Character
These games and exercises involve the exploration and/or discovery characters.
Chameleon
Description
- Several improvisers form a back line.
- One improviser steps forward, they will be the chameleon.
- One at a time improviser step off the back line to initiate a short scene with the chameleon.
- They should enter with a strong character choice.
- The chameleon has to match their character choice and the two do a peas in a pod scene.
- After a few short scenes, a new improviser from the back line becomes the chameleon.
Sources
- The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improv Manual (second edition) by Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh - p. 178
Tags
Character -
Exercise -
Scene -
Character Panel
Description
- Three improvisers take a seat or stand on stage.
- A host welcomes the crowd to this special event where we have a panel of experts and gets a suggestion for the topic on which they are experts.
- Optionally the host can give the improvisers a chance to introduce themselves as their characters
- The host fields questions from the audience and lets the characters go down the line and answer them.
- The host can make some observations or inferences about the characters in between their answers and questions but shouldn't take up too much time talking themself.
Purpose
- Improvisers are able to make up a character and explore their perspective without worrying about other elements of scene work.
- Improviers will have to listen to their scene partners and make decisions that are distinct from them.
Tips
- Answers to questions should last too long, this isn't a monologue.
- Improvisers need to make sure their characters are very distinct from each other and have unique perspectives on the topic.
- Commit fully to their characters or this game will get boring real quick.
- The host should moderate the amount of questions based on how long they take to get through each character, usually 2-4 questions is best.
- Let a different character answer first in each round of questions.
Tags
Character -
Child Friendly -
Exercise -
Performance -
Character Matching
Description
- Improvisers form a circle.
- One improviser will cross the circle to approach another improviser and initiate a 3-4 line scene with them.
- The initiating improviser will make a strong character choice, embracing the physicality, characteristics, and voice of that character as they approach and initiate.
- The improviser who was approached will take on the same physicality, characteristics, and voice as the approaching improviser and respond to their initiation.
- They should take on the same characteristics even if the approaching improviser makes it clear in their initiating line that they are not the same type of character(see example below).
- After 3-4 lines total the inititating improviser will take the place of the other improviser, who will now approach someone else in the circle as a new character and initate a new 3-4 lines scene.
- Go until everyone has had a turn to both initiate and respond to an initiation.
Example
- Different declared characters but matching anyway
- Improviser 1: *approaching hunched over, walking with a cane, speaking with an eldery voice* "When I was your age little timmy, baseballs only costs a nickle!"
- Improviser 2: *taking on the same elderly physicality and voice* "Well gee wilikers Mr. Griffordson I can't get a toothpick for that price these days."
- Improviser 1: "That's because the commies!"
- Both characters match the character and perspective
- Improviser 1: *approaching as a twitchy little gremlin* "Ehhhh! Grimble, I'm hungry for human flesh!"
- Improviser 2: *taking on the same physicality* "Yes! I want a skin muffin and a venti blood frappe!"
- Improviser 1: "Ooooh splurging today!!!"
Purpose
- You get to play a variety of characters in a short amount of time.
- You get to practice changing yourself based on someone else's actions/initation.
Sources
- How to be the Greatest Improviser on Earth by Will Hines - p. 41
Tags
Character -
Exercise -
Warm Up -
Gossip
Description
- Improvisers get a suggestion and one at a time deliver a pun or joke as if it were gossip about one of the other improvisers in the circle.
- This pun game is a little more conversational. Improvisers deliver their puns to each other instead of directly to the audience.
- This pun game is also very character focused. Improvisers should put on their valley girl or stuck-up kind of gossipy character.
Example
- Suggestion: Car
- Example 1
- Brad: Hey tina, did you hear about Greg?
- Tina: No Brad oh em jeee what about him?
- Brad: I heard that he contracted Chev-VD
- Tina: Oh no I hope it's not carmydia!
- Example 2
- Greg: Hey Brad can I talk to you please?
- Greg: I have to break up with Shirley.
- Brad: Oh no, how come?
- Greg: Last night she got drunk off en-gin & tonics and kissed my dad!
- Brad: Oh no gross! Kick her to the curb!
Tips
- Really play up and commit to your character choice.
- Normally in pun games, one improviser steps up and delivers their pun then returns to the back line. For this one it's more conversations and it's okay for each bit to be almost a qucik little scene.
- It's also okay to address multiple improvisers at once or to call someone in the group out(within the game).
Tags
Character -
Performance -
Pun -
Taxi
Description
- One improviser is selected to be the taxi driver and guesser. They leave the room while the host or participating improvisers get suggestions.
- 3-6 other improvisers will be the cab riders. They will get suggestions for distinct characters to play.
- They can be cartoon characters, celebrities, innanimate objects, animals or anything else that can be played for comedic effect.
- Once all the suggestions are gotten, we can call back in the driver to start the scene.
- They'll mime starting off their day and soon pick up the first rider.
- The rider will give hints to the driver based on their behavior and answers to the cab driver's questions.
- Once the driver has an idea who they think the person might be they can begin guessing.
- Once they guess correctly they can drop off the rider and pick up the next.
Purpose
- This is a fun game to play with improvisers of all skill levels.
- The driver must listen and pay close attention to the character to try and guess who they are.
- New improvisers are forced to step outside themself and play a character.
Tips
- The rider's hints should start out relatively vague and get more obvious over time so as not to give it away too quickly, or spend too much time on one character.
- If it seems like the driver really can't get it, feel free, after some time, to just give it up with a rhyme - "You really don't know me? It rhymes with picky pouse!"
- If you're playing with only 2-3 passengers, or a particularly good guesser, feel free to give them a secondary characteristic after their character like...
- Spongebob Sqaurepants selling tupperware
- A blender whose dog ran away
- A thunderstorm with a crush on John Cena
- A praying mantis who is obsessed with reality tv
Tags
Character -
Child Friendly -
Guessing -
Performance -