They still got “fixed” on the good
one.

People take the thing that is easiest and that works

'cause they think somebody knows how to do it some-
where else instead of having basic principles like honor
the micetro, which sort of tells you how to do the ending.
It also tells you what the five dollar bill is for. Its not a
joke. Its so you applaud him, and you get to applaud him
again when the people are there.

Appendix D: Scene Lists

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 7 3

Appendix D: Scene lists

Here are some of my scene lists. Use them as a start-

ing point. I strongly suggest you make up, and write up,
your own lists. It will be more interesting for you and the
audience if you use stuff that comes from your head.

2 Person Scenes

Confessional Priest/person
2 people in a Dr. waiting room
Boss and new employee in Elevator
Executive/Fire someone in office
2 Parents waiting it the living room for child to come home
God and the Devil at High Tea
2   s t r a n g e r s   o n   a n   a i r p l a n e
2 lab rats in a cage
Dad and Daughter before the wedding
Guard giving death row inmate last meal
Man and wife in bed after great sex
Teacher and student in class after school
2   h u n t e r s   a t   t h e i r   c a m p s i t e
2   c r o o k s   p l a n n i n g   r o b b e r y
M a s t e r   a n d   s e r v a n t   i n   t h e   p a r k
Driver and hitchhiker in car
Delivering meals to an old person
On a porch at the end of a first date
2 soldiers in a foxhole
2 old men on a pier fishing
2 kids playing hopscotch
A job interview
Film Noir: hiring the detective
Question a prisoner
Lunch with mom
Parent child drug/sex talk
Robot (creature) and its creator
At a fortune teller
2 people on a lifeboat
taxi driver and passenger
Hooker and john after sex
Teenager with best friends parent

Appendix D: Scene Lists

Page 7 4 Richard Ross

3 Person Scenes

3 astronauts in a space ship
3 missionaries come to your door
Advertising meeting
3 sisters at weekly lunch
2 explorers and native guide in jungle
2 native guides with explorer in jungle
3 r o o m m a t e s
Tell 2 kids about upcoming divorce
Parents tell child about divorce
Couple seeing shrink
Interview the last two candidates at the same time

Directions

Scene Two
Recognize her
Faint
Weep
J u m p h e r a n d a p o l o g i z e
C o m e t o g e t h e r n o t a p a r t
Volume
Be changed
Show your scars
Be on a quest
Issue dares
Kill something
Isn’t it human nature?
Dad told me not to have emotions
Go without me
Don’t use words
Sing
Be changed
Be affected
What I was about to say
You have 15 seconds to go crazy
Make an emotional noise
Leave room
I have three questions and I always forget them
You can’t get out
Quote Scripture
Make a generalization

Appendix D: Scene Lists

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 7 5

Yes master
Slow motion
Speak with reverb
Take out your truth sprinkles

Simple Platforms

1 9 8 4
After nuke war
Airport
At a lynching
At a protest
At the dinner table
Backyard gardening
Bank line
Boot camp
Confessional
Confront boss sex harassment
Demon worshiper
DMV line
Dr. Office
Execution
FBI
Fortune teller
F r o m t h e f u t u r e
Gang rumble
Genie
Grave yard, specific grave
Greek gods meeting to discuss...
G u r u
Health spa
Heaven before you were born
Imaginary spouse
In a picket line
In an elevator
In bed
In the bus
In the Forrest
Joining a cult/get friend to join
Kid trying to get out of school
Lawyers office
Meeting your hero
Mime convention

Appendix D: Scene Lists

Page 7 6 Richard Ross

On a plane
Ouija board
Photo shoot
Post office line
Prison yard
PTA meeting
Reading
Seance
Sneaking into room at night
Sibling roommate supposed to clean up
Solders last conversation
Sunday school
Two crabs at the bottom of the ocean
Taxi
Under the X-mas tree
Wash dishes
Wedding
Witch conjuring
You answered a personal ad
You decide to break you vow of silence
2 people in the dark one is a thief

Relationships

A c t o r / a u d i e n c e m e m b e r
A l i e n / h u m a n
Baby sitter/kid
Best friends
Boss/employee
Bully/wimp
C h i l d / m o n s t e r u n d e r b e d
Censors
Dating
D e v i l / c h u m p
D r . / p a t i e n t
Driver hitchhiker
Enemies
Executioner/victim
G o d / a n g e l
G o d / b e l i e v e r
G o d / d e v i l
G o d / n o n - b e l i e v e r
G r a n d p a r e n t

Appendix D: Scene Lists

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 7 7

H o o k e r / j o h n
J u d g e   ( c o r r u p t ) / l a w y e r
Lovers
Mail carrier/dog owner
M a s t e r / s e r v a n t
M e t e r   m a i d / v i o l a t o r
Parents
Police man/violator
P o o l   h u s t l e r / c h u m p
Postal clerk/package recipient
Rock star/groupie
Roommates
Salesman
S a t a n / d e v i l
Shrink patient
Siblings
S u p e r   h e r o / v i l l a i n
Spouse
T e a c h e r / s t u d e n t
W i z a r d / a p p r e n t i c e
W o r k e r / c l i e n t
X-lovers
2   r o d e n t s

Platform Specific Tilts

Actor who can't act
Ask for a call girl
Brother is scab
Call girl is your sister
Dig a grave
Discover evidence of dead people
Don' t open that door...
Escaped mental patient poses as dr.
Feed the birds and then kill them
Find a wallet
Find the water of life
Gifted student can’t take scholarship
Go or the monsters under the bed will get you
He's a compulsive liar
He's dead, I killed him
He's not your real father
I can control the weather

