Games

Two teams perform the same thème back-to-back; the audience votes which one they preferred.

Two players perform a scene; any other player can yell 'Freeze!' at any moment, tap one out, adopt the frozen pose, and start a new scene justified by the physicality.

Match d'impro default category, teams play a scene on the given thème with no additional constraint.

Players from both teams share the ice and improvise one scene together on a single thème.

Two players meet on a park bench; the goal for the joiner is to get the sitter to leave, without touching them, using only character, emotion, and story.

Circle game, one player mimes an action; next player asks 'what are you doing?' and first player lies, forcing second player to mime the lie.

Players line up; audience gives a noun (e.g., 'clowns'); each player steps forward with: '185 [nouns] walk into a bar. Bartender says we don't serve [nouns]. The [nouns] reply: [punchline].'

Teams play the thème in the style of an assigned author, director, or genre (Molière, Tarantino, film noir, Commedia dell'arte).

First line starts with A, second with B, third with C, the scene has to land before Z.

Players stand in a circle; on a count all simultaneously become an alien (antennae + 'bleeb bleeb'), a tiger (claw + roar), or a cow (udder + moo). Goal: everyone lands on the same creature.

A scene of 26 lines where each successive line begins with the next letter of the alphabet; after Z comes A. Players who stall or use the wrong letter are replaced.

Characters take on the physicality, voice, and behavior of assigned animals while still playing a human story.

Annoyance Theatre drill, two players run a full scene without intervention; coach stops only to reset if players abandon or undercut.

Two players improvise a scene as the host calls literary authors; players narrate and perform in each named author's prose style.

Same as the Alphabet Game but proceeding Z, Y, X, W, and so on, dramatically harder because Z, Y, X appear at the opening when committment is lowest.

Group brainstorms the worst possible ideas for a product, event, or solution, then pitches each with real enthusiasm.

A bartender listens as customers come to the bar and sing their troubles; the bartender answers each in song, improvising melody and advice on the spot.

Class drill, play a first-beat scene, pause, identify the game and premise, then play a second-beat scene that heightens that game.

A passage from a real book is read aloud to open the scene; players continue in that voice and world.

Circle warm-up with rhythmic chant: 'Big Booty, Big Booty, Big Booty, uh-huh!' then Big Booty calls a number; that number calls their own, then another. Errors send the player to Big Booty's left and all numbers shift.

A player in the center of a circle points at someone and says 'Bippity Bippity Bop'; the pointed player must say 'Bop' before the speaker finishes. Variants require the player and neighbors to form shapes (elephant, cow, etc.).

Audience members write random lines of dialogue on slips of paper; performers scatter them around the stage and, during an otherwise normal scene, pick one up and must use it as their next line, justifying it instantly.

Players sing a 12-bar blues in sequence, each takes two verses on a shared theme, traditional blues meter and call-response.

Audience gives a fake musical title; players improvise a single number (opening, 'I Want' song, love duet, or 11 o'clock number) from that show.

One player sits on a bench; a second player enters and tries to make the sitter leave. When the sitter gives up the seat, a new player enters and tries to dislodge them.

The arbiter draws random lieu, personnages, and action cards; players must weave a coherent scene that honors all three.

A caller plays ship's captain and barks commands (hit the deck, swab the deck, crow's nest, man overboard); the last player to perform each action correctly is out.

Telephone-style mime game. Three players leave; audience gives location, profession, murder weapon. First player mimes all three to the returning second player, who 'murders' the first and mimes to the third, and so on.

Every line must be sung, not spoken. Musicians often support but are not required.

Full-room tag game, but players are told to stay playful, never 'strategic'; you tag someone only when you're delighted to.

One player holds a hand a hand's width from a partner's face; the partner must keep their face that exact distance away, following wherever the hand leads in slow silence.

Two players form a frozen image together; one steps out and a new player enters with a fresh pose, completing a new image, repeating so the picture continually reinvents itself.

Group version of Mind Meld. Two players say words simultaneously; the whole circle then tries to bridge them. First two to shout 'One!' and 'Two!' say their bridge word together. Continues until a match.

Two players sing different songs simultaneously on the same beat, lines alternate, then overlap, then resolve in a shared chorus.

Group shakes right hand eight times counting, then left, then right foot, then left foot, then repeats with seven, six, five, all the way to one.

