Armando Improv

For shows and improv practices an Armando can lead to highly energetic theatrical scenes, but in a corporate setting this is typically a seated thoughtful exercise. Here is how it works.

Give the workshop participants a subject and ask for one member to share a true, funny story related to the subject. It doesn't have to be any particular member who shares, just whoever wants to.

Tell them it isn't important that they finish their entire story and that you are only looking for two minutes of a story. Time it and cut them off after two minutes. If the participant only offers a minute long story, see if you can get a second minute long story from someone else in the class.

Now ask the class to share what struck them as funny or noteworthy about the stories. Be sure to really investigate people's ideas so that what they liked is understood by everyoine. Write this idea on a whiteboard with the individual's name next to it.

You want to find as many unique ideas as possible, so be sure to separate ideas that might get tangled. For instance, if one part of the story involves a bowl of pancake batter being spilled on someone's head and  later someone else in the story reveals that they never read their mail, don't let someone say the idea they like is someome who never reads their mail being punished for it with pancake batter being poured on them. Instead flesh out why they like one of the two ideas.

You'll want four or five ideas at least, so if you only have two or three, repeat the process by asking for a second story on the same subject or a new one.  If you get the sense you are working with a group on the more timid side that might not be forthcoming with stories, circle them up, give them a subject and then go counterclockwise around the circle asking each participant to share two or three sentences about a true experience they had related to the subject.

Then follow the same process, asking participants what ideas they found funny or noteworthy from the stories shared by the entire group.

Once you have four or five ideas wirtten on your board, pair everyone up. If working with an odd number it is okay to either form a trio or to pair up with a participant yourself. Instruct all pairs to come up with ideas for scenes, stories, commercials, jokes, or whatever format this group tends to work in inspired by the ideas you have isolated from the story or stories.

Instruct not to simply recreate the story. Instead ask them to take the thing they liked and to reposition it in brand new circumstances. Often the farther away you can get from the original circumstances in the story thew more powerful the ideas will seem.

Finally check in with each pair and ask what new content they have conceptualized, leading a conversation with the whole room, offering feedback, notes and tips.

Run the exercise at least twice possibly three times.

NOTE: This format, when used by improvisers in shows, sees the improviseres engaging in the same process, except instead of workshopping their ideas into concepts, they initiate improv scenes inspired by them. This format was pioneered in Chicago in a show named The Armando Diaz Experience and is the same general framework used for UCB's flagship show Asssscat along with being the go to format for most Level One improv shows at improv theaters in the US.