As I delve into teaching large language models how to perform in improv theater, I’ve discovered an intriguing aspect: I’m learning a lot about improv itself. Many concepts that seem instinctive to us are quite challenging for a beginner like a language model. This pushes me to rethink and rearticulate these concepts so that a […]
In the world of theater and sitcoms, secrets are the spice of life. They’re the juicy plot twists that keep us glued to our screens, making us laugh, cry, and occasionally cringe in empathetic embarrassment. But have you ever stopped to think about the delightful dance between characters and their secrets, both hidden from each […]
Ah, the fearsome ‘extend’! If you’ve ever dabbled in the magical realm of improvisation theatre (or have tried your hand at scriptwriting), you’re probably familiar with the terms “advance” and “extend”. In a nutshell, you either move the plot forward, injecting juicy new elements, or… you linger. Now, why on Earth would you want to […]
Introduction:Large language models have revolutionized the field of natural language processing, providing powerful tools for generating coherent and context-aware text. However, their primary focus has been on neutrality and objectivity, aiming to avoid personal biases and adhere to prevailing social and scientific opinions. In the realm of improvisational theater, this presents a unique challenge as […]
You might have had that “Aha!” moment while taking a cooking class, sailing, or maybe even sitting in a 7-Eleven munching on a hot dog. Surprisingly, my moment came at a Michelin-starred restaurant in France, specifically in the pastry section, and it taught me a life lesson that changed my perception of improvisational theater. Yeah, […]
Is ChatGPT able to come up with an improvised backstory and an improvised monologue? The following is a test if the system is able to do so. Create a short dialouge with Ben and Sue. Both are at home planning their holiday trip to the Bahamas. Add physical actions in brackets. Write a short emotional […]
It is called “Acting” for a reason. Let us see if ChatGPT is able to come up with physical actions. The system surprises again: it links the right actions to the conversation. Speaking of spice the character grabs the nutmeg. Wow! I used the following prompt: Write a conversation between Hans and Gretchen while they […]
A question I often get from my course participants is whether you always have to say yes during “Yes… and.” This is a valid question, because there are situations where saying “yes” may not be appropriate. So how do you know when to say yes and when to show a different reaction? And what’s the […]