Thread: Need help with a game!

Tonight, in my "Anatomy of an AmCab show" class, we are working on "how to deal with the audience".

I want to make a game where one student improv's around the room, and the other students are seated around the room as if they were customers at a restaurant. Before each round, each of the "customers" will pick a card from my deck that has the description of a different type of "audience member" that you might encounter during a show. The dancer won't know what each "customer" is until she gets to her "table", and the the "customer" will start acting out the persona on her card, and the dancer will need to deal with it appropriately.

So far, I can think of:

• "trying to tip in you boobies" customer
• "drunk and won't leave you alone" customer
• "doesn't want to get up and dance with you no matter how hard you try" customer
• "trying to steal the show" customer

What other types of audience members could you encounter, that you would need to be prepared to know how to deal with? I have 8 students in this class, so I need 7 personas.

Thanks!

How about some positive examples as well, such as the really supportive, into it customer that wants to tip you (appropriately)? I think it's good to show that there are also good customers out there.

For "bad" customers, don't forget the "staring at their hummus customer" or the "jealous girlfriend customer" (usually accompanies the staring in their hummus costumer!)

This may fall under "trying to steal the show", but someone talking loudly over your music. What about a bored customer?

What about...

- "won't look at you and makes rude comments like you're deaf when you're right there" customer

- "won't control their children and lets them run up and grab your veil WHILE YOU'RE DANCING WITH IT" customer (or try and touch your costume with dirty hands, etc...)

- "never-ceasing gap-mouth stare" customer... not the transfixed stare, the weird kind

I know there's at least one or two more, but I can't think of them right now...

How about - delighted, enthusiastic guy in audience accompanied by fuming jealous wife or date -?

LOL these are terrific. I like the idea of having a couple of positives in there, too, though.

p.s. LOVE the idea *steals*

Originally Posted by miriamgamal

What about...

- "won't look at you and makes rude comments like you're deaf when you're right there" customer

Sorry for the thread hijack but wholly molley I thought I was the only dancer in the world that that happened to.

How about the male customer consoling his girlfriend/wife/whatever and making rude comments about the dancer just to make his low-self esteemed female partner feel better and you being right there.

Or -

Customer makes comments on what you are doing wrong or performing the same moves and you being right in ear shot.

How about the oblivious wait staff who isn't paying attention to where you are and what you are doing? Not that I have ever had the oportunity to dance in a resturaunt (small towns sometimes just suck) but I have seen it in other places where the waitstaff just plows through the space the dancer is trying to occupy.

how about waving dollar bills at you and saying woohoo to get your attention?
(that could be thought of positively or negatively)
another one is someone picking up their tips off the floor- this can go either way.

Originally Posted by latriamou

how about waving dollar bills at you and saying woohoo to get your attention?
(that could be thought of positively or negatively)
another one is someone picking up their tips off the floor- this can go either way.

Oooo, you could use monopoly money!!

Originally Posted by Viv

How about the oblivious wait staff who isn't paying attention to where you are and what you are doing? Not that I have ever had the oportunity to dance in a resturaunt (small towns sometimes just suck) but I have seen it in other places where the waitstaff just plows through the space the dancer is trying to occupy.

I second this. Maybe somebody could carry big trays, or a shisha, across the dance space?

Daniela, I think your game is a BRILLIANT idea!

If you want something really crazy, you can have the *evil* bellydancer that comes to shows just to sit in the audience and wait for you to ask her to dance. (Sometimes even in costume)
And then hands out business cards.

Originally Posted by sweetie_1916

If you want something really crazy, you can have the *evil* bellydancer that comes to shows just to sit in the audience and wait for you to ask her to dance. (Sometimes even in costume)
And then hands out business cards.

Or how about the *evil* bder who comes to watch your show and sits there glaring and surly looking, all the while making snide asides to her friend. (oh no... that's never happened to me!!)

this game is totally brilliant!! I want to play! ;) lol

thank you for all the suggestions, ladies! I have more than enough, but feel free to keep them coming for future editions of the game! I'm off to class in a few, I'll let you know how it goes!

Daniela, I wish I was in your class, this game seems like it could really be fun!

