- Balladeer
Synonyms
Minstrel, Musical MC
Introduction
The follow improvisation will be longer than usual. It will be directed by a balladeer, yet remains entirely improvised.
Description
The structure of the balladeer is a very simple one. The accompanist and the singer start off with a simple song that may introduce a character, a location, or foreshadow some event. The musical bits are meant to be short. Thirty seconds to a minute is usually enough to pass on some information from the story. Simultaneous to the ballads the players are acting on-stage. They work silently while the balladeer sings, and start to vocalize as the ballad ends. The ballad is used as a chance to change scenes, rescue a scene that not working out, or to bring closure to a scene that has come to some kind of conclusion. There usually are no blackouts during a balladeer, all the changes are made by the balladeer. The players should also recognize that if the balladeer gets into trouble then the players need to step in with a scene. A smart group will put their best storyteller as their balladeer, not the best singer.
A new musical genre can be used for each new ballad: rap, rock, opera.
Variations
Doo Wop – each scene is followed by a group song.
Credits
None
Continue reading →