Performance

185

Description

• Improvisers get a suggestion and one at a time step forward and deliver a joke or pun with the format below.

Example

Suggestion: Banana

• 185 bananas walk into a bar.
• The bartender says, we don't serve bananas here.
• The 185 bananas say, what? are we too unappealing for you?

Alternate Version:

• 185 bananas walk into a bar.
• The bartender says, we don't serve bananas here.
• The 185 bananas say, why not?
• The bartender says, you're too unappealing.

Tags

Back to Top

Ad Game

Description

• An ensemble member comes up with an unusual product by taking an ordinary item and giving it an unusual trait
• A car that changes color based on it's surroundings.
• A refrigerator that is also a radio.
• The ensemble works together to create an advertising campaign for an unusual product.
• They will come up with a name, slogan, target demographic, celebrity spokesperson, jingle, etc...
• All the elements of the product should complement each other.
• No matter the idea, the entire group must support and yes and it.

Example

• Improviser 1: "We could call it The Chameleon!"
• Improviser 2: "Yeah! We could have Meryl Streep as the spokesperson. She could talk about how she disappears into her roles like this car disappears into it's surroundings."
• Improviser 3: "Yeah! She could start off the commercial as Julia Child and then finish as Margaret Thatcher."
• Improviser 4: "We could sell it to criminals! If they're being chased by the police, they can blend into their surroundings to hide."
• Improviser 3: "We could take helicopter footage of a police chase and suddenly, the car disappears, blending into the highway!"
• Improviser 2: "When you don't want to be seen, this is your machine."
• Improviser 4: "Great slogan! *Starts to sing* This car's named after a lizard that can hide, buy this car and camouflage your ride!"

Purpose

Used as an exercise, the ensemble will...

• Practice performing verbal all-at-once group games.
• Strengthen their ability to listen, yes and, and utilize give and take.

Sources

• The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improv Manual (second edition) by Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh - p. 302

Tags

Back to Top

Alphabet Game

Description

• Two improvisers take the stage and a basic suggestion is given.
• They perform a scene where each sentence must begin with a word that starts with the next consecutive letter of the alphabet.
• They can go from A to Z and end the scene there or restart at A and continue until a more traditional edit is made.

Example

• Suggestion: Car alarm
• Improviser 1: Alright can you turn that off?
• Improviser 2: Boy it sure is loud! What did you say?
• Improviser 1: Can you turn off the alarm please?
• Improviser 2: Didn't hear you. The alarm is too loud.
• Improviser 1: Enough! Please turn it off.
• Improviser 2: Friend! I can't understand you!
• etc...

Purpose

• This excercise privides a fun challenge for improvisers and forces them to listen and think quickly.

Variations

• You could play with more than two players.
• You could have the audience choose the starting letter.
• You could play it as an elimination game where people get out if they mess up or take too long to respond.

Tags

Back to Top

Beastie Boys

Description

• Two teams of 3-4 players will face off in a pseudo rap battle.
• Each team has a leader who sets up rhymes and supporters who try to complete the rhyme in time with a beat.
• Instruct the audience to make a buzzer sound if the team fails to complete the rhyme in a way that makes sense or is too off beat.
• To start each round, the host will get a one word suggestion.
• The two leaders will go back and fourth trying to set up their team to complete their rhyme with the suggested word.
• If the support players fail to complete the rhyme appropriately the leader is eliminated and rotates to the back to become a supporter and a new leader steps forward, which starts a new round.
• The team who won the previous round will go first in the next round.
• A team loses when all their members have been eliminated as the leader.

Example

• Suggestion: Day
• Team 1 Leader: Little kids at recess, they love to...
• Team 1 Support: PLAY!
• Team 2 Leader: I sure don't curse, those aren't words that I...
• Team 2 Support: SAY!
• Team 1 Leader: I don't know where I am, I don't know which...
• Team 1 Support: ... uhhh... Oh! WAY!(way too late off beat)
• Audience: *buzzer sound*
• Team 1 rotates and a new round beings.

Purpose

• This game is great for practicing rhyming, getting in a rhyming mindset, and setting up others to finish rhymes.
• It's a great warm-up or show opener.

Tips

• Really bring that energy and spirit of competion to this game. Feel free to dis the other team or act like their rhymes are whack.
• The host should ask the audience for one or two syllable words unless the performers are very skilled at rhyming.
• If it is helpful a leader can do an act out as part or their set up.
• The beat can be played by a percussion, a looping backing track, or by having the performers snap, clap, or pat. But a track or percussionist is preferred for a live performance.