Performers stand in a line and build a doo-wop song one rhyming line at a time over a repeated refrain; a player who fails to rhyme on the beat is sung out by the group.

Partners face each other, slap laps in unison, then point top/left/right independently. If directions match, high-ten on the next beat. Speed up or switch partners.

A Theatresports variant where the audience, not the judges, scores scenes, cheers measured for each team.

Classroom version of the dating-show bit: one player exits, three are endowed with traits, and the returning player asks three questions before guessing each trait.

One player hosts a daytime talk show; two or three guests come on each with a secret audience-given issue or secret.

Drill, the first line of a scene must be a statement, not a question, and must contain information (not 'hey buddy').

Two players act the scene physically while two others at the mic supply all dialogue and sound, like live film dubbing.

A character-guessing game where one player is assigned a secret identity and must answer questions while two partners (one telling the truth about the identity, one lying) confuse the audience about which is which.

Two players start a scene by committing to a strong emotion before any dialogue, the scene's content is built backward from the feeling.

A scene is replayed with all dialogue the same but driven by a new dominant emotion (grief, joy, lust, rage) suggested by the audience.

Line of players faces a conductor; conductor points at a player, shouts an emotion, and the player sounds that emotion until redirected.

Two players begin a scene with opposite strong emotions; over the scene each gradually becomes the other's emotion, ending with a full swap.

Two players perform the same scene repeatedly, host calls a different emotion each round and the players play it in that mode.

A running storyline that spans every match of a season, characters and plot threads carry over week to week.

The same short scene is repeated five times in five different styles (e.g. tragedy, comedy, opera, film noir, telenovela).

Two players start a scene; host calls out film or theater styles (noir, silent film, Shakespeare, porn) and players shift to that style instantly.

Two performers act a scene in gibberish or silently moving their mouths; two off-stage performers provide dubbed dialogue as if translating or overdubbing a foreign film.

Audience provides the first line and the last line of a scene written on slips of paper. Players perform a scene that opens with the first line and ends with the last, filling the middle.

One player is told to name five things in a category ('five vegetables,' 'five things in your grandma's purse'); the circle counts down as they answer.

Four players split into two teams, one team narrates a story or runs a scene, the other team makes every sound effect live.

Two players run a scene; certain words (audience-supplied or scene-obvious) are forbidden, using one triggers a buzzer and reset.

Two players perform a scene in accented gibberish as if in a foreign film; two other players provide English translation simultaneously from the side.

Circle storytelling: players alternate sentences starting with 'Fortunately...' or 'Unfortunately...', each one must advance the narrative with a reversal of the previous.

Pairs alternate lines starting with 'fortunately' and 'unfortunately', each line flips the story's luck until one player stumbles.

Two players perform a scene while the host calls 'Reverse!' to make them replay their words and actions backward, or 'Forward!' to resume, jumping the scene back and forth like a tape.

Four players stand in a square formation. The two downstage players play one scene; on 'Rotate!' players shift clockwise and a new pair plays a different scene. After all four scenes initiate, the game cycles back, continuing each scene.

Two players perform exactly four lines to establish who, what, where, and game, one more beat than Three-Line Scene for the ending.

Each player, alone, takes a fresh thème from the arbiter and performs a 30-second solo improv before the buzzer.

A scene is replayed in the style of a film, literary, or TV genre (film noir, Shakespeare, sitcom, telenovela, horror).

Players start a scene; audience or host shouts a genre mid-scene and players shift style instantly while keeping story going.

Rock-paper-scissors scaled to teams, two lines face off, each secretly picks giant/wizard/elf, then act out the character and chase the loser.

Scene or expert interview played entirely in nonsense syllables; a partner or group responds as if gibberish communicates real information. Often paired with a translator.

One performer lectures or answers questions as an expert on an audience topic, speaking only in gibberish; a second performer translates each line into English.

Circle; one player mimes handing a gift-box to the next with no words; the receiver endows the gift ('a toaster!') and thanks the giver.

A host interviews three experts on an audience topic. Expert 1 gives good advice, Expert 2 gives bad advice, Expert 3 gives the worst advice imaginable.

Three improvisers take turns directing scenes; after each scene, the audience gives a banana to the best director, most bananas wins.

Keith Johnstone competitive format: 3 experienced players rotate as director while the other two perform; audience votes 'Banana!' for good direction, 'Forfeit!' for bad. Points go to directors, not actors.

