What are some ways to "cut" from one scene to another within a larger game?

Cuts are powerful: they can increase audience interest, the richness of the reality, and provide a way to give new material to players who are stuck: they can incorporate it once the "intercut" scene ends. Or, it can simply be a nice way to bail out of a scene that has run its course.

Ways to cut

•	Yell "Flashback to ______!", where the ______ is something in the past that a player just referred to. For example, "Flashback to the day they met!"

•	"Yell Flashforward to _____!", where the _____ is the something in the future that a player just referred to. For example, "Flashforward to when they arrive at their destination."

•	Just walk in and tap players on the shoulders to indicate that they should leave the stage now, as you are cutting to a new scene. This is the main technique used in the Harold.

•	Yell "Cut to ______!" where the ______ is some other situation that is developing at the same time as the action that was just on stage. Or "Meanwhile, in a secret government building in Washington, D.C...."

•	Yell "Time Out!" and alter an action within the scene.

•	Yell, "Cut to what _____ is really thinking about." Where ____ is a character in the scene. This is a way to work in an inner monologue game (see Inner Voices).

Alternatives

Another way to mix things up in the middle of a scene is to derail the action, especially something that has gotten stuck. See Disrupting a Routine for examples.

Overdoing it

If you cut, cut, cut all the time, you can undercut the reality of your scenes and make most of the games in your show awfully similar. Ideally, the cuts are in accordance with the context of the scene. A non-sequitur like "meanwhile in hell" might sometimes get a laugh or even rescue a stalled scene, but it can also work against the reality of the scene. Excessive cuts can create a "dream-like" atmosphere that can easily slip into incoherence. The development of character and dialogue suffer if incoherence replaces a strong reality. If you are making a cut because you think, "wouldn't it be funny if... " it is probably an excessive cut.

If you always cook with lots of salt, everything you eat will taste like salt. Likewise, constant cuts can make every scene similar. Although cuts can be vital to open scenes and Harolds, if used excessively to the point of dreamlike incoherence, a show can become one long line of loosely related gags cutting from one flashback to another.