Before game, before format, before any of the advanced mechanics — there is the scene. Two people, a space, a relationship, and something at stake. Everything in improv is built from this unit.
A scene starts with initiation — someone steps out and makes the first offer. The strongest initiations establish relationship immediately. Not "Hi, I'm Dave and I work at a bank" but "Mom, I need to talk to you." One line, and the audience knows who these people are to each other.
From initiation, three elements need to emerge: relationship (who are we to each other?), want (what does each person need from the other?), and base reality (where are we, what's normal here?). These aren't checkboxes to fill — they emerge through behavior. The teacher established through correction. The marriage established through the weight of a silence.
The environment matters more than beginners think. A breakup in a kitchen plays differently than a breakup in a car. Space work — the physical interaction with invisible objects and spaces — makes the world real. Endowment gives your partner gifts they didn't ask for: "You look exhausted" tells them something about their character without them having to decide it.
The two-person scene is the fundamental unit. Master it and everything else is variation. Group scenes are a different animal — pattern, energy, and ensemble agreement replace the intimacy of a duo. Both require scene structure: not a formula, but the felt sense of a scene that's building toward something rather than wandering.
The opening and suggestion are the show's first breath — how you take the audience's word and transform it into raw material. Do-feel-say is the embodied order: your body responds before your emotions name it, and your words come last. Trust that sequence and the scene lives in the body, not just the head.