Two performers pitch a fictional CD compilation on an audience topic, introducing 3-4 song titles that other performers then sing in the named style.

Group tries to count aloud from 1 to 20 in random order, two voices overlap and the count restarts from 1.

Players enter a space one at a time, each adding one specific environmental element (a tree, a cash register, a bus stop sign) by physically interacting with it. Group builds a detailed location.

Five players enter space one at a time, first person defines an environment through mimed action, others join and complete the picture.

Group in a circle tells one collective story, one word, one sentence, or one paragraph per player going around.

One player leaves the room; the team takes an obscure job suggestion and must mime clues until the returning player guesses the profession.

Perform a two-minute scene; replay it in one minute, then 30 seconds, then 15, then 7, then 3, dialogue and story must remain recognizable.

Two players work through a pile of assorted hats: each grabs one, invents a quick character or one-line gag inspired by it, drops it, and grabs another, rattling through dozens of bits.

Two players alternate speaking; after each line they narrate an action the other must perform: 'She said, while [tying her shoes].' Partner executes before delivering their own line plus endowment.

A player offers a simple statement (often a brag or observation) and each player around the circle restates it one notch bigger, escalating the same idea step by step.

Four players pair up: one performs the scene with arms hidden, while a second player behind them provides all the arm gestures.

Four chairs arranged as a car. Driver drives; each new hitchhiker enters with a strong character/emotion. All existing passengers adopt the new trait. When the car fills, one exits to make room.

Four performers sing a country-hoedown song about an audience topic, each taking one verse in turn with a shared sung chorus.

Guided physical exercise: players walk through progressively thicker substances, thin air, mist, water, oil, honey, Jell-O, wet cement, hard cement, feeling each with hands, face, whole body.

Players ring a circle; one stands in the center singing a song, and before they run dry someone taps in with a new song triggered by an association from the last one.

Players grab two different people's hands across a circle, then untangle the resulting knot back into a clean circle without ever letting go.

One player enters with a repetitive motion and sound; each subsequent player adds a synchronized motion + sound until a collective 'machine' is built.

Performers play a scene about an innocuous topic but every line must end with a double-entendre punctuated by 'if you know what I mean.'

Once a player takes a position, they can't move, only voice, face, and eyes stay live.

Two players perform a scene using only fully mimed objects and environments, no real props, no narration, dialogue optional.

Four-phase ritualistic opening for a Harold, the team 'invokes' an object as if it were a god (it is, you are, thou art, I am).

Four performers sing a song in Irish-folk style about an audience topic; one line per performer rotating through four four-line verses.

Players stand at 'corners' around a room; one in the middle asks 'kitty wants a corner', on signal, everyone swaps spots and kitty tries to steal one.

Circle game where the person pointed at takes a pose with the two neighbors, forming knight-and-steed, surfer-and-waves, etc.

Circle warm-up: each player must say a word starting with the last letter of the previous player's word. Played at increasing speeds.

One player is the boss; another arrives late and invents an excuse; optionally the audience or other players mime clues behind the boss so the latecomer must improvise a story matching the mimed events.

A player returns late and has to guess three audience-given reasons for their lateness from their teammates' mimed clues.

Dating-show parody: one bachelor/bachelorette asks questions of three dates, each with a hidden quirk assigned by the audience; the questioner must guess all three.

Two performers play a scene using two other performers (often celebrity guests) as physical props, jackets, doors, vehicles, trees.

Scene begins with one player clearly establishing a location through object work before either player speaks; the scene flows from place, not story.

Player picks up an invisible object and describes what it is, what it feels like, and what story it carries, then hands it off to the next player who endows it further.

Group stands in a circle singing 'Love is like a ___', each player fills the blank with a new simile on beat.

One player sings a passionate love ballad about something mundane; second player sings a furious hate song about the same thing.

Circle warm-up, group passes around an imaginary marshmallow that keeps growing, squishing, and changing texture based on player choices.

Two-player status-extremes scene where the servant's sole function is to elevate the master's status; the master embodies entitlement to all space, focus, and comfort.

Keith Johnstone elimination format for up to 20 players: directors select pairs for scenes, audience scores by applause, lowest scorers are cut each round until one winner remains.

Two players count 'One, two, three' and simultaneously say a word. If they match, meld! If not, both players try to converge toward a bridge word on the next count. Continues until they match.

