Blocking (improv)

Blocking or denial is a term used in theatrical improvisation to describe an act of not accepting the world that has been set up, or of refusing to develop an action that another performer has 'offered'.

In general, blocking prevents improvisers from developing stories since it tends to reduce the scene to a battle for dominance between the performers, each pulling the fiction in a different direction; this is different from the interplay involved in dramatic conflict, in which the "characters" pull in different directions. Improvisation coaches can usually tell the difference between defensive blocking initiated by nervous or inexperienced improvisers and the more playful or constructive blocking that more comfortable or experienced performers may introduce.

Since we enjoy watching someone being thwarted, blocking often provokes laughter from the audience. For this reason, when improvisation is performed in comedy clubs, as opposed to theatres, blocking may become the norm; it is seen rarely in theatrical improvisation companies.

Examples of blocking

A: Want to go for a swim?
B: No, I can't swim.

B has blocked A's offer of a swim.

Some actors block their own offers.

A: Want to go for a swim?
B: Sure!
A: Oh, I forgot, the pool's empty.

Sometimes, saying "yes" is a block.

A: Give me all the money in the safe or you're dead.
B: Yes take it. I thought I'd never be rid of it.

B blocks A's offer that this is a dangerous situation, that the contents of the safe are valuable and so on. This is also a gag. A joke at the expense of the story. This is the term as used by improvisation guru Keith Johnstone in his book cite book|title = Impro for Storytellers|book = Impro for Storytellers|url = http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Storytellers-Theatre-Routledge-Paperback/dp/0878301054.] .

However, blocking can be used constructively.

A: I was sent here from Mars.
B: Don't be so stupid, Frank.

B's incredulity will be shared by the audience, which may make A's offer more convincing later.

A: No, it's true. Wait, I'll prove it.
B: What's that coming out of your forehead??

Notes

References

* Johnstone, Keith. 1999. "Impro for Storytellers". London: Faber. ISBN 0571190995.