Games
A comprehensive collection of games that can be performed in an improv show in front of an audience.
Categories
Experience
Energy
Audience on stage 2
Puppets
Two actors stand motionless on the stage and are controlled by two people from the audience. Among other things, they have to respect tha...
Story Solo
One player stands in front of 4-5 players who are sitting with they backs to the public. The main player starts telling a story for a cou...
Chain Games 9
Award ceremony
A game for 3 players and more. A player goes on stage and calls a player B to the stage. For player B he defines a character, a quirk/ti...
Dutch Square
In the game Dutch Square there are four players on the stage where a scene is always played by only two together. These two stand in fron...
Freeze Tag
Everyone is involved, each scene is usually a two person scene. Two players start and play a short scene. When a beat is reached, one of...
Growing and shrinking
The first player establishes and plays a scene alone. A second player comes in, establishes and plays a completely new scene with the oth...
Scene with a wall
There are four players involved in this game, representing two persons. In the middle of the stage there is a wall. Two players will alw...
The central theme
A real object from the audience is placed on a stage. The object is really the object it is. This object specifies the location of the fi...
The hitch-hiker
Two players sit next to each other in a car. One drives, the other is a passenger. Then they see a hitch-hiker standing by the side of th...
Thing on Thing
This game requires that some items are already available before the game starts - for example, as part of a "Bring Your Thing"show. But t...
Toaster
4 to 6 players are sitting on the stage, spread out well. The game master now whistles or claps his hands at different intervals. At eac...
Dialogue Form 7
"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...
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...
Expedition
In this game for 4 people there is a moderator and an expert who has has been on an expedition. However, the expert only speaks the lang...
Pen Friends
Two players are sitting on stage. They ware pen-friends for many years know and they meet for the first time. After they greet each oth...
Pootie Tang
3 players play out a scene. 1 person is Pootie Tang and speaks only in gibberish (a.k.a. Gromolo). The other two players must act as tho...
The Voice
The Little Voice This improv game is all about interacting with the invisible. One player acts in a scene while one or more fellow playe...
Translator
A player is on the vacation in Gromololand. He complains to a hotel employee about something bad in his hotel room. Because the hotel emp...
Direction Games 3
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...
Buzz
Actors 2-4 Suggestions location, conflict, characters Premise A scene is built from the given suggestions, but at any point, either fol...
Cut and paste
The players play a normal scene, based on the suggestion of the audience. At any time, the moderator can call "Cut" to remove ("cut out")...
Dubbing 3
Dubbed commercial
A person is seated aside from the stage and from the other players on stage. 2 players (or 3 or even more) now play the sellers of a tel...
Synchro Replay
First, a base scene is played by 2 to 3 players. The same number of players goes out the door and does not see this scene. Then the playe...
Three Way Dubbing
Synonyms Cross dubbing Introduction In this scene there will be three characters, and each of the character’s voices will be supplied ...
Emotion Games 4
Emotional replay
A short scene is played by two to three players with a pretence of an everyday plot (or something else). This is then repeated two or th...
Roller Coaster
Before the scene begins, the audience is asked for feelings or genres. The emcee makes sure that there are enough positive and negative f...
The hitch-hiker
Two players sit next to each other in a car. One drives, the other is a passenger. Then they see a hitch-hiker standing by the side of th...
Trizophrenia
A game for four players. However, only two people at a time play it on the stage. One of the two is a trizophren. That means he has mult...
Guessing Games 3
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,...
Boris
Scene for 3 actors. There is a commissioner who has to solve a crime. There is a secretary who gives hidden clues and a defendant who ha...
Reclamation
One player goes outside. The public chooses an object that he must return to a store because it is broken, he doesn't like it or somethin...
In Black and White 3
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...
Blindline
Players 3+ Type Scene Rules Players leave the room while the Host collects lines of dialogue. These lines are written on small slips...
Whose line
The famous improv TV show "Whose line is it anyway" was named after this game. Before the games starts (maybe during a break) the audien...
Letter Games 4
Alphabet Game
This game is also known as ABC Game Rules Two Players perform a scene in which each line begins with the next sequential letter of the ...
Avoid a letter
One of the players has the task to avoid a certain, predefined letter when speaking on stage. If he/she nevertheless pronounces it, he wi...
