The Invocation
1960s-1970s (original Harold opening)
Also known as Invocation Opening
The original opening of Del Close's Harold: a group word-association ritual on the suggestion that conjures themes and a shared mood before any scene begins.
Known for
- Described in Truth in Comedy as the Harold's first movement: the ensemble explores the suggestion through layered associations, moving from concrete and literal toward abstract and poetic.
- Close framed it almost ritually (an 'invocation' that summons the show's themes), reflecting his interest in conjuring a collective state rather than mining for premises.
- Generates the thematic raw material that the Harold's scenes and group games later reincorporate.
- Largely displaced in modern practice by the Pattern Game and organic openings, which many teachers find more reliable for producing usable scene seeds.
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