Ok, ladies, I'm back from class and let me tell you...the game was a HUGE hit!! We were all rolling on the floor laughing, but it was actually a learning experience too! (a really, really funny learning experience!) ..l;,

Here's the cards I used (I had more cards than students, so the dancer really didn't know what she was going to get):

• the "drunk guy who won't sit down"
• the "cute but won't stop tugging at the dancer's skirt" kid
• the "to shy to participate no matter how hard the dancer tries" customer
• the "show stealer"
• the "I'm not looking up from my couscous" customer
• the "jealous girlfriend"
• the "boob tipper"
• the "hootin' and hollerin' customer waiving dollar bills to get the dancer's attention"
• the "clueless waiter"
• and our good customer - the "encouraging and happy customer who know the appropriate way to tip"

The tippers had actual dollar bills (I made them give the money back to me!) to tip the dancer as she came by. The clueless waiter carried a cd case we used as a tray as she bounced around like an obstacle on a course during the "show". But by far the funniest was the hootin' and hollerin' dollar-bill waiver. We were so hysterical laughing every time someone pulled that card!

My students obviously had a blast and they learned some helpful tricks for dealing with any nutjob they may encounter. And I discussed real-life situations that I've encountered in my years of performing to help give context to these crazy cards.

It was a good class. Thanks for all your help!

omg, how much fun your class must have been!! for the record, the won't look up from my couscous dude is always my favorite to play with. ;)

a couple more I've encountered:

person who really would like to watch your show but somehow feels that it might be disrespectful to do so, as if they're worried that you're being exploited somehow. (come tipping time they'd love to give you money but are afraid of offending you by putting the tip in your costume)

female person who really wants to watch your show, but if she does that would mean that her boyfriend should be able to watch, too, and she's not sure how she feels about that. (she's often at the same table as the male person who really wants to watch your show, but is worried that that will make his girlfriend uncomfortable. how do you get these two people to realize that it's ok to watch?)

family table with children where parents are obvously concerned that you may take off your top and corrupt their kids (how do you assure them in the first 20 seconds of your set that you are family entertainment?).

oh - remembered another one: conservative religious middle eastern person who is clearly offended by the presence of a dancer (how do you treat them with respect and give them space?).

Young toddlers who just insist on being behind you or dominating your dance space. A baby who crawls into the middle of your dance space. And then the adults that refuse to move them thinking it is so cute not realizing how dangerous it could be for them if they are behind you and you don't see them. Or, you need to stop till someone removes them for their safety.

How about being a new dancer somewhere and the drummer decides to "have fun" with you and do things to mess you up or play fast drum solos one after the other to see if they can wear you out. (a good friend of mine told me how to deal with the second issue.)

Lisa

Daniela, this sounds SO fun. I really am going to steal it.

Originally Posted by danielabellydance

But by far the funniest was the hootin' and hollerin' dollar-bill waiver. We were so hysterical laughing every time someone pulled that card!


It was a good class. Thanks for all your help!

my idea- yay!
(bows) thank you, thank you.
you have no idea how many times that has happened to me LOL

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Daniela, this sounds SO fun. I really am going to steal it.

No problem, I already told you I am stealing your zeffa idea for my show next year...

How about the person who seems to have NO idea that you are even dancing and wonders through your space to get a drink or use the rest room? They look at you as if you just dropped in from another planet, WOW there is a belly dancer here! I've had one say it a point while informing her table. I wondered.... How could you have missed me, the music, the intro, WOW!?!

This game sounds amazing and fun. What lucky students you have!

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Daniela, this sounds SO fun. I really am going to steal it.

Yeah, I'm going to have to steal it too!

But you should seriously consider selling it as a kit. All you'd need would be:
- audience member cards (any place that makes business cards could do it)
- fake money (easy peasy)
- an instructions sheet
- something to put them all in (bag/box, whatever!)

I would totally buy this!

Originally Posted by jmdruadh

Yeah, I'm going to have to steal it too!

But you should seriously consider selling it as a kit. All you'd need would be:
- audience member cards (any place that makes business cards could do it)
- fake money (easy peasy)
- an instructions sheet
- something to put them all in (bag/box, whatever!)

I would totally buy this!

Oh, and you should also include some blank cards, so they can add their own audience members!