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 ...
Orlando Alliteration
A free scene is played. However, the audience assigns a letter to each player before the game begins. Players must now begin each word wi...
Music Games 10
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...
Ballad singer
A player is the ballad singer, who starts to sing with the help of a suggestion from the audience. A second player plays in slow motion e...
Biographical song
The moderator asks an audience member to enter the stage. This person may sit on a chair. Some biographical data such as name, hobby, fav...
Blind musical
This is a musical version of the game Whose line: The audience is asked to write a simple sentence on the notes previously provided. Eit...
Chorus groove
In the chorus groove (also known as Conclusion song), 5 to 7 players/singers are placed side by side on stage. The host asks the audience...
Duet
Duet 1: Two singers look at each other. Singer A sings his four-line verse. B sings his four-line verse. Meanwhile, A sings his again fo...
Klapphörnchen
The "Klapphörnchen" is a revue song, which at the end of a show performance shows the best played scenes as sung scenes or the scenes are...
Music-Café
The director asks the audience for the name of the cafe. In this café 3 or 4 players gather and talk about this and that. As soon as the...
Sing a dialogue
A teams of two players starts a dialogue about something (weather, everyday life...) After a short time the music begins and the 2 player...
That sounds like a song
It can be played in any scene, with or without suggestions from the audience. When a meaningful sentence is said, the game leader stops ...
Objects 4
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...
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...
The central theme
A real object from the audience is placed on a stage. The object is really the object it is. This object specifies the location of the fi...
Thing on Thing
This game requires that some items are already available before the game starts - for example, as part of a "Bring Your Thing"show. But t...
Other 6
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: ...
Anything Fabric
Time: 5 Minutes *Number of Participants: * Preferably for groups of about 10-15 people. *Required Equipment: * A piece of fabric large ...
Gentle manipulation - dressage
A nice exercise to listen to and get into the game with each other. Player A leaves the room, the other players define an activity or ac...
New Choice
Rules Players perform a scene based on an audience suggestion. At any point during the scene, the Host may blow a whistle and call for a...
Rollback
A scene is alluded to. A third person (player or moderator) is at the edge of the stage and stops at some point. Now, a striking event fr...
Walking with speed levels
Players are distributed in the room. The task is to walk every which way through the room at increasing speeds. The leader announces "Ste...
Physical Contact 1
Replay 10
Before or after
In this game, the audience directs indirectly by making decisions. 2 or more players play a free starting scene. After the scene the au...
Countdown
Actors any number Suggestions variable, often a location, conflict, possibly characters/quirks, or none Premise With or without suggest...
Emotional replay
A short scene is played by two to three players with a pretence of an everyday plot (or something else). This is then repeated two or th...
Fairytale Replay
A well known fairytale from the spectators will be used as a guideline. This tale is then played briefly in a neutral scene. Then the fa...
From the viewpoint of
A replay game, with 3 players. One starts with a neutral scene. When these end, they will be reviewed from the point of view of one of th...
Genre replay
Genre replay is one of the most popular games at improv theater. First an arbitrary suggestion (e. g. an everyday action) is taken from t...
One for all
An improv game for 3 (or more) players. *First of all, a normal free improv scene is played. It is important that in this scene there i...
Replay of the high arts
Neutral scene, ask for can be a place, an object or a relationship . Scene is repeated. Peculiarity: it is spoken in rhymes. Scene is ...
Synchro Replay
First, a base scene is played by 2 to 3 players. The same number of players goes out the door and does not see this scene. Then the playe...
Word replay
First, as with all replay games, a free scene is played. Make sure that the players make a lot of speeches and long sentences. In the fir...
Slapstick-Bustle-Action 3
Mousetraps
The stage will be prepared with mousetraps. There may well be a whole lot, such that it will be difficult to walk on the stage without st...
Scene with a wall
There are four players involved in this game, representing two persons. In the middle of the stage there is a wall. Two players will alw...
Sit, Stand, Lay
Actors 3 Suggestions location, conflict, characters as necessary Premise Within the provided framework of the location and conflict,...
Speech 9
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...
Award ceremony
A game for 3 players and more. A player goes on stage and calls a player B to the stage. For player B he defines a character, a quirk/ti...
