DEEP COVER, ASSET CONDITIONING and FIELD SITREP –

All Challenger training is based on our agents being able to reflexively respond to forces (OFFERS), and that ability is achieved through repetition and Muscle Memory.  Agents and Cadets are constantly growing, though, and once one principle is becoming Muscle Memory, more principles are being introduced and drilled.  REACTIONS and TRUTH are only possible once REFLEX EXCITABILITY is firmly established, and FULL EXPRESSIVE POTENTIAL and Cycles are getting close to reflexive.  Truth and Honesty are HARD!  Especially if your goal is to entertain or make an audience laugh.  Cadets will struggle with this, and while our mantra is always “Yay for failing!”, Cadets will have to be made aware that pushing for the laugh runs counter to CHALLENGER protocols.  Truth can not be introduced too early, but once it IS introduced, cadets should be constantly side-coached to play their honest reality.  See, hear, and REACT to what has actually been offered, as opposed to taking offers as the set-up to their punchline. There is constant overlap in all CHALLENGER PRINCIPLES, but REACTING and TRUTH need to be placed carefully in a time when Cadets are ready, then reinforced throughout ALL training sessions.

BASIC TRAINING FOR ALL FIELD OPERATIVES –

Again, the key to training will be in the side-coaching.  Mission Commanders need to gently steer Cadets to a place where honesty and truth can be as satisfying and fun as getting the big laugh, and, ideally, they will quickly come to realize that the big laugh can be even bigger with honesty and truth.  Drilling should be kept high-energy and poppy, and side-coaching positive and firm for honest, truthful reactions.

• No Line Scenes (and variations).  Starting without words can be beneficial in establishing the spontaneity of honest reactions.  Having two Cadets approach one another on stage and simply veer to pass or stop and go back, but make the choice based only on what they see from the other Cadet’s Full Expression is a great start.  Speeding up the lines till there is almost no time to plan their moves is the next step.  Always side-coach for TRUTH in the interaction.  Challenger H.Q. would slowly add music and RHYTHM to these interactions, then even an OFFER of a title to the scene, like “Giving a gift,” “Tying the tie,” or “You’re fired.”  Interactions could extend to several physical CYCLES, but words are discouraged in favor of vocalizations.  Some of these scenes can reach the level of sublime in their simplicity and honesty.  The most ambitious variation is to add masks to the scenes, but that requires some discussion and training in mask work, and should not be taken lightly.  Agent Johnstone’s De-classified Impro document is an excellent resource in mask, but it does get wiggy.

• Two Line Scenes and variations.  Adding words and “wordy” reactions is a necessary step.  Starting with pre-written “weak” offers can be a good buffer.  Having initiating Cadets start with a line like “it’s Tuesday” or “I have a shiny nickel,” while responders get lines like “I know” and “Let’s go get some gum” can help cadets SHOW their reactions more than TALK them.  Moving to fully improvised Two Line Scenes is fine in time, and side-coaching should always stress creating honest characters and places with FULL EXPRESSIVE POTENTIAL and basing REACTIONS on those.

• Two person Etudes. Two person Etudes follow the same structure as individual Etudes, but they can and should be infused with all sorts of FULL EXPRESSIVE POTENTIAL, CYCLES, and REACTIONS.  These can be improvised through No Line Scenes, then further developed and written into Etudes.  The key then is to treat the Etude and the reactions within as Precision Drilling.  Repetition and Muscle Memory!  Challenger H.Q. will spend at least 8 full sessions of 40 minutes to an hour per session drilling a single Etude that might not last more than a minute.  Finding a balance between variety and drilling details AND pure repetition is the “Challenge.”

BLACK BAG ACQUISITIONS FOR DOG AND PONY SHOWS –

REACTIONS are the bread and butter of all Performance “Scenes.”  It is easier to start with Two-Person scenes, but all Agents will need to FOCUS, AIM, and ultimately REACT truthfully in scenes with any number of players.

• It’s Tuesday (Crescendo).  It’s Tuesday is a standard Improv exercise that CHALLENGER H.Q. developed into a Performance Game called Crescendo.  This is a two line game where the first two Agent take the stage with the initiator starting with the weak OFFER of “It’s Tuesday” or a suggestion from the audience in Crescendo, then they must go back and forth, REACTING to each line in an increasingly “Bigger” manner till it crescednos (honestly) into the most Epic scene the Agents can muster.  The game can be officiated, and if an Agent does not honestly REACT to the specific OFFER, they are replaced by the next Agent in their line.

• Mystery Expert. “Guessing” aside, Mystery Expert is a classic Two-Person Scene.  Clear honest reactions can both OFFER and ACCEPT clues to the occupation of the expert.  Paying Attention and fully reacting to verbal and non-verbal offers is huge, and the clear, iconic roles and actions of Interviewer and Expert can help focus Agents on reactions more than “Plot.”

• All “Scene” games.  All games that begin with Who, Where, What, and Relationships have multiple reactions for every Cycle.  Keeping those reactions truthful and coming by laughs honestly through the reactions to the Characters, Relationships, Objectives, and Wheres (CROW) can benefit any scene and lead to a better understanding of “Truth” for all Agents. 

• Long Form.  The ultimate scene game.  Truth, Honesty, and REACTIONS to what is actually there are essential for all Long Form games and “Handles.”  These games come late in CHALLENGER Training, but are excellent for reinforcing these more advanced principles.