Improv Encyclopedia

Hobbies

Hobbies approach manias, but are not quite so obsessive. Example: Passionate Angler (talks about fishing rods constantly, is busy with i...

List of activities

Daily routine *File *Dry off *Light (cigarette/cigar/oven/candle) *Hang up (laundry, pictures) *Take off (clothes, shoes) *Take a bath *...

List of further ticks of figures

The following characteristics or behavioral patterns are particularly suitable for improvisation games (e. g. party guests) or as guideli...

Genres classify works by shared content or formal traits. In improv theatre, the genres usually played come from film, TV, theatre, music...

The action film is a film genre in which conflicts are settled mainly through fights, violence and chases. At its centre is usually a sin...

The adventure film sends its hero on a great journey into distant, exotic or dangerous worlds. At its centre lie courage, the spirit of d...

Bollywood films are productions of the Hindi-language film industry in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and the most prolific cinema segment in t...

Epic theatre Theatre in Brecht's style is so-called "epic theatre". It aims to depict large-scale social conflicts — war, revolution, ec...

The children's film tells stories for a young audience with children as protagonists, clear morals and a tone built on wonder, warmth and...

The cooking show is a TV genre in which the preparation of food is publicly staged. Depending on the format, the focus may lie on pure kn...

In a crime film, a crime is always committed — usually a murder. It is solved as a rule by the lead character(s), most often a police off...

The Eastern is the Asian counterpart to the Western: an umbrella term for action films from East Asia in which honour, the sword, martial...

The epic (German "Monumentalfilm") is a large-scale film with historical, mythological or religious subject matter, distinguished by extr...

The erotic film tells of desire, seduction and sexual tension. It occupies its own genre field next to pornography — where the latter sho...

The fairy tale is one of the oldest and most rewarding genres for improv theatre. It tells, in simple language, of magical events, sharpl...

Fantasy tells of worlds in which magic, mythical creatures and myth are as self-evident as electricity and cars are for us. The heroes us...

Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945–1982) is one of the defining directors of New German Cinema. In just thirteen years he made over forty fil...

The classic film noir, also called "Black Series", is marked by strong light-and-dark contrasts, alienated or embittered protagonists and...

Balloons

Which group has the most breath? Find out which group has the strongest lungs by trying to keep your balloon in the air longer than the o...

Group formation

The game master determines the criteria according to which the people in the room should form groups. It says for example: Everyone wil...

Sex with me...

The game is played by choosing a subject of comparison. The players get the prompt "sex with me is like ..." followed by what is chosen t...

Syllables

Great game to get to know each other and remember the names of the participants. The participants form a circle. The first person says h...

Ten Fingers

It's a nice icebreaker game. The participants form a circle and hold all ten fingers high in the air. Now the participants ask questions,...

Truth and lie

A game (also a name game) to get to know each other. All players line up in a circle. Then everyone tells their names and two things. One...

3 X different

Two people face each other. Round 1 They mutually count repeatedly "one", "two", "three". Automatically the start with "one" changes: ...

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...

5 Sentence Story

Simple storytelling in 5 steps, playable in pairs or small groups: Character and place — introduce a person and where they are Second c...

Active Post

A mix of charades and telephone. For 5 players: The facilitator shows Player 1 a compound word (e.g. 'anthill'). Player 1 must act it ou...

Advance and Illustrate

The players begin a scene. From outside, either only by the trainer or also by everyone watching, two commands are called in depending on...

AED (Action Emotion Detail)

One player tells a story. Three others give signals when they want more Action, more Emotion, or more Detail. Each is responsible for one...

After the Catastrophe

Two players sit at an angle, visible to each other and the audience. Their task: without speaking, using only facial expressions and gest...

An illustration

In this game, two or three players are involved. So the game begins with a member of the audience go on the stage, and a second or thi...

Assertion Marathon

Two players must pack as many assertions as possible into a scene. Every assertion must drive the scene forward. This trains bold offers...

Association Circle

All players form a circle. One in the circle says a word to their neighbour. The neighbour associates a new word with that term and says ...

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...

Being Positive

A normal scene begins. The players must be relentlessly, persistently positive throughout. The moment any player shows a hint of negativi...