One word story
One-word stories come in several forms: All in a row 4 or 5 players line up in a row. The audience dictates the title of the story and ...
Radio Mix
The players stand in a line in front of the spectators. Each player is assigned a radio station. Now, the channels (players) change...
Story Solo
One player stands in front of 4-5 players who are sitting with they backs to the public. The main player starts telling a story for a cou...
The Conscience
Two players start a normal scene. Whenever it fits in the further course of the scene, two other players speak now the conscience of the ...
Three dead characters
Three (or four) players stand in a row on the stage and the host asks the audience for a type of death for each of them. The players now ...
Throwing light
This exercise is for more than 4 players. Two players choose a topic of conversation and the other players have to guess the topic. The ...
Worlds worst
A game for quick jokes and short laughs. The Moderator asks the audience for e. g. - a profession (i.e. police officer) - a hobby (i.e. ...
Switches 13
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 ...
Bingo
A scene that is played with three people. As soon as a number is spoken by the performers in the scene, they switch positions and play t...
Color Change
Three colours are given to the audience e.g. - red - yellow and - blue. Now they are asked to invent locations matching the colors, s...
Cut and paste
The players play a normal scene, based on the suggestion of the audience. At any time, the moderator can call "Cut" to remove ("cut out")...
Freeze Tag
Everyone is involved, each scene is usually a two person scene. Two players start and play a short scene. When a beat is reached, one of...
Monkey in the Middle
Three players do two scenes. Player A is called the "Monkey". He plays a scene with player B. When the host calls it (calling "Switch"...
Multiple personalities
Silly, funny little shortform game. Played by 3 players. The host asks the audience to hand over three props. Then the host ask for a su...
Potpourri
Any scene with any guideline will be played The catch is: the moderator interrupts repeatedly and demands a decision about the show. Ther...
Radio Mix
The players stand in a line in front of the spectators. Each player is assigned a radio station. Now, the channels (players) change...
Role reversal
Role reversal is a game for two or three players At the interjection, players must exchange roles among one another. Player A takes the p...
Roller Coaster
Before the scene begins, the audience is asked for feelings or genres. The emcee makes sure that there are enough positive and negative f...
Slideshow
Several actors depict a scene in mime. A presenter then spontaneously describes what can be seen in that picture On a given command t...
Trizophrenia
A game for four players. However, only two people at a time play it on the stage. One of the two is a trizophren. That means he has mult...
Talking 9
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...
Backwards Interview
This game is based on a fictional interview. The twist is that you start with the last sentence, and end with the first sentence; thereby...
Conducted Story
Introduction Let’s get four or five players in a line and one person to conduct a story. Description The goal of the conducted story i...
Dr. Know-It-All
Dr. Know-it-all is an amazingly intelligent man, who will be interviewed on a special topic, and is played simultaneously by three player...
One word story
One-word stories come in several forms: All in a row 4 or 5 players line up in a row. The audience dictates the title of the story and ...
Pen Friends
Two players are sitting on stage. They ware pen-friends for many years know and they meet for the first time. After they greet each oth...
Press Conference
One player A leaves the room / venue. The host asks the audience for a famous person or character and an announcement this character has ...
Questions Only
In this exercise the player's dialogue takes place only in a form of a question. Nevertheless the fundamental information is given and it...
The Conscience
Two players start a normal scene. Whenever it fits in the further course of the scene, two other players speak now the conscience of the ...
3 X different
Two people face each other. Round 1 They mutually count repeatedly "one", "two", "three". Automatically the start with "one" changes: ...
Accept
The most important rule of improvisation is: accept offers of players. Rejecting automatically stops, disrupts, or impedes every improvis...
ACME Comedy Theatre
The ACME Comedy Theatre is a sketch comedy and improvisational theater located near Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, ACME was started...
Action and Reaction
The principle of action and reaction means that an actor who is in dialogue and/or in another (pantomime) interaction with another actor ...
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...
Advance and Expand
Introduction This exercise focuses on raising the stakes and exploration of the environment. Please set up a scene. Description The pl...
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...
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...
Ask For
Ask Fors are concepts, facts or things which the improv player or the moderator ascertains or receives from the audience, before beginnin...