Sources

• openyourmouthandsing.co.uk

See Also

• Beastie Rap

Tags

Back to Top

Chain Murder

Description

• This is a game for 4+ improvisers where each walk-on will have to try and guess the suggestions and then convey them to the next person using only miming and gibberish.
• All but one improviser leaves the room and the remaining improviser and/or host get three suggestions.
• The suggestions are for an occupation, weapon, and location.
• The scene starts when the starting improviser mimes killing an improviser from the backline with the murder weapon. The murdered improviser should lay on the floor and become a dead body.
• Teach the audience to shout a phrase like, Oh no! There's been a murder!, each time a murder happens to summon in the next improviser.
• Each improviser who enters the scene will assume the standing improviser has murdered the dead person or persons on the floor and accuse them (using only gibberish mind you).
• The standing improviser then mimes the three suggestions in order.
• The guessing improviser should give some indication that they think they know what the suggestion is before the miming improviser moves on to the next one.
• Once the guessing improviser understands all three suggestions they then mime killing the other improviser with what they think is the murder weapon.
• This cycle continues until all improviser have had their turn.
• At the end we call scene and the host goes down the line and each improviser says what they think the suggestions were.
• Instruct the audience to clap or make a buzzer sound based on if the improviser is correct or not.

Tips

• Use the acronym O.W.L. to remember the order of the suggestions being acted out.
• Really play up the gibberish and be expressive. The scene gets awkward if the improvisers are too quiet or not animated enough.
• The guessers shouldn't make the miming improviser spend too much time on each suggestion, as soon as you think you have an idea of what they might be doing give them the go-ahead to switch to the next suggestion. We don't want the scene to go on too long and it's funnier if the suggestions get lost along the way than if they stay the same the whole time.

Sources

• Sources text

Tags

Back to Top

Change

Description

• Two improvisers start a scene and a third acts as a host.
• The host will ring a bell or say a phrase like change! or new decision! periodically after a line of dialogue has been said.
• The improviser who said that last line of dialogue will have to say a new line of dialogue to replace it.

Example

• Improviser 1: What do you want?
• Improviser 2: I want a muffin.
• Host: Change!
• Improviser 2: I want a whole cake to myself.
• Host: Change!
• Improviser 2: I want you to love me again!

Tips

• Try to heighten each time you are made to change a line of dialogue and go for a drastic change on the third changed line.
• As the host, utilize the rule of three most of the time, only occasionally making the improvisers change only one line of dialogue or making them change many lines in a long run of changes.

Tags

Back to Top

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

Back to Top

Day in the Life

Instructions

• An audience volunteer is selected to tell the story of their day, or alternatively you could ask for a specific type of story.
• Best day of your life
• For a theme show: your craziest New Years Eve story
• The interviewer or backline should feel free to ask clarifying questions or to ask for more details if the story teller is a little more timid.
• After the interview, the ensemble will perform this persons day.
• The goal is not to recreate the story as is, the goal is to use the characters, ideas, situations, and general structure from the story to create a fun scene.

Purpose

• The interview section will force improvisers to listen intently.
• This is a good exercise to teach the basics of premise based long form, like listening for specifcs in an opening and bringing them into a scene.

Tips

• Members from the backline should feel free to become inanimate objects in sections of the scene where there are no secondary characters present.
• Don't be overly indulgent in the interview section, we don't want to alienate the audience member by constantly interupting them for jokes. The improvisers can be funny during the scene.
• It will also make the whole setup and scene take a really long time.

Tags

Back to Top

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

Back to Top

Half Life

Description

• The host sets up the game. Two improvisers will perform an entire story in just one minute. They can riff a little about how movies today are too long, people don't have long attention spans or whatever.
• The host then gets a suggestion. It could be an existing story or movie title, a made up title, a genre, or any basic suggestion.
• The two improviers then perform that scene, trying to create the entire story in one minute. The host will time them and call scene at one minute.
• Then the host will point out that it's still too long and set them up to do the same scene in half the time.
• This pattern continues doing the same scene in half the time going from 60 to 30 to 15 to 7 to 3 to 1 second(s).
• Each time the scene is replayed it's distilled and/or sped up further until the final one second scene.

