If you've got a team who needs an opening, here's an option. Heartbeat may at some point give it a go, but I think this might be a good one especially for newer teams.
Openings, in my opinion, should do a few things.
1) Get EVERYONE involved. And I mean everyone. Everyone gets an idea out. Not everyone wandering.
2) Unleash a lot of different energys.
3) Give out at least 4 ideas.
4) It has to be fucking funny.
5) Has an end.
Every opening does at least one of these things, but when the opening goes well, you want it to do ALL of these things. More importantly, it has to do all of these without a sense of too much work.
The carpool is the idea that you set up chairs and then there is a driver. The driver maybe has a second to explain where they are going and what not, they pick up either hitchhikers or friends (it's better for friends) on the way. Each hitchhiker has a different voice, energy, saying, or anything. The whole car matches the energy as they come in. They pick up every hitchhiker and they make it to their destination.
Let's check if it works.
1) Everyone does get a specific idea.
2) You'll be making 7-8 different energies so it should produce variation.
3) you get as many ideas as people.
4) It ends up being quite funny.
5) The end is where everyone arrives.
Compounding on my last blog entry. Everyone gets involved. There should be characters or ideas abound. Give it a shot.
