StAGE

What if you could participate in an improvisational theater show from the comfort of your own home? By examining how to bring improv to the game streaming service Twitch, we believe that we can make that experience possible.

In Spring 2019, we worked with Team Commit to the Bits of the ETC. The team explored the key overlaps between Twitch and improv, created show-running software, and defined the key role of the show’s host. They tested five different games to see what worked in the Twitch context, and ran their games live on stream to see how audiences would react. Finally, they unified their work into the StAGE system for performing improv on live streams.

Here is a video overview of what they did:

This semester, we are collaborating with their successor team, Commit 2 the Bits. While Commit to the Bits looked at individual games and created software to support them, Commit 2 the Bits is looking at how to create the rhythms of a full improv show. For example, in an improv show, it is important that

Collaborators

Funding

Many thanks to the ETC Department for their support for this project.