How to Heighten Without Breaking Reality

One of the first things we’re taught when learning improv is the importance of ‘heightening’, and its power in giving our scenes more weight and impact.

If the stakes or tension don’t escalate during a scene, it’s less likely for us to connect with the audience. We’re going to struggle to make them feel anything.

Common Traps

The biggest trap we can fall into when trying to heighten a scene is by forcing in something absurd out of nowhere.

This can come from the performer panicking, or thinking they don’t have time to allow discovery to happen.

For example, let’s say we have two characters at a restaurant. One waiter, and a patron eating soup.

If you’re playing the waiter, and you announces out of nowhere:

If you don’t finish that soup in 2 minutes, we’re all going to turn into geese!

…you might think you’ve done well by being bold and taking a big swing, but there’s a high chance this move will result in confusion for everyone else.

“Wait, what was that?”
”Why would that happen?”
”Where on earth did ‘geese’ come from?”

If this move was completely detached from anything that was happening in the scene at the time, we’ll all be taken out of the scene and forced to try and work out what’s going on.

This isn’t to say a move like that can never work, just that it makes things more challenging to navigate.

An easier approach

A much easier approach to heightening is simply trying to invest in what’s already happening, and giving yourself the time and patience to do so.

If we revisit that restaurant scene, instead of making that big leap as the waiter, what could you invest in that’s already happening?

Does your scene partner appear to be enjoying the soup?
What’s the staging like between you two? Are you close together, or far apart?
What’s the feeling in the air? Do things feel tense, or light?

Responding to one of those things will feel much easier. You’re not having to force or invent anything, as you’re just calling out what’s already happening.

This will feel much easier for everyone to follow too, as they can see where this move came from.

e.g. If your scene partner seemed hesitant to eat the soup, and was blowing air over it to cool it down, responding with a simple “Too hot for ya?” keeps the momentum building, without completely flipping the scene on its head.

It may feel like a more unglamorous move, but you’ve now taken a strong step in investing further into what’s already happening.

A scene can really start taking off when we have a number of these moves in a row. That is, a sequence of small steps, investing further into each-other’s actions and reactions.

Playing this way makes heightening feel effortless.

You’d be surprised as to how quickly things can escalate, and there’s never a moment where you’re forced to stop and think ”Oh, what do I do now?”.

Room for emotions

This also allows our emotions to naturally start escalating in an organic manner.

When we avoid overcomplicating the dialogue, or the situation, we end up leaving much more room for our emotions to expand into.

It becomes less about forcing any reactions, and more about just existing in the space and responding organically to what’s happening.

Food (soup) for thought

How do you normally react in scenes? Are you more likely to take big swings, or do you feel comfortable with smaller steps like the above?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and how this approach resonates with you.