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...
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
Authenticity related to people means that the action of a person is not determined by external factors, but is due to the person himself/...
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...
Bang
A warmup for concentration. All players position themselves in a circle. In circle will now be counted upwards, player 1 says "1", playe...
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...
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...
Bippity Bippity Bop
In this — at times slightly macabre — warm-up game, players stand in a circle with one person in the middle. The player in the middle wal...
Blind Lead
These are different pair exercises in which one player closes his eyes and is led through the room in different ways. The aim is to fully...
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 ...
Blocking
Blocking is one of the most common Failures that can happen to improvisers. Blocking means that one player' s Game Offer is not accepted ...
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...
Books
- [Charna Halpern](/en/wiki/charna_halpern), [Del Close](/en/wiki/del_close), Kim Howard Johnson**: *Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Impro...
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...
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...
Bunny Bunny
A rhythmical warm-up game in a circle, the more you take part, the more fun. The lower limit is five players. The players are in a circl...
Cachorrada Impro Clube
Fan page: https://www.facebook.com/CachorradaImproClube Country: Brazil (Brasil) City: Rio de Janeiro Since 2011, the group is formed ...
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...
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...
Cancel
During an appearance, the presenter may cancel the current scene, if she has totally failed, and is completely out of control. The bar mu...
Category Die
This is useful as a warm-up and it is also useful in performance even. The exercise forces you to be spontaneous and it also helps you ...
Category Snap
Video example Improv Warm-Ups: Category Snap
Chain Murder Death
aka Murder Death Kill, Chain Death, Telephone Murder Actors 2-3, one patsy Suggestions location, occupation, murder weapon Premise Thi...
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...
Character exercise (character switch)
All go through the room, each with a certain character. Whenever you meet, you speak two sentences together, and the character is slowly ...
Circle of claps - Clapping circles
Clapping circles describe various warm-up games and rhythmic exercises where the participants stand in a circle and a signal - mostly a c...
Circle Up
During this warm-up exercise, the arms are stretched diagonally upwards and the legs, which are stretched out a little bit off the ground...
Clap Focus
Synonyms Snap Focus Introduction This warm up is to get people listening, responding fast and reacting without thinking. Everyone gets...
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...
Conceptual circle
Different terms of a family of concepts,such as vegetables, sports, city names are exchanged crisscross form from player to player in a c...
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...
Counting together
The players are standing in a close circle with their eyes closed or all of them are looking at the ground. Now the group counts up to 21...
Country saying
A game to practice rhymes and rhythm in the group. All players line up in a circle. Now a country rule (country saying) is recited in a ...
Cross Circle
Synonyms Name Game, Shriner’s Warm-up Introduction This warm up will help us all get moving, listening and learn a few names. Let’s fo...
Curtain
Since improvised theatre usually does not require props and the end of the scene is determined by the moderator or the players, the curta...
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...
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...
Digits
Synonyms Shared counting, countdown, synergy Introduction This exercise is designed to get us all in synch. Get into a tight circle. ...
Dirty Scoundrels
Dirty Scoundrels are a improvisational theatre troupe, based in Maribor, Slovenia. They've been doing impro actively since 1998 under dif...
Dissociation
The player "associates" words one after the other that have "nothing" to do with each other. If a suitable word is associated or if the p...
Drop A Line
Actors 2-4 Suggestions squibs with lines of dialogue, quotes, phrases, etc. Also location, setting, characters, etc., as necessary Pr...
Duck, duck, goose
Duck, duck, goose or duck, duck, gray duck is a traditional children's game often first learned in pre-school or kindergarten then later ...
Emotional Fruit Salad
Video example Improv Warm-Ups : Improv Warm-Ups: Emotional Fruit Salad
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 ...
Encore
As a rule, it is advisable to schedule the addition of the program during program preparation. Sometimes it is advisable not to comply w...
Endless snake
The more players, the better: The first player offers his right or left hand. A player comes along and takes this hand and offers his or ...
Fail
Fail happens at the improv theater, when one has made mistakes, which has led to, that the scene has been a failure or the scenes have be...
Falling
Synonyms Group gravity, trust game Introduction This is a trust game that requires careful listening skills and quick reactions. It is...
