Practising A to C
Circle drill for practicing the associative A-to-C thinking used in openings.
The group stands in a circle. One player states an “A” idea, the next silently leaps to a “C” association, and the following player guesses the missing “B” before starting the next chain—training quick, lateral connections.
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A group of improvisers stands in a circle.
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One improviser begins the exercise by saying an idea followed by the letter “A.”
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The improviser to their right goes through the process of A to C in their head. This improviser then says their C idea aloud, followed by the letter “C.”
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The person to their right provides the new A word by guessing what the previous person’s B idea might have been. Once they have a guess, this improviser says it aloud, followed by the letter “A.”
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The person to their right uses the A to C process and says their C word idea aloud, followed by the letter “C.”
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The exercise continues around the circle in this manner.
EXAMPLE
Improviser 1 says, “Dresser, A.”
Improviser 2 says, “Soccer, C.”
Improviser 3 guesses that Improviser 2’s B was “shorts” and says, “Shorts, A.”
Improviser 4 says, “Beach, C.”
Improviser 5 guesses that the B was “summer” and says, “Summer, A.”
Note: It doesn’t matter if you correctly guess what the improviser’s B is. For example, Improviser 2 may have thought, Dresser, A, Socks, B, Soccer, C. It is fine for Improviser S to come up with “shorts.”