Appendix D: Scene Lists

Page 7 8 Richard Ross

I come from another dimension
I committed all the crimes
I forgot to remove a hypno suggestion
I have disease x
I know everything about you
I know you've been cheating on me
I married you for the money
I never went to med school
I was married before
I'll do anything to get an a
I'm gay
I'm gonna be an artist
I'm leaving the family biz
I 'm y o u r fa th e r
I'm your homeless person
I've been offered money to kill you
I’m a vampire
I’m really an expert at x
It's your own grave
It’s not his baby
Janitor owns building
Losing weight is easy; I’ll cut off your leg
Rich man is broke
Shrink is evil, masochist
Son, can you get me drugs?
Stud is really a virgin
Terminal illness
They said you are a witch
This isn’t veal- its human flesh
Wife finally stands up to husband
X who can't x
You go blind
You don’t know you’re a Chimp do you?
You're a witch
You're adopted
You're in the wrong afterlife
You're my parent
You’re a fake x

Appendix D: Scene Lists

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 7 9

Games (that you can use a directions in a scene
already in progress)

Accent switch
Actor switch
Big story in one voice
C h a i n m u r d e r
Chorus of discontent
Dubbing
Expert panel
Expert game
Five things
Genre house
Gibberish translator
Growing shrinking machine
Half-life
Half Space
I n n e r s o n g
Laugh and go
J u s t a m i n u t e
Moving bodies
New choice
No fuck off leave me alone
Scene in gibberish
Secret endowment
Sideways scene
Slo mo commentary
Spelling dialogue
Small voice
Scene in one voice
Speaking in order
Spelling
Status transfer
Tag team monologue
Yes that’s right sound good

Appendix D: Scene Lists

Page 8 0 Richard Ross

Genres

Action
Alien abduction
Bible story
Cave man
Comedy
Cooking show
D o c u m e n t a r y
D r a m a
Egypt
Film noir
H o r r o r
Infomercial
Kids show
Mamet
Masterpiece theatre
Musical
Mystery
O p e r a
Orwellian drama
Roman
Romance
Science fiction
Shakespeare
Sit-com
Soap
Thriller
Western
WW2

Mantras

I love you
I hate you
I have comfortable pants
I like to be quiet
I am sexy
Every one wants me
I am tall
Like me
I’m smart

Appendix D: Scene Lists

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 8 1

Open Tilts (tilts that will work in any platform)

There is one thing
Don’t open that door
God sent me to tell you
There is one thing...
God sent me to tell you
I have a message from god
I have something to tell you...
I'm really a...
It's time I told you about the family curse
I ' m a v i s i t o r f r o m t h e f u t u r e / p a s t
I slept with you but you don’t know it
I work miracles
I've been reading this book about hypnosis...
Sorry that I…
I have an idea
I read your diary
Don't you recognize me?
I have this power, I snap my finger and...
D o n ' t o p e n t h a t d o o r
Don’t you recognize me?
I lied
Dig a grave
I can move things with my mind

Mechanical Endowments (things that the improviser
does without thinking)

Can’t sit
Can’t speak
Change every 5th word
Change your mind right before you speak
Constantly play with your hair
D o n ' t m o v e y o u r h e a d
Have only one arm
Limp
Lisp
Mumble
Mumble
Must kneel
Open eyes wide
Pace

Appendix D: Scene Lists

Page 8 2 Richard Ross

Pause before speaking
Repeat the last word of every sentence
Say now before every sentence
Scratch
Smile all the time
Speak only when touching
Speak only with eye contact
Speak with a lisp
Status
Stutter
Talk with your hands
Touch your face a lot
Touch face

Solo Scenes

Best mans toast
Best mans Toast
Eulogy
Mask interview
Object monologue
Political speech
P r e p t h e t r o o p s
Pulling the plug
P i t c h u s o n y o u r p r o d u c t
Scene where you play all the characters
Date the audience
S e r mo n
Closing arguments
Sing a song
Solitary confinement

Character Types

Nerd
Professor
S u p e r h e r o
Jazz man
Coffee addict
Bully
G a n g m e m b e r
Arrogant
Stripper

Appendix D: Scene Lists

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 8 3

Solider
Vietnam vet
Bitch
Cowboy
Authority figure
Cop
Drill Sergeant
Veterinarian
Stock broker
Psychic
Short order cook
Waitress
Chef
Iron chef
Sumo wrestler
Fisherman
F a r m e r
Maid
Butler
Washer woman
Hit man
Security guard
Bank teller
Postal carrier
Mafia don
Assassin
Ninja
Terrorist
Astronaut
Nebbish
Religious guy

Objectives

Fall in love
Revenge
To be liked
Control
Pleasure
Pain
Money
Ego
T r u t h

A Practical Guide To Gorilla Theatre™ and Micetro™ Page 8 5

R i c h a r d R o s s is a BATS company member and

Coach. He is a founding member of “Start Trekkin’ – an
improvised parody of the Star Trek universe” and has per-
formed with Fratelli Bologna and True Fiction Magazine.

He attended the BATS summer school where Keith

first talked about the “new game” that would soon become
Micetro™, and produced and performed in the first Mice-
tro™ show in the United States.

When not improvising, Richard is a corporate

whore, writing, performing and producing weird trade
show presentations for Comedy Industries.

He has a reef aquarium, a bunch of reptiles, a hair-

less dog, hairless cat and a normal dog. He also blows
glass. Really

If you think of something I have left out about
either of these formats, or directing and mischief in
general, let me know. I would love to know your
thoughts, and maybe use them in future editions. If
I use your idea not only will I give you credit, but I
will send you a special prize

1. Check out the glass at www.atomicglass.com
2. Probably a copy of the new edition

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