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...
Flock Dance
Introduction This is a physical warm-up and ice breaker. One person in front, with two people behind her and three behind them, forming ...
Focus
Focus refers to the attention of the audience (and the actors, too) on certain people on the stage. If there are two people, then the att...
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...
Four Corners
Here is another good ice-breaker for the start of the school year or as a funny way to better introduce people with each other. Four Corn...
Free Association
Introduction This warm-up will help us get into the moment for improvisation, and help us feel easier about being silly. Description T...
Genetically modified mouse
The players stand together with the game leader in a circle. This places an invisible mouse on the ground, which now runs under the feet ...
Genre List
List of genres, styles and show formats Television Formats Medical Series Advice Programs: Medical Topics Docu-Soap: Emigrants, Child-...
Gibberish
Gibberish (also gromolo) is a kind of pretend language which consists of a series of imaginative, but meaningless letter and word sequenc...
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 ...
Gordian knot
The players form a close circle. They all close their eyes and then stretch their arms forward. Now everyone tries to grab a different ha...
Gossip
Gossip means that a player talks about something that is taking place or has taken place elsewhere. No interactions takes place. Example...
Group Stop
This is listening warm-up. Everyone start milling about the room. Everyone quietly mills about the room. One person will elect to freeze...
Guess status
In this exercise, the expression of a status is practiced and one gets feedback whether the others have actually perceived the status as ...
Guiness Book
Pick an entry at random from the Guinness Book of World Records. Do a scene illustrating how this record was broken.
Hand snake
With this fast warm-up game, the task is to allow the flat palms of up to three players to touch each other at the same time. At the begi...
Headline
Ask for a headline (or get a headline at random from the newspaper). Do a scene that could have lead to that headline.
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...
He said, she said
Each player describes the action of their partner. Ex: player 1, "I'd like to talk to you, Mabel." Player 2, "He said, standing up and pu...
Hey and Ho
You take any two objects. First of all, an object is passed on from A to the right partner B in the circle. Following dialogue: A:"That'...
Hide body
Description An excellent exercise to get to know and learn to trust and touch each other. 5 volunteers, 4 of whom must hide the fifth p...
Hobbies
Hobbies approach manias, but are not quite so obsessive. Example: Passionate Angler (talks about fishing rods constantly, is busy with i...
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...
House - residents - flood
This warm-up game is only suitable for a slightly larger group: 13 persons and more. It is also called: House creature flood. Groups of ...
I am a tree
A very popular exercise, suitable for beginners of improvisation The players stand on the stage/around the room. Player A goes to the mi...
Ignoring
Similar to blocking, though here other people's offers are not directly blocked, but simply not paid attention to. This can happen throug...
I got a better idea!
I got a better idea! 3 players stand side by side, slightly in a semicircle. The middle one starts to tell a story. Every action, every ...
Improverts
The Edinburgh University Theatre Company's improvised comedy troupe now known as The Improverts was founded in Edinburgh in 1989 by Canad...
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...
increase
The players are in a circle. One of them makes a discreet gesture or movement to his neighbor, if necessary. accompanied by a word or sou...
Interruption
The interruption of a scene means (as opposed to a cut) that the actor from the current scene only inserts a brief pause where their moti...
Irish Drinking Song
Four players stand in a row, singing a song about a subject given by the audience. The song has a typical Irish-style, one line at a tim...
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...
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...
Jonathan
A warm-up game to get to know the players' names and for quick reaction. The players stand in a circle . Player A is "Jonathan". - “Jo...
Jumpers
Everyone into a circle for a silly warm-up to get the blood flowing. Players randomly and unexpectedly jump up in to the air. At some ti...
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. ...
King of Siam
At The King of Siam one sits or stands in a circle. One player is the King, the others are numbered, the last one is wothout a number, he...
Kissing
One has to be clear in the theatre group how one creates kissing scenes. In particular if the group members still do not properly know th...
Knights, Horses and Cavaliers
The participants move around the playing field and wait for the words "knights", "horses" or "cavaliers" to be called. If one of the wo...
Kolektiv Narobov
About Kolektiv Narobov is a performing arts collective from Ljubljana, Slovenia. In their very beginnings, the members of the collective...
