I AM game and confusion

[botto]

hello,

a bunch of friends and I have been working on the harold for a few weeks now. I am, sort of, the coach. None of us ever had the chance to learn the harold. There are no schools to learn it in northern Germany, where we live ….
So now we try to work on it based on the books, blogs and forum posts I’ve read; the podcasts I’ve listened to and the harolds I’ve seen over the internet (the reckoning, trophy wife....).

At the moment we are trying to work on group games.

There is one exercise that makes perfect sense when I read its description. However, when we try to do it, it seems horribly complicated and confusing: the I AM game. (related to that I also have similar problems/questions concerning the pattern game. but that's probably for another post...)

The I AM game:
I’ve read about this in some forum post as well as Amey Goerlichs class notes, which are a very valuable ressource for me (thanks Amey!). I think this one is from a class by Kevin Mullaney.
The I AM game is presented as an exercise that leads to an understanding of how (some possible) group games work. And, as far as I understood it, it goes like this:

One player steps forward and says what they are and what can be done with them “I am a ______. You can _____ me and ________ me.” (Given Example: I am an orange, you can squeeze me and drink me. ) The next person steps forward and creates a pattern using the same structure.

This seems quite easy. However, yesterday we had quite a few problems. Either we are so literal in our pattern that the same word is used again and again and often we run out of things quite quickly... (Things that you can squeeze. So it’s always “I’m a __, you can squeeze me and ___ me). Sometimes that's even so general that it applies to nearly everything (things that you can clean...).
Or we are so abstract that it takes a lot of mental effort to come up with the next thing. And its also really hard to identify the pattern without discussing it. Which makes the whole thing even more cumbersome...

In her notes it says that one should find a pattern in all of the categories. Always? That seemed really hard. To do this the pattern had to be really abstract which made us think quite hard.

How long do you do that for one pattern? Until people run out of things to say? Or does the pattern shift and transform organically? How strict should i be as a coach if something doesn’t fit the pattern?

It's really hard to describe the problems we had. I hope you can relate to it. I hope some of you know this game...

thanks for your help!!!

 

[high violet]

I think a lot of questions are solved just by performing for an actual audience and failing/succeeding over the fire of an actual performance.

I've heard a billion different philosophies in classes and workshops, enough to make your head spin. Your disadvantage seems like an advantage to me, in that you are free to try your own ideas and create your own rules and see how they work. We can offer suggestions to make you feel more comfortable that you are doing it "right" but honestly what works for you and your audience will only be known once you start a show and start performing for people. Do it!

Patterns become easier when you stop thinking about patterns and what is the right move, and you start finding what is fun about what you are doing. Just have fun and slowly learn comedy as you have fun and overtime that will be your guide for what a "pattern" is.

 

[mike short]

I'm not entirely familiar with this exact game, so I may be talking out of my butt here.

But part of the pattern of things isn't just the words used. It's also the meaning and feeling behind the words. So, in your example, the first person says "I am an orange, you can squeeze me and drink me." But how did they say it? If they said it very matter-of-factly, then the pattern might be "I am an object, and this is how you get food/drink from me." If it's said a bit more lustily, then the pattern might be "I am an object, and this is how you derive pleasure from me." Those feelings are clear and easily heightened.

Also, keep in mind that the first line doesn't make the pattern. Don't think through that first point too hard; keep it seemingly simple. When trying to make patterns, think it of like geometry: It takes three points to start a pattern. That first line that someone says is just a point on a grid. The second line someone says makes another point. The connection between those two points is just a line segment. It's going to be the third point that gives us a sense of what slope we're on and what vector we should follow. Once we're on that slope, then anything that lies on it is a completely valid thing to say.

 

[goldfish boy]

Remember that the audience is going to perceive patterns whether or not we're consciously aware of making them, so try not to stress out too much about patterns.

Some useful things about group games: they allow us to explore the suggestion (theme) directly; they allow us to do something all together as a team; they allow us to do something in the show that's not a scene. Playing a game "correctly" or having a structure isn't necessarily the most important thing. "In her notes it says that one should find a pattern in all of the categories" - I suspect that your audience is not going to leave the show thinking "That show sucked--they didn't find a pattern in all of the categories."

A nice thing about the "I am" game is that it allows us to personalize the theme, to put our own perspectives and emotions into it. "I am an orange - you can squeeze me and drink me" - what does that say about you? What will the next person to speak feel that it says about her or him? Drawing from emotion can help, as mike short suggests.

Mostly, relax and don't sweat rules. Improvisation is acting, not brain surgery.

 

[Holmes]

just play the game without trying to win it or accomplish something

 

[mullaney]

The I Am game is useful as a way to learn to create patterns, but the pattern can be many different things. It could be a pattern in how you use words, it could be a pattern of emotions, or meanings. Each time you play it, you may find different ways to make patterns.

It might help to strip it down first into simply I am _____. For instance, five people come forward and say the following:

1. I am an orange.
2. I am an apple.
3. I am a watermelon.
4. I am grape.
5. I am a sausage.

What is the pattern? Or more precisely, what is the category of things? It starts out as different fruits, but the category changes with the last one into "foods."

Other examples of this might be:

bicycle, skateboard, scooter, unicycle, tank
Germany, France, Spain, England, Liechtenstein
goat, sheep, cow, pig, scorpion

In each of these, the first four are more closely related and the fifth seems to fit, but is significantly different than the others.

After you have practiced just this part a few times, then try it again and add something that each thing might say:

1. I am an iPod. You listen to music on me.
2. I am a Amazon Kindle. You read books on me.
3. I am a Blackberry. You text your friends and send emails on me.
4. I am a Tom Tom. You follow my directions as you drive.
5. I am a VCR. In the old days, I recorded your TV shows.

Just like before, the objects have something in common. The first four are recent gadgets that many people still use. The last one, is still a gadget, but a little outdated and obsolete. This time around, each one has also said something about themselves. Again, the first four follow a pretty distinct pattern, but the last one feels a little different.

One thing to point out is these lists can be longer or shorter. They don't have to be five items long.

Once you have had a chance for everyone to establish who they are, then we should go back and have each item continue to take turns saying things. And you should continue to establish more patterns. For instance, have each object tell the audience what they love or what they hate or fear. What does each object think of their owner? What does each object think about itself?

It's when you get them really rolling when you will start to realize why it's really nice to have one at the end that is a bit of a wildcard.