Tips

• Try to move around the stage and use object work to help you remember the flow of what happens in the original scene.
• It probably won't be an extremely compelling narrative but try to have a beginning, middle, and end.
• Play up dramatic and film tropes.

Tags

Back to Top

Invocation

Description

• A one word suggestion is gotten from the audience, usually an object.
• The cast "summons" the object with a specifically formatted incantation
• In each phase cast members step out, point towards the imagined object center stage, or use another manner of taking focus before delivering their line of the incantation.
• About 10-20 ideas(2-3 per cast member) should be shared in each phase except the final phase.
• IT IS
• In the it is phase the object is treated as a person.
• Cast members state
• YOU ARE
• In the you are phase the object is treated as a thing.
• Cast members talk directly to the object giving it a personal nature or human characteristics.
• Add on to other cast members ideas from the previous phase to help establish group mind and help memerable ideas rise to the top.
• THOU ART
• In the thou art phase the object is treated as a god.
• To endow the object with godlike qualities the cast members should deliver their lines with the energy and gravitas of a shakespearean actor.
• The cast members are essentially worshiping the object now.
• The cast members should return to ideas from the preious phases abstracting and distilling them for the upcoming scenes.
• I AM
• In the I am phase cast members become the object.
• Each cast member should speak only once in this phase.
• Don't introduce any new ideas in this phase.
• Ideally the cast is creating a list of their best ideas here at the end
• Once every cast member has said their I am line, they all say together "I am (the obect)!"

Example

• Suggestion: Can
• IT IS
• Improviser: It is a siren for my cat.
• Improviser: It is sturdy when full and fragile when empty.
• Improviser: It is modern and antique.
• 7-17 more...
• YOU ARE
• Improviser: Your cheapness is under appreciated.
• Improviser: You are dependable.
• Improviser: You are full of stinky cat food or delicious soup.
• 7-17 more...
• THOU ART
• Improviser: Thou art an endless boon whose importance humanity fails to realize!
• Improviser: Thou art that which contains boundless pleasures for all life forms of the earth!
• Improviser: Thou art a savior in some capacity no matter your physical condition.
• 7-17 more...
• I AM
• I am an undecerning helper!
• I am a thankless provider!
• I am a broken savior!
• Go until each cast member has had a turn
• (All in unison)I AM CAN!

Purpose

• This opening is great at allowing a team to generate group mind and build up ideas collaboratively.
• The theatricality is generally engaging to an audience.

Sources

• The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improv Manual (second edition) by Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh - p. 241

Tags

Back to Top

Pillars

Description

• One or Two volunteers from the audience are selected to come stand or sit on stage.
• Get a suggestion.
• Two improvisers perform a scene.
• Every now and then the improvisers will tap a volunteer on the shoulder and the volunteer will supply a random word.
• The improvisor will then have to justify that word as if they had said it themself.

Example

• Improviser 1: Sure is a beautiful day!
• Improviser 2: Yeah, on a day like this I really feel like... *taps volunteer*
• Volunteer: Scooping!
• Improviser 2: Scooping up some mud and just making some mud pies with you bro.
• Improviser 1: Ah! That sounds amazing! I... *taps volunteer*
• Volunteer: Grapes!
• Improviser 1: Grapes, I think grapes are the snack we should bring.
• Improviser 2: You're so thoughtful. You know I love grapes because... *taps volunteer*
• Volunteer: Sniff!
• Improviser 2: Sniff, the sniff aroma of grapes pleases me.

Tips

• Give the audience members a chance to practice before you really start the scene.
• Instruct the audience memebers to just blurt out a random word, don't try to make it fit in the context of the scene.

Tags

Back to Top

Ping Pong Ballad

Description

• This is a game for two improvisers.
• A volunteer from the audience is invited to sit center stage.
• The two improvisers conduct a brief interview of the audience member. Get their name, family, pets, occupation, hobbies, etc...
• Instruct the audience member that whoever they are looking at during the song has to be singing, they can switch back and forth between who they are looking at as much as they want, and to use and abuse this power.
• The music comes in and who ever is being looked at must serenade the audience member.
• The improviers will need to listen intently while the other is singing so they can continue any lines are are interupted with a switch.

Tips

• If you get switched to mid word or phrase, do your best to finish that word or phrase.
• Use the persons name often. It's a good reset or start of a line or verse.
• Better yet if you can set up rhymes with their name.