Pairs face each other, one leads in slow movement, the other mirrors; roles swap mid-exercise, then lead dissolves so neither is clearly leading.

One performer delivers a personal monologue; the team then 'mines' it aloud for premises, beats, and game ideas to inspire scenes.

Editing drill, a scene runs until a clear laugh or image lands; an editor must call the edit on that exact beat (the 'button').

Three performers improvise a Motown-style song about an audience-suggested topic (usually a profession), with one lead singer and two backups.

Two performers play a scene but cannot move themselves; audience volunteers stand behind them and physically push, lift, and pose their bodies through the entire scene.

Musical version of Three-Line Scenes, two players sing exactly three lines that establish who, what, and where, then edit.

Movement drill, player wears a featureless neutral mask and performs simple actions, erasing psychological habit and finding pure physical intention.

During a scene, the director calls 'New Choice!' forcing the last line or action to be replaced; may call multiple times in a row on the same moment.

Players freeze in a ninja pose in a circle; on your turn you get one smooth motion to strike a neighbor's hand, and they get one motion to dodge, until one ninja remains.

Each performer in a scene is assigned a fixed number of words per line (one, three, five, and so on); going over the count draws a buzzer.

Players walk through an imaginary museum, each building and manipulating one detailed invisible object for as long as they can sustain it.

Two or more players stand shoulder-to-shoulder and speak the same words simultaneously, following each other syllable-by-syllable, as one composite voice.

Players take a mundane suggestion (making coffee, filing taxes) and perform it as a full operatic aria or duet with soaring stakes.

4-8 players stand in an outward-facing circle; the two audience-facing players perform a scene. On 'Pan Right!' the circle rotates one spot and the new front pair starts a new scene. Returns to each scene continue them where they left off (time having passed).

A host welcomes three guests to a party; each guest has a secret quirk (endowment) and the host must guess all three before the game ends.

Circle warm-up: players face their neighbor and clap in unison, then the receiver turns to the next neighbor and passes the clap. Sped-up versions add direction changes and height variation.

Ensemble opening for a Harold, one player offers a word; others layer associations, building patterns the team will pull from all show.

Two improvisers build a song by establishing a pattern (rhyme scheme, melodic hook, repeated phrase) and then heightening it verse by verse.

Same scene is played over and over, each round with less time than the last (2min, 1min, 30s, 10s, 3s).

One player gives a monologue and stops mid-sentence; points at another player to complete the word or thought; then continues.

One team starts a scene; at the bell, the other team must complete it with the same story and characters.

A performer delivers a confident expert presentation to a slide deck they have never seen, improvising commentary as each random, unrelated slide advances behind them.

One player mimes giving a wrapped gift of specific size/weight; partner receives, opens with physical commitment, and names what's inside. Giver accepts whatever name is revealed.

One player leaves the room; audience picks a famous/historical figure; the player returns and holds a press conference while reporters ask questions that hint at the identity.

Two pairs are each given an unusual foam/inflatable object and alternate inventing rapid-fire visual gags reinterpreting it as something else.

A circle warm-up where players pass a screeching 'pterodactyl' call to a neighbor while covering their teeth with their lips; anyone who shows teeth or laughs is out.

Two players perform a scene in which every line of dialogue must be phrased as a question; a player who makes a statement is buzzed out and replaced.

Two perform a scene; whenever the host yells 'New Choice!' (or rings a bell), the last line or action must be immediately replaced with a different one.

Two players freestyle a rap battle over a live beat, verses must rhyme, insult the opponent, and build over rounds.

Clown drill, player puts on a red nose and tries to share a failure, discovery, or vulnerability with the audience in real time.

Play a full scene in 60 seconds, then redo it in 30, then 15, then 5, then 3, stripping away everything but the joke's bones.

Scene begins with the first line establishing who the two players are to each other, 'Dad, I'm home', and builds from relationship out.

Two players perform a scene entirely in rhyming couplets: one player delivers a line; the partner completes the rhyme; then partner offers a new line for the first to rhyme.

Dialogue must rhyme, each line's last word rhymes with the previous player's last word.

Circle warm-up: a player raises both arms as 'sword,' yells, and chops toward another player. That player's two neighbors slash across the belly of the attacker; the attacked player then becomes the attacker.