Bell Tower

The group forms a circle, everyone puts their arms around their neighbors. All look down at the center of the circle. Swaying gently in r...

Bench takeover

The park bench is the ultimate test for any improviser. Two worlds collide here: the pure openness of the person sitting and the creative...

Apartment Building

The form apartment building all the scenes within a house play in different apartments. In these three to four storylines, stories with s...

Books Parade

This long form can be played two different ways. In both variations the audience would be asked beforehand to bring books of poetry, shor...

Bring your thing

They ask for objects the audience has with them. One of the proposed objects will be put on stage and played on, i. e. The following scen...

Camp Fire

Basics Campfire is a narrative long form. It belongs to the horror stories genre. The stories are based on tales from the audience. Camp...

Found Objects

In the long-form Found Objects the player brings everyday objects with them onto the stage. I deals with completly usuual objects but tha...

The Harold is a Longform developed by Del Close. The original form is described in "Truth in comedy" by Del Close and Charna Halpern. Bas...

3 players form 3 pairs. Players A and B : pair 1 Players B and C : pair 2 Player C and A: pair 3 Pair 1 begins and establishes their ...

Online Improv Show Technical Guides

There are various possibilities to create a live online impro show. There are multiple variations of technical setups with different Too...

Peekabooker is a long format developed by Peekaboo. It is also know as ImproPoker. The basis is a simple deck of cards, originally wi...

The game Slumdog Impronair is a long form game, inspired by the movie Slumdog Millionaire. The game begins with six contestants and a pr...

The name of the game Spokes is derived from the basic structure of this long form. A large number of scenes are grouped around a basic sc...

Stage Directions

Players 3+ Rules Players perform an ordinary scene based on an audience suggestion. A player outside of the scene will occasionally in...

Superscene

Three to five people can take part in this game. Each of the players is responsible for one of the stories, as its director. He introduce...

The Butterfly Effect

a modification of anti-freeze tag where the plot* begins by going in reverse chronological order and then the first scene (in terms of st...

The Milano

The Milano, composed and first played by the Belgian improvgroup; Salamie. It is a composition which contains 4 existing formats (games, ...

Countdown

Actors any number Suggestions variable, often a location, conflict, possibly characters/quirks, or none Premise With or without suggest...

Customer Service

Actors 2 or more Suggestions object, what's wrong with it, and a celebrity who previously owned it Premise One actor serves as a cus...

Drop A Line

Actors 2-4 Suggestions squibs with lines of dialogue, quotes, phrases, etc. Also location, setting, characters, etc., as necessary Pr...

Emotional Workplace

Three actors are playing at working places given by the audience. Each player gets a related feeling. Example: Player A has sadness as ...

Family Dinner

A game where audience members can be involved. Get an audience member to describe several members of their family. Do a scene about a di...

F.I.S.H.

Players 2+ Description Ask for a short word. Players act a scene in which each line of dialogue starts with successive letters of the ...

Hat off

This game is particularly suitable for theater sports matches as there is a winning and losing team. Prerequisite is a hat from the props...

Help!

2-4 players improvise a scene according to any guideline. The rest of the players look on and hold themselves ready. Whenever a player fe...

Horoscope

The moderator asks for a zodiac sign and then reads the current horoscope prediction from a magazine. The players then play a scene in wh...

Job Center

A player leaves the room. The public is asked to name an extraordinary profession. The player is invited back in, sits behind his desk an...

Last word - first word

Two players can participate in this game A random rule is added. The tricky part is, that in the dialogue between the two, the last w...

Living Scenery

Another funny, silly shortform game. The host asks for a suggestion of a situation or a daily routine at a location. Two players then ac...

MacGyver

Summary MacGyver is an improv game for two players in which the audience throws them into a life-threatening situation — and gives them ...

Marriage Guidance

A game for three players. One player is the therapist, the other players are the couple for treatment. The first couple is sent out and t...

Multi-headed Expert

At least three players form a character, the multi-headed expert. To achieve this they stand next to each other and put their arms around...

Accept

The most important rule of improvisation is: accept offers of players. Rejecting automatically stops, disrupts, or impedes every improvis...

