Improv Exercises

4 Sentence Story

Players stand in a circle or a line to tell short stories. Each player contributes exactly one sentence. The four sentences follow this m...

Association Circle

All players form a circle. One says a word to their neighbor. That neighbor associates a new word and passes it on, and so on around the ...

Association Circle with Recall

In the first phase, several rounds of free association go around the circle (as in the basic Association Circle). In the second phase, e...

Association Walk

Everyone walks through the room. One player suddenly stops with a loud stomp and points at someone. Everyone freezes. The stomper says a...

Ball Metamorphosis

Players stand in a circle throwing an imaginary ball to each other. Before each throw, the ball changes character — it might be heavy, sl...

Boing Wush Zwong

Each player invents three comic words with matching gestures. They walk around introducing themselves with their new name. Once everyone ...

Country Sayings

A rhyming exercise for the group. Players stand in a circle. Going clockwise, each player contributes one word to build a country saying ...

Dissociation

Players stand in a circle. Each must respond to the previous word with something that has nothing to do with it. If a logical association...

Fortunately Unfortunately

Players tell a story sentence by sentence, alternating between fortunately and unfortunately. Player 1: 'Once upon a time there was a pi...

Gibberish Circle

All players form a circle. One of them steps into the center and explains through some gestures something in gibberish. After the player ...

Gibberish Circle

All players form a circle. One steps into the center and explains something using gestures and gibberish (nonsense language). After retur...

Hologram

Players stand in a circle. Together they build a plausible picture of a fictional person by contributing traits one at a time: name, age,...

I Am a Tree

A popular exercise perfect for beginners. Players stand around the stage area. One enters, strikes a pose, and declares what they are: 'I...

Jeopardy

Like the TV show: one player gives an answer first, and the other must come up with the matching question. Player A: 'Forty-two.' Player...

Leading and Following

One player walks through the room installing imaginary obstacles — a thorn bush, a chasm, a low ceiling. They show pantomimically what ea...

Machine

The audience suggests a crazy machine that does not exist. Players build it one by one — each becoming a moving part with a repeated soun...

Noun-Adjective Association

Two groups form facing lines. The first person says a noun and goes to the back of the opposite line. The person across associates an adj...

Once Upon a Time Model

Players stand in a circle and build a story following this model: Once upon a time... (introduce character and setting) Every day... (e...

Pair Association

Four or more players form a circle. Two step into the center. The circle counts down: 'Three, two, one!' Both center players simultaneous...

Paperclip Game

A great exercise for recognizing patterns and heightening offers. Players stand in a line. One steps forward and describes a mundane obje...

Pearl String

All players line up. Player 1 steps forward, goes to the far right, and says a sentence that could start a story. Player 2 steps forward,...

Peculiar neighbor

The players stand in a circle. In turn, each one respectively turns to his neighbor and says anything unusual/absurd /incredible that wil...

Peculiar Neighbor

Players stand in a circle. Each person turns to their neighbor and points out something unusual, absurd, or impossible about them. The ne...

Picking Gifts

Players stand in a circle. One begins by plucking an imaginary object from the air. They hold it in a specific way and present it as a gi...

Redefining Objects Through Pantomime

A real object (a shoe, ball, or hat) must be redefined through pantomime so that its new meaning becomes quickly recognizable — all witho...

Rhyme Circle

One player in the circle says a word and points at another. That player must say a rhyming word and point at the next person, who rhymes ...

Rhyme Circle 2

Rhyme scheme AABB: One player speaks a line, the next rhymes with it, the third starts a new rhyme, the fourth completes it. The stanza ...

Shifted Question Circle

Players stand in a circle. One enters the center and faces each person in turn, receiving a simple question from each. But the answer to ...

Singing Circle

With musical accompaniment, players stand in a circle. One sings a line, the next must rhyme with it. The third starts a new rhyme, the f...

Singing Circle with Chorus

Four singers each contribute one line to a verse. The fifth player summarizes the theme in a two or four-line chorus. After a short paus...

Song Association

One player steps into the center and starts singing a well-known song. Before running out of lyrics, another player replaces them with a ...

Sound Shower

One player stands in the center with closed eyes. The other players stand or move around them, making all kinds of sounds — wind, animals...

Thank You

Player A takes a pose on stage. Player B enters and takes a complementary pose that gives A's position meaning. A says 'Thank you', exits...

The Holy Grail

All players stand in a wide circle. One person enters the center with a specific character (voice, accent, posture) and approaches someon...

Thunderdome

Players form a circle. Two stand in the center facing each other. Someone from the circle gives a category (e.g. vegetables). The circle ...

Verbal Hunt

The facilitator fires rapid questions that players must answer using the association principle — as fast as possible. The questions shou...

What Are You Doing

Two players on stage. A asks B: 'What are you doing?' B names an activity: 'I am harvesting potatoes.' A then does exactly that. A asks ...