Mousetraps

Summary

Mousetraps is an extreme improv format that blurs the line between theatre and a thrill ride. The performers come on stage barefoot and blindfolded, onto a stage strewn with armed mousetraps. While trying to play an improvised scene, they have to move through the "minefield", and any wrong step can trigger a painful snap. The game thrives on the voyeuristic suspense of the audience and on the players' authentic reaction to the physical danger. It is a highly atmospheric game that demands absolute presence and a strong relationship of trust between everyone involved.

In detail

What the game is about

In this game it is not the verbal wit that takes the lead but the physical tension. It is a "gimmick game" in which the audience suffers along with the players. The appeal lies in the absurdity of the situation: the players have to keep up an ordinary scene (a first date, say, or a bank heist) while moving through an environment that would normally rip every shred of focus away. The team that wins is the one that succeeds in folding the fear of pain productively into the scene, instead of merely enduring it stoically.

How it plays out

• Preparation: The stage is dressed with a large number of mousetraps. There should be enough to constitute a real threat, while still leaving enough space for movement.
• Setup: The players take off their shoes and socks and are blindfolded. The audience watches the players lose their bearings even before the first line is spoken.
• The scene: On a signal, the improv begins. The players move blindly across the stage. Particular care belongs to the moderation up front: the danger has to be communicated clearly to the audience so that the dramatic stakes are at their peak.
• Safety: "Spotters" stand at the edges of the stage, ready to intervene if a blindfolded player reaches the edge.

Practical tips

• No rat traps: This is the single most important safety rule. While mousetraps cause painful bruises, rat traps can break bones. The aim is a thrill, not a serious injury.
• Emotional reaction: A player who does not flinch when a trap snaps ruins the effect. The audience wants to feel the pain too. When it happens, the reaction has to be immediate and real.
• Presence over caution: Tip-toeing around too cautiously feels boring. Players should aim to move with a certain decisiveness, so that the threat of triggering a trap stays real.
• Logistics of the traps: To avoid breaking the flow, the traps should be prepared on trays beforehand or distributed efficiently by a team during a short scene change.

Strategies to minimise risk

Because the game is often part of a multi-day show, the players have to be performance-ready again the next day. Approaches the community has settled on:

• Padding: The striking bars of the traps can be wrapped with thin foam or tape. The sound stays loud, but the impact on the skin is dampened.
• Spring strength: The springs of the traps can be lightly weakened beforehand to reduce the force of the strike.
• Invisible protection: Thin, skin-coloured tape underneath the soles of the feet can protect against cuts without spoiling the optics for the audience.

Criticism and warnings

Experienced improvisers warn that the "mousetrap" can overshadow the acting work. When the audience is just waiting for the next scream of pain, the quality of the story often gets lost. The game should therefore be used deliberately, as a dramatic high point at which the players, despite the adrenaline, do not forget their characters.