Base Reality
The grounded, realistic circumstances of a scene: who the characters are, where they are, and what their ordinary life looks like. Base reality serves as the foundation against which the game or unusual behavior is measured. The more specific and believable the base reality, the more impact the departures from it carry.
Mentioned In
Further Reading
See all books →The Triangle of the Scene
A Simple, Practical, Powerful Method for Approaching Improvisation
Paul Vaillancourt
The Improv Illusionist
Using Object Work, Environment, and Physicality in Performance
David Raitt
Theater Games for Rehearsal
Viola Spolin
Pirate Robot Ninja
An Improv Fable
Billy Merritt; Will Hines
Improvisation for the Theater
A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques
Viola Spolin
The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual
Matt Besser; Ian Roberts; Matt Walsh
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Base Reality. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/base-reality
The Improv Archive. "Base Reality." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/base-reality.
The Improv Archive. "Base Reality." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/base-reality. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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