Shhhh!

Dialogue Isn't Everything. It isn't even most things.

Jack Benny had a reputation for being cheap which often became part of his act. One of his most famous jokes was about him being mugged, and the mugger saying "Your money or your life!", to which Benny responds with complete silence, getting a huge laugh. The idea that he was taking the time to consider his options was shown through his lack of response, and the audience got it.

I often see students who panic during silence and feel like they need to fill every space with dialogue. But sometimes those silent moments can create a tension that can really grab an audience, and unnecessary dialogue can actually lower the stakes of the scene.

There are a few phrases that I hear over and over by improv actors avoiding silence. "You know" and "I mean" are the most common, used to stall when the improviser has nothing to say but wants to keep talking. Sometimes they fear the silence to follow. Sometimes they fear giving up control of the scene to their scene partner. Sometimes they simply don't know what else to do, hoping that if they keep talking funny words will eventually come out.

Starting sentences with "Look,..." and "Listen,..." are also tension killers. It's usually the actor (and not the character) saying "I've got something important to say" and implies that the rest of the time they are speaking their words aren't important. They're just filling silence.

In real life when we are strongly affected emotionally we speak very little and communicate primarily through body language. A silent reaction can say so much more than words. It's more believable. It's more real. It's active and in the moment.

Hmmm...ACTIVE...that's a good word. Let's explore it a bit.

Active: engaged in action.

Don't just talk, do stuff.

Active: causing activity or change; capable of exerting influence (opposed to passive).

When you do stuff, you will exert influence on your scene partner and your audience.

Actor: a person who acts.

You get where I'm going here, right?

Now get out there and make stuff up.