Action and Reaction

Improv rarely fails for lack of ideas, usually it fails for the exact opposite. Whoever feels they need to deliver right now keeps pushin...

Ask For

Ask Fors are concepts, facts or things which the improv player or the moderator ascertains or receives from the audience, before beginnin...

Attitude

In improvisational theater attitude can have several meanings. An attitude, a personal opinion, or a feeling about something: a personal...

Audience

The audience has several tasks and functions in improvisation theatre. conventional theatre In conventional (staged) theatre, the audie...

Authenticity: The art of getting out of your own way We talk about it all the time in training, we go after it in every scene like it's ...

Picture this: you're at a party telling a joke. You hit the punchline, everyone laughs — and then you just keep talking about the weather...

Blocking: When we steal the show from ourselves Blocking — or just "blocking" — is honestly the classic improv mistake we all make on st...

Break

Taking a break during a performance is always recommended when the whole performance lasts longer than about one hour. If the group has d...

Cancel

During a performance, the host may, in exceptional cases, call off an ongoing scene — that is, end it definitively when it has completely...

Chairs

Chairs are usually the only real prop, which is present from the outset or at the edge of the stage and actually used when needed for gam...

Character

The character in improv theater is the represented fictional being that does not exist in reality. This being can be a human or animal or...

Clapping

The clapping of a player not involved on the current scene, or of the moderator, is the common way to signal the currently active players...

Clothes

A theatre group can agree to wear items of clothing of one color or several colors during an appearance For example, it is common (also f...

Conflict

It is often the conflict that makes a scene interesting. For example, when the room is set up and the routines are established, thus th...

Barcelona Improv Group (BIG)

Barcelona Improv Group was founded in January 2011 by a couple of avid improvisers with no one to play with. An outgrowth of the New Engl...

Cachorrada Impro Clube

Fan page: https://www.facebook.com/CachorradaImproClube Country: Brazil (Brasil) City: Rio de Janeiro Since 2011, the group is formed ...

Dangerbox Improv

Dangerbox is a longform improv team hailing from New York University. They play free monthly shows for the NYU student body, as well as p...

Dirty Scoundrels

Dirty Scoundrels are an improvisational theatre troupe, based in Maribor, Slovenia. They've been doing impro actively since 1998 under di...

Improv.pl

Improv.pl has been entertaining audiences in English since 2013. The team is one of the few organic/dynamic teams in the world. This mean...

Imprudentes

Founded in 2011 in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , Imprudentes began doing TheaterSports. The group consists of one actor, one chemical enginee...

ITC Impro Training Center

ITC Impro Training Center es mucho más que una escuela de improvisación en Barcelona al uso. Es un centro integral de formación y entrena...

K.A.R.L. Improv

K.A.R.L. Improv is a short and long-form improvisational comedy group out of Washington University in St. Louis, in St. Louis, Missouri. ...

Kolektiv Narobov

About Kolektiv Narobov is a performing arts collective from Ljubljana, Slovenia. In their very beginnings, the members of the collective...

Laugh-Masters Academy - "Chicago Style" Long Form Improv & Sketch Comedy School in Australia

Laugh-Masters Academy is Australia's first and only not-for-profit "Chicago Style" Long Form (Longform) Improv and Sketch Comedy School t...

Rapid Fire Theatre

Rapid Fire Theatre (RFT) is an improvisational theatre company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. History The origins of the company s...

TAMTi

An improv group based in Brno, Czech Republic. TAMTi were founded in 2011 by a couple of strangers who found each other trough an ad and ...

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre

Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is home to all things comedy and we offer improv classes in Los Angeles and New York City. Our extensive...

Waiheke Comedy Show

A troope of 10 Improvisors and Stand Up comedians enjoying playing together, performing and learning the gloriously ridiculous craft of c...

Yes, Chef!

Yes, Chef! is an improv House Team at The People's Improv Theater that performs as part of Super Free Monday. Their first show was on Jul...

List of genres, styles, and broadcast formats. Film genres Adventure film Action film Aristocratic romance Amateur film Mountain film ...

Hobbies

Hobbies approach manias, but are not quite so obsessive. Example: Passionate Angler (talks about fishing rods constantly, is busy with i...

