You don't need backstory: starting scenes in the middle

Feb 16, 2026

They explain why opening scenes with exposition kills momentum. They argue for jumping into the middle of the action to create instant energy. They outline partner and solo drills that train quick identification and justification of physical choices. They describe adding constraints to make practice sharper and more playful.

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INSIGHT

Why Exposition Kills Scene Momentum

Exposition at the top of a scene bores audiences and kills momentum in improv.
Jen deHaan explains that backstory is useful in long fiction but in improv you should skip it and start in the middle of the action instead.

ADVICE

Start Scenes In The Middle

Pretend the scene began earlier so relationships and context are already established.
Jen says step into the middle of the action to spare the audience the negotiation phase and keep performers in character.

ADVICE

Partner Drill Identify And Justify

Use a partner warmup where Player One starts a physical action and Player Two immediately names and justifies it.
This forces instant agreement on reality and gives the scene immediate momentum, per Jen deHaan.

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SURPRISE! I'm back. Hi! :)

Starting a scene with two people standing there asking "who are you?" or explaining a bunch of backstory is one of the quickest ways to lose your audience. In this episode, I talk about why exposition bogs down the top of your scene and how starting in the middle of the action gives your scene immediate momentum.

This is the first in a short four episode series about the top of the scene, initiations, and base reality. I reference Truth in Comedy (linked in the show notes below) and walk through two exercises: a partner drill where one player starts a physical action and the other identifies and justifies it, and a solo version arbitrarily called Narrate This where you practice describing and justifying your own actions in real time.

Resources and downloads:

https://improvupdate.com

Truth in comedy: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/truth-in-comedy-the-manual-for-improvisation/9781566080033.html

YouTube version of this episode: https://youtu.be/WFyTR-IJc-s

Article for this episode: This episode is part of a four episode series available on YouTube and audio podcast. You can find an article for this episode, and links to the full series on both platforms, here.

Newsletter:

https://improvupdate.com/newsletter

Chapters

00:00 Why backstory kills your scenes

00:59 Truth in Comedy and why exposition doesn't work

02:29 Start in the middle of the action

03:59 Partner exercise: identify and justify

05:26 Adding challenge by making actions illegal

06:27 Solo exercise: Narrate This

07:33 Wrap up

Downloadable content

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Get a booklet with six exercises to help you get reps in challenging scenes called "Exercises to Ruin You"

Get more downloadable booklets here: https://improvupdate.com/downloads

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About

This podcast was created, written, and is hosted by Jen deHaan. You can find her bio here.

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