Copy and paste the following notes into your digital logbook under the heading 'Extending and Advancing Offers'.

The skill of extending requires the performer to elaborate on the offer and fill out information. The skill of advancing pushes the story along to the next stage. Extending and advancing can be achieved both physically and verbally.

Example: In a scenario about a mother and a child baking a cake, they may have gotten all the ingredients ready at the beginning of the improvisation and are now starting to bake the cake. You could extend this offer by getting the child to say that she would really like to do all the measuring by herself and could her mother read out all the instructions to her. You could then advance the action by placing the cake in the oven once it is mixed and then the mother could ask her daughter to come over the the table and talk to her about what she would like Santa to bring her for Christmas while the cake is baking.

Students volunteer in groups of four. They are given a scenario which they being to act out. When the teacher says 'extend' they must elaborate on the action. The teacher will then call out 'advance' and the actors must move the story along.

Four students at a time volunteer to be part of this activity. One student begins the improvisation by acting out a short scenario (this first one can be given to the student or they can choose it themselves), for example, teaching an exercise class for toddlers. At any time, the teacher will call out “SPACE JUMP” and the actor freezes. Another actor will enter and begin a completely new scene using the frozen position of the first actor as inspiration. After a while, the teacher will once again call “SPACE JUMP” and the actors will freeze. The third actor enters and uses the frozen positions to inspire a new scene. This process is repeated for the entry of the fourth actor. Once all four actors are in, this scene is played out until the teacher calls “SPACE JUMP” yet again but this time when the actors freeze the last actor leaves the stage and the other three actors must return to the scene that was started by the third actor but each actor must justify why they are in the frozen position that they have ended up in. Again “SPACE JUMP” is called, the third actor leaves the stage and the remaining actors return to the second scene but again the actors must justify why they are in these new positions. Repeat with the second actor leaving the stage and the first actor returning to the original scene, justifying their position and then playing out the rest of the scene.