List of activities

Daily routine *File *Dry off *Light (cigarette/cigar/oven/candle) *Hang up (laundry, pictures) *Take off (clothes, shoes) *Take a bath *...

List of further ticks of figures

The following characteristics or behavioral patterns are particularly suitable for improvisation games (e. g. party guests) or as guideli...

Buildings / Structures Observation tower Farmhouse Shop High-rise building Chicken coop Barracks Church / Chapel / Cathedral Monastery ...

Familiy *Married couple *Father / child *Mother / child *Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law / son *Brothers and sisters *Grandparents and...

A - Animal keeper - Architect - Asparagus harvester - Astronaut - Auctioneer B - Baker - Barkeeper - Beautician - Bee-keeper - Bicycle m...

Apartment Building

The form apartment building all the scenes within a house play in different apartments. In these three to four storylines, stories with s...

Armando (named after Armando Diaz, based on an idea by Del Close) The Armando is similar to the format Melanie. An Armando might follow...

Books Parade

This long form can be played two different ways. In both variations the audience would be asked beforehand to bring books of poetry, shor...

Camp Fire

Basics Campfire is a narrative long form. It belongs to the horror stories genre. The stories are based on tales from the audience. Camp...

City Lifespacer is a long form played by Randy Dixon and Unexpected Productions when on tour in unfamiliar cities. City Lifespacer is a ...

Found Objects

In the long-form Found Objects the player brings everyday objects with them onto the stage. I deals with completly usuual objects but tha...

The Harold is a Longform developed by Del Close. The original form is described in "Truth in comedy" by Del Close and Charna Halpern. Bas...

3 players form 3 pairs. Players A and B : pair 1 Players B and C : pair 2 Player C and A: pair 3 Pair 1 begins and establishes their ...

The Melanie game was also developed by Del Close. At the start, a single player stands in front of the audience and takes a suggestion. ...

Peekabooker is a long format developed by Peekaboo. It is also know as ImproPoker. The basis is a simple deck of cards, originally wi...

For this long form, various objects from the theatre's prop collection (or from your attic, basement, second-hand shop, etc.) are placed ...

Origin The Reigen takes its model from the play of the same name by Arthur Schnitzler. In the play, different characters appear one afte...

Santa Claus is dead and he needs a successor — that is what this evening is built around. Rough timeline Time in minutes — activity 00...

The game Slumdog Impronair is a long form game, inspired by the movie Slumdog Millionaire. The game begins with six contestants and a pr...

The name of the game Spokes is derived from the basic structure of this long form. A large number of scenes are grouped around a basic sc...

Books

- [Charna Halpern](/en/wiki/charna-halpern), [Del Close](/en/wiki/del-close), Kim Howard Johnson**: *Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Impro...

Musician

A musician can stand alongside in support of a group's performances. Keyboard instruments are widespread, i.e. piano and keyboard, rarely...

Online Improv Show -- Technical Guides

There are various possibilities to create a live online impro show. There are multiple variations of technical setups with different Too...

Online Improv Show Technical Guides

There are various possibilities to create a live online impro show. There are multiple variations of technical setups with different Too...

Stage lighting

Before a performance you should take enough time to set up a good lighting of the stage. It is optimal if a stage technician can take ov...

The Black Box Improv Theater

It all started in June of 1982, Justin emerged from the womb in a Dayton Hospital. He immediately realized two things: 1) There was no i...

Online Improv Show -- Technical Guides

There are various possibilities to create a live online impro show. There are multiple variations of technical setups with different Too...

Online Improv Show Technical Guides

There are various possibilities to create a live online impro show. There are multiple variations of technical setups with different Too...

Performance

A performance gives the group the opportunity to implement the experience of the exercises in front of an audience. Beginners Generally...

Alien, Tiger, Cow

Alien, Tiger, Cow: The Quick Group Wake-Up The short version: Alien, Tiger, Cow is basically the group take on "Rock, Paper, Scissors" —...

Alliterative Names

A name game for new groups to get to know each other. Players stand in a circle. One steps forward, makes a gesture or movement, and say...

Ball Metamorphosis

The players are standing in a circle. An imaginary ball is thrown by the moderator. Each time a player receives the ball and throws it to...