La Ronde
The Round Dance follows the model of the same name from Arthur Schnitzler. In this play, different characters appear on the stage one aft...
Last sentence
The public is asked to provide a sentence in advance, which later must be incorporated as the last sentence in the scene. It is followe...
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...
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...
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...
List of places
Buildings / Structures Observation tower Farmhouse Shop High-rise building Chicken coop Barracks Church / Chapel / Cathedral Monastery ...
List of relationships
Familiy *Married couple *Father / child *Mother / child *Mother-in-law and daughter-in-law / son *Brothers and sisters *Grandparents and...
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...
Long Form
Long forms are more or less closely connected sequences of scenes, usually from 20 to 45 minutes in length, but also full-length formats ...
Machine
The name of a "crazy" machine, a machine that does not exist, is requested. In quick succession, the players construct the machine by ea...
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...
Microphone
The use of microphones can be sensible in certain situations, to some extent even necessary. In smaller, enclosed spaces (lofts) their u...
Molecules
Everybody runs around the room until the game leader shouts a number. Instantly, everybody forms groups with the same number of players...
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...
Musician
A musician can stand alongside in support of a group's performances. Keyboard instruments are widespread, i.e. piano and keyboard, rarely...
Names - Go and clap
Another warm-up and name game. The players form a circle and reach out one hand to the center of the circle. One player Z stands in the ...
Newscast
Actors 4 Suggestions characters, scenarios, conflicts as necessary Premise Four typical spots in this scene are the anchor, co-ancho...
Nightingale
An exercise to warm up, sing in and keep rhythm. Players are divided into two equal groups. Both groups sing the same song as a choir, on...
noise ball
The players are in a circle. They throw themselves an imaginary ball. The thrower makes a sound with each throw. The catcher repeats this...
Occupations List
A - Animal keeper - Architect - Asparagus harvester - Astronaut - Auctioneer B - Baker - Barkeeper - Beautician - Bee-keeper - Bicycle m...
Offer
An offer is an activity or a comment of a player, which refers to a teammate or is directed at him, and requires a gestural/mimed or verb...
Old Job - New Job
Ask for two professions that have nothing to do with one another. Someone in the scene plays a character that is now doing the second job...
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...
Opposites
Opposites among the characters are helpful for a scene's success. From opposites can easily arise "friction", it can by itself easily dev...
Pan Right - Pan Left
Pan Right / Pan Left Players: 4 – 8 (Can be played with any number of players, but should be played with two evenly sized teams in shows)...
Party Quirks
Time: 10 Minutes Number of Participants: Best in groups of 4 or 5 Required Equipment: The only equipment needed are pieces my paper wit...
Pearl string
A game for any number of players, but preferably more than 3 to tell a little story. All players line up in a line. Player 1 takes two...
Pecking Order
An exercise i.e. a game for three players. The players form a hierarchy (A has the highest status, B the middle, C the lowest). It's gove...
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...
People Watching
This is best explained by an example involving players A, B, and C. A waits for B and C to leave before asking for a suggestion. A ask...
Performance
A performance gives the group the opportunity to implement the experience of the exercises in front of an audience. Beginners Generally...
Picking gifts
The players are in a circle. One begins and picks any object from the air. He holds it in a certain way and presents it to his neighbour ...
Play Bill
Before one "performs", most should agree on the "parts" to be "played" and other points too. The relevant program can/should include: Co...
Poets with Feeling
Three or four players are involved. The moderator asks the audience to provide a random sentence. Additionally, he lets each of the three...
Presence
Presence means the active Charisma of a person on the stage perceived and felt by the audience, it is present as a person for the viewers...
Prisoner walk
All players walk in a circle one after the other, like prisoners in a prison yard. They walk in a rhythmic step. If someone claps their h...
Prison visitor
A musical game. The host asks for two suggestions: a country (where the one player is in prison) and a crime the player committed. The ...
Questions
Questions can have multiple meanings in improvisational theatre. Ask for As a moderator I can ask the audience for guidelines. It may b...
Quick Death
A (slightly macabre) exercise for in between times to drive away the tiredness of the players by speed: The players are in a circle. One...