Sources

• Improv Encyclopedia

Tags

Back to Top

Sentence Game

Description

• Before the show have audience members write sentences on strips of paper.
• These can be random silly sentences, song lyrics, lines from movies, pick-up lines, or anything else!
• Set up a basic scene with a suggestion or use one of the variations below, then pass out 3-4 sentence strips to the improvisers.
• The improvisers will perform a scene, occasionally pulling out a sentence strip and reading it as their dialogue.
• The improvisers must then justify the line they just said.
• The scene continues until the host edits, usually after they've used all their sentence strips.

Example

• Improviser 1: I love the sound of rain outside.
• Improviser 2: Yeah I feel so peacful.
• Improviser 1 pulls out a sentence strip
• Improviser 1: Get rid out it, now!
• Improviser 2: What?! Get rid of what?!
• Improviser 1: There's spinach in your teeth! It's making me sick!

Purpose

• A great exercise in listening and justification.
• Usually a real crowd pleaser, audience members are excited to hear the dialogue they wrote, and it's always funny to see the cast react to the out of no where line they've just said and try to justify it.

Tips

• It's usually best to just pull out a strip and read it without any prompting like "My grampa always told me..." or "That makes me think of the time..."
• Don't read the strip immediately, give the scene a few lines back and forth to establish the base reality and a bit of the character first.
• You can have someone(not someone who will be performing in these scenes) pre read the sentences to make sure there isn't anything problematic.
• Either way make sure the improvisers know they can omit anything from their strip they deem problematic or are uncomfortable saying.

Variations

• Pick-up lines
• Have the audience members write pick-up lines on the strips.
• Designate 2-3 improvisers to be the ones the pickup-ees and the others will get the sentence strips and be the pickup-ers
• You can say they're at a bar or get a suggestion for where these pick-ups are happening.
• The pickup-ers will take turns shooting their shot, coming up to talk to the pickup-ees, delivering their pick-up lines, and getting rejected.
• It's fun if by the end, at least one of the pick-up lines works and that pair leave together.
• Eulogy
• Get an audience member to volunteer their name, the improvisers will be attending their funeral.
• We designate the front center stage to be where the open casket is located.
• The improvisers will approach in groups of 2 or 3, mix and matching performers each time they come back.
• They will be playing the dead persons, friends, family, co workers, etc... Talking and sharing stories about the person using their sentence strips as inspiration.
• These are just couple variations we play, there are infinite possibilities so make up and experiment with your own.

Tags

Back to Top

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

Back to Top

Typewriter

Description

• One player is the narrator of the story and sits or stands on stage miming like they are writing a story on a typewriter.
• The narrator speaks aloud what he is "writing".
• Improvisers will enter the scene to play the characters the narrator mentions and begin playing the scene normally.
• The narrator can give and take focus at any time.

Example

• Narrator: The mystery of the missing moose. Chapter one, the forest sleeps. A cool chill hung in the early morning air as Park Ranger Mitchel and his young apprentice Carl began their morning forest inspection hike.
• Two improvisers step out miming preparing for their walk.
• Carl: It's freezing out here Mr. Mitchel. Maybe we go back and sit around the fire until it warms up a bit.
• Ranger Mitchel: I'm sure everything's fine Carl. But it's our responsibility to make sure all the forest creatures are safe from anyone who would do them harm.
• Narrator: But everything wasn't fine in the forest that day, and it wouldn't be long before the ranger noticed something out of the ordinary.
• Ranger Mitchel: Oh my god. Freeze boy.
• Carl: Why? What is it Mr. Mitchel?
• Ranger Mitchel: You see that? It's a moose egg. Not usualy for them to be left alone like that. Momma's gotta be nearby.
• Narrator: A large, brown, and furry egg lay nestled in a bed of pine needles surrounded by trees in every direction. A trail of crimson staining the forest floor lay before them leading into the thickest brush of the woods.
• Carl: Wait... Mr. Mitchel. Is that blood?

Tips

• Be sure improvisers are using give and take to share the spotlight. The bulk of the responsibility shouldn't fall on the narrator or the actors.
• The narrator can take advantage of the format by establishing tone and using scene painting.
• Yes and the narrators decisions including the physical reality of the space.
• The narrator can always jump forward in time, to a new location or rip up a page and start over. They don't have to write the story in sequential order.
• Focus on telling a good story rather than doing bits. Bits can have their place though.

Tags

Back to Top