Balloons

Which group has the most breath? Find out which group has the strongest lungs by trying to keep your balloon in the air longer than the o...

Barney

A silly but nice little warmup game which requires quick reaction and a group rhythm. All players form a circle. One player stands in th...

Be my fan

The players walk through the room and play rock-paper-scissors with the first person they meet. Whoever loses becomes a fan of the winner...

Bippity Bippity Bop

In this slightly macabre warm-up game, players stand in a circle with one person in the middle. The player in the middle walks up to any ...

Blind Stalker

Synonyms Screamers, haunted house, vampyre game Introduction This warm-up builds trust amongst workshop participants and helps break t...

Blinking place change

One (A) is in the middle of a large circle formed by all other players. Now the players are looking for eye contact with each other in a ...

Block of ice

This is a warm-up practice for the beginning of a rehearsal. The players stand quite stiff and immobile like in a block of ice frozen. H...

Bunny Bunny

Bunny-Bunny: When the Rhythm Calls the Shots Picture this: you're standing in a circle, everything's chill — and then "Bunny-Bunny" gets...

Call and Reply

Call and Reply All players form a circle. Then they all make a change of pace together with clapping, which sets the basic beat and is ma...

Call and Response

All players form a circle and establish a shared rhythm with a step-clap pattern. One player sings a line in gibberish. The whole group ...

Car Wash

This is less of a warm-up and more of a cool-down to enjoy at the end of a training session. Players stand in two rows facing each other...

Catch Me If You Can

A classic running game for larger groups. One player is the catcher, standing on one side of the room. All other players stand on the op...

Charna Halpern was born and raised in Chicago. She is co-founder of the iO, formerly known as ImprovOlympic (the IOC prohibited the use o...

Del Close (March 9,1934 - March 4,1999), was one of the most influential teachers of improvisation theatre. He was an actor, improviser, ...

He was born in Devon, England in 1933. From 1956 to 1966 he worked as a director and acting teacher at the Royal Court Theatre in London....

Viola Spolin (November 7, 1906 - November 22, 1994) was an American acting teacher and author. She is regarded by many as America's grand...

185 xxx walk into a bar

Not really improv theater but done by a quite a few troupes, and fun when done well. Get a term, e.g. Elephants. The lines go like this: ...

"3 free" - Three sentences free

Often there is too much talking in improv scenes and showing too little, this is a nice game & a nice exercise to train this: Each p...

ACME Comedy Theatre

The ACME Comedy Theatre is a sketch comedy and improvisational theater located near Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, ACME was started...

Action emotion detail

A player tells a story. Three other players give the narrator a sign (touch, sound, gesture) if they want to hear more action, more emoti...

Actor’s Nightmare

Introduction In this scene one actor will read all her lines from a script, while the other actor must justify those lines and a scene w...

Acts of god

Two to Four players start a neutral scene. Additional players may be on the bench(es). One player is god. God periodically freezes the sc...

Advance and Expand

Introduction This exercise focuses on raising the stakes and exploration of the environment. Please set up a scene. Description The pl...

Alliteration

A free scene is played. However, one asks the audience for a letter before the game starts. All players must now start each word with thi...

Alphabet Game

The Alphabet Game (also known as the ABC Game) is a classic improv game where two players perform a scene with one strict constraint: eac...

Anette, the nice one

Anette, the nice one, is an incredibly friendly person who goes for a walk with her pet. Again and again she meets people who have little...

Animal Rollercoaster

The scene is played with 2-3 players. Before the game the audience will shout different animals to the leader. As in the games Roller ...

Animatronics Jamboree

Players Typically 6-10 Type Gimmick Rules One player from each team is sent out of the room. (This game can be played with one team,...

Anything Fabric

Time: 5 Minutes *Number of Participants: * Preferably for groups of about 10-15 people. *Required Equipment: * A piece of fabric large ...

Asserting: Creating the world instead of just managing it If blocking is the handbrake of improv theatre, then asserting (often called "...

Atlas Improv Co.

Atlas Improv Co. is a professional improvisational theatre company in Madison, WI. The company was formed in 2004 by a group of former C...