Quintet
At first five different scenes are played. The audience then decides on one of these scenes to be removed. The remaining four scenes cont...
Rapid Fire Theatre
Rapid Fire Theatre (RFT) is an improvisational theatre company based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. History The origins of the company s...
Rebrand things
The players walk around the room and name the things in the room. They should touch the corresponding objects. For example, "wall." "Corn...
Requisite
Stage props are real objects on the stage. As a rule improvisation theater takes place without props. Usually only chairs are allowed. A...
Revolving Door
A game for 4-5 players. A player stands in the center and will quickly exchange places with where the other players started. The player ...
Rhymes
Improvised plays, songs or scenes can have a special allure and effect when they rhyme. Rhyme means that words connect with similar soun...
rhythm exercises
The rhythm exercises include exercises and warm-up games, which contain a rhythmic element. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves In this conc...
Road Trip
Info 10 + Minutes Groups of approximately 10 to 15 people. Enough objects for the entire group except for one participant. Recommended Ag...
Round of the prisoners
All players walk one behind the other in a circle, like convicts in the prison yard. They go into a rhythmic cadence. If anyone in the ...
rumours
All players in the circle. A quick warm-up game to practice making offers, accepting and enlarging them. Player A asks his neighbour pla...
Serenade
(For as many people as desired) The first sings the chorus as far as possible simply to denote the text , one, maximum two lines. This ...
Seven Things
Seven Things is a warm up in which players ask each other to name seven things that fall into a made up category. Anybody may start by ca...
Shortform
"Short Forms" are games that consist of one Scene or a few scenes and, due to their basic conception, only last a few seconds or a few mi...
Sign Language Interpreter
In this scene, an interview situation is improvised — for example, an expert is being questioned about a particular topic. The twist is t...
Silent post
The gamemaster and two players are in the room Player A gets now a guideline and has to improvise a monologue straight away. Player B wa...
Simulclap
Introduction Get into a circle for listening and focus warm-up. Description One player starts off by clapping their hands (a singular ...
Slow-motion Rumble
The players are having a pantomimic brawl in slow motion. The gestures and facial expressions are expansive and often a little exaggerate...
Sound Effects
The Game Two performers act out a scene while two others stand off to the side providing live sound effects — footsteps, doors creaking,...
Stage
The stage is a place, on which a theatrical play occurs. In Improvisional theater, it is the custom to act in a suitable open area that i...
Stage Directions
Players 3+ Rules Players perform an ordinary scene based on an audience suggestion. A player outside of the scene will occasionally in...
stage hog
As stage hog is referred players who always play in the foreground. This type of player is more often than others on the stage to see and...
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...
Status Battle
A status battle is when two players fight as part of their playing to the higher or lower status. Status fights must be played finely and...
Steal the Hat
Deux joueurs ou plus sont sur scène et développent une scène simple. Chaque joueur porte un chapeau. L'objectif des joueurs est de voler ...
Step by step
On the floor 9 cards are distributed in 3 x 3 rows at the same distance. Two players place themselves on each one of the notes. Principle...
Storytelling with movements
This exercise is played in groups of three. Two players face each other, while a third one stands next to the first player. The first p...
Stringency
Stringency is a component of the dramaturgical list of ingredients of improvisation theater. Stringency means that the happenings on the ...
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...
Swinging Pendulum of Death
Actors 3 Suggestions 3 locations, 3 conflicts, 3 characters Premise This game is complicated but can be extremely entertaining if do...
Sword of samurai
Slow motion exercise for 2 or more players. The arms of each player are swords with poisonous points. If a player is hit elsewhere than ...
Taboo
Taboos in improvisation theatre mean that games, game ideas, specifications or behaviours are deliberately avoided or ignored for certain...
Talkativeness
Verbiage or talking too much is a common mistake in improvisational theatre. Talkativeness means that more is spoken than does good to th...
Talking animals
The players receive a species of animal from the audience. Then they play a scene in which they both play the part of this animal. (F...
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 ...
Taxi Drive
Four chairs stand in a square and form a taxi. In the beginning there are three actors sitting in that taxi. Player A is sitting in front...
Telling a story
Form two-person teams - both players tell a story together. The first one starts, like, "Let's take a vacation." The second one always ...
