One of the best things to do in an improv scene is name someone. It helps you, your team, and the audience loves a name. I’ll sit and think about that more one day but it’s a fact…audiences LOVE a name. You name someone, and 75% of the time it gets a giggle. I’m not sure WHY it gets that giggle…but I’m pretty confident about that 75%.
Naming someone helps you SEE the character, and maybe even help make some assumptions about that person. For isntance, naming a person “Chuckles” hits different than “Cleteus Buchwack III.”
But…you ask…about to walk into an improv scene….where do I find names? Where can I find GOOD names? We all have our go to names onstage like “Nick,“ “Sarah,” “Reginald.”
But, what aout those creative names that’ll help inspire the team and intrigue the audience?
Well, while taking my cats to the vet today (don’t worry…they’re OK! Just an annual checkup), I noticed the boarad at Banfield in Roseville listed out ALL the animal names they’d be seeing today.
You know what’s unique? Pet names! People have so much fun naming their pets. We can always bring that same level of play and fun into our improv games. Improv is play afterall…so have fun with the names. And, if you’re having a hard time thinking of a name swing by a pet store and check out all the names of todays patients.
Izzy?
Miss Hnedricks?
Jelly Bean?
Now we’re talkin! These could all add a lot of inspiration to a character.
(I tried to snap this picture it quickly without someone noticing. I didn’t want someone asking, “why are you taking pictures of animal names?” But..you get the idea…pet names are great for naming characters in an improv scene.)
Hope you have a fantastic day!