Terrorist
One player leaves. Ask for a mode of transportation, an object, and a desire. The returning player is a terrorist who must be manipulated...
Theatresport
Theatersport (TM) is the term coined by Keith Johnstone for a popular form of improvisation theatre, in which two teams of actors compete...
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...
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 Evil Twin
The moderator provides a relationship between two people or an activity. Two players begin to act out the scene. The scene can be stopped...
The Excuse
One of the Improv-players must leave the room for a short time. In the meantime, the audience decides on a reason why the player wa...
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The audience is asked for a problem or an Issue, for which the audience would like to have a piece of advice or information. In the follo...
The LIL Show (London Improv Live)
The LIL Show is a weekly, live improv comedy radio show. We also edit it down for your podcasting pleasure. The podcast is available on ...
The Milano
The Milano, composed and first played by the Belgian improvgroup; Salamie. It is a composition which contains 4 existing formats (games, ...
The monster
Player A stands in the middle of a big circle which all the other players form. A is the monster. He moves with forwards outstretched arm...
The Prophet
One player leaves the room. This will later be the prophet, who must guess the prophecy which is made up by the audience. There will be t...
The seven year itch
The play comes from Doug Nunn and is a type of long form. It is best played with 3 women and three men + a presenter, and it takes about ...
The strict Boss
Three actors sit side-by-side on three chairs. The boss sits in the middle, his subordinates sit on the left and the right. The boss is n...
The Talkshow
There are 2 main types of Talkshows. The "serious discussion" type programmes, which generally go out evenings (experts/politicians di...
Three Rules
The moderator asks for three personal rules for the players in the scene to observe. For example, that they have only one arm, may not...
Time travel
We will first present a simple neutral scene that is based on a suggestion from the audience. Then we will see a series of scenes that le...
touch palms
Two players are involved in this exercise. One goes first, the other follows. Again and again, the one in front stops (and of course the ...
Traffic light
In this exercise the players can train perception, walking, encounter, status, posture and character. Game idea: The typical and well-kn...
Triangle
Each player initially takes two other players as reference persons without revealing his selection. It is now the task of all players to ...
Trust
A scene will not succeed, if an actor tries to assert his own ideas. It is important with an clear head to step on the stage and to trust...
Typewriter
The title of a book that does not yet exist is queried. One of the players is the narrator. He is located at the edge of the stage. He si...
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...
Vocal Chain
This exercice is suitable for a large group. The players stand in a circle. The game master sends two vowels into the circle. Initially ...
Waiheke Comedy Show
A troope of 10 Improvisors and Stand Up comedians enjoying playing together, performing and learning the gloriously ridiculous craft of c...
Walking Backwards
The "walking backwards into the future" is an exercise, but can also be used as a presentation. One player stands at the front of the st...
What Are You Doing!
Players This exercise is played with two players. Rules Player 1 begins miming some action. Player 2 shouts, "What are you doing?" ...
What is a what?
A warm-up game in which rhyme is played quickly. All players line up in a circle and slowly flip a rhythm with their fingers. Player A ...
what is improv?
Improvisation theatre (often also called improv for short) is a form of theatre in which improvisation is performed, i.e. one or more pre...
What is Playback Theatre?
Telling everyday experiences and immediately watching them on stage is playback theater. Actors and musicians are happy to be able to spo...
Whats Improv?
Improvisational theatre, improv and Theatresports Improvisation theatre, improv theatre, or simply improv, is a form of theatre that is ...
What's on TV?
Quick, change of scene based improv game. Audience have control of 'TV' - two characters to represent the media on TV. Audience can 'chan...
Words that change the world
"Words that change the world" is a long form. At the beginning the audience can be asked for a place where the story begins. The audience...
Work Exhibition
A work show is suitable for new groups or for new members of existing groups, if they have gained their first knowledge and experience in...
Yes, and because
An exercise for 2 players. The two of them sit shoulder to shoulder on two chairs and play a kind of* one* person, namely an expert who t...
Yes, and then
An exercise for 2 players. The two of them experienced something together and told each other about it while they were replaying it. The ...
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...
Yes, let's
A great warmup for group collaboration and to practice saying yes especially for improv beginners. Everybody walks around the room. One ...