No words, only onomatopoeia, gromelot, and sounds. Full physical storytelling.

One player must answer every question with the single word 'sausages' while keeping a completely straight face, as the rest of the group asks sillier and sillier questions trying to make them laugh.

A scene is performed, then replayed under an audience-chosen modifier (emotion, genre, location, era, speed). Dialogue typically remains constant; context shifts.

Host reads audience-submitted scene titles from a hat; players jump in and perform 3-5 second takes until the host buzzes them off.

Two players establish a full scene, who, what, where, and game, using no more than seven words total.

Player creates a gesture plus sound; next player in the circle repeats it exactly, then transforms it into their own version and passes on.

Three performers lie on the floor and play a scene; an overhead camera projects the action as if they were standing upright.

Three-person scene where at all times one player must be standing, one sitting, and one leaning (or lying); any change forces others to reposition.

One player is a slide-show presenter (jungle trip, construction project, vacation); other players pose as each new 'slide' as the presenter narrates.

Two or more players mime an activity in slow motion on stage while two off-stage commentators describe the action in rapid-fire sports-broadcast style.

Performance variant of the Samurai warm-up: players mime a samurai battle in extreme slow motion, complete with slow-motion yells and exaggerated sword-swings.

One performer improvises a song to or about a specific audience member in an audience-chosen musical style.

Two players run a scene where every line of dialogue must be the title of a real song.

Two performers act a scene but cannot make any sounds other than dialogue; one or more off-stage performers provide all sound effects live.

Player 1 mimes a solo activity; on 'Freeze,' Player 2 enters and starts a scene; P3 and P4 layer on the same way; then scenes unwind in reverse order back to P1.

Two concentric circles of players; inner facing outer. Each outer-inner pair has 60 seconds to improvise a short date with one character quirk; on the bell, outer circle rotates.

Circle reflex game: a player in the center points and shouts 'Splat!' at someone, who must duck while the two neighbors splat each other; the slowest reactor is out.

Two scenes run on stage simultaneously; the group passes focus back and forth with give-and-take, each scene informs the other.

Four-player scene, one must always be standing, one sitting, one kneeling, one lying; any posture change forces the others to adjust.

Each player wears a playing card on their forehead without seeing it (two is low, King and Ace high); everyone treats everyone else by their visible card, then lines up by perceived status.

Two players run a scene where status is treated like a see-saw: every time one raises their status the other must drop theirs, and the balance keeps tipping line by line.

Two players play a scene establishing a high/low status relationship; a signal or turning point causes statuses to flip, and players must maintain the scene while inverting physical/vocal signals.

Players build a complete story by filling a fixed scaffold of opening phrases (Once upon a time, Every day, But one day, Because of that, Until finally) so each slot supplies the next beat of a narrative arc.

Players stand in a line; a conductor/MC points to one at a time to continue a story. Hesitation, bad grammar, or losing the thread triggers the audience to yell 'Die!' eliminating the player.

One player narrates a story while another player, standing behind with arms through, provides all the hand gestures for the narrator's world.

Team stretches physically while one-by-one sharing something real from the week, a fight, a win, a worry, to seed scene material.

Short scene played once, then replayed in audience-suggested style, Impro Australia's core Theatresports challenge.

A superhero (audience-named) faces a crisis. They call for sidekicks one at a time; each sidekick's superhero name is given by the previous player. The crisis escalates as the team grows.

Drill, players are forbidden from making jokes or changing subject; they must sustain one emotion or beat as long as the coach allows.

Two-plus players play a scene; whenever the MC yells 'Switch!' the last word, phrase, action, or character assignment must swap to something different.

Two players run a scene; other players tag in rapidly, often 6-10 tags in 90 seconds, each extending or flipping the previous beat.

One player sings a real song in a circle; when something inspires another player, they tag in and start a new song connected to the last.

Each verse ends with the same repeated tagline; the joke is how far the verses can drift and still land the tag.

A driver picks up sequential passengers, each with a strong distinct personality; the driver shifts with each passenger and reverts to their original self when alone.

Group roleplays an advertising agency pitching a product. Each idea proposed is met with 'Yes, and!' and built higher until the pitch reaches absurd peaks.

Clown solo, player enters, fails at something simple in front of the room, then 'flops' (collapses in defeat) and looks at the audience.

Two players each wear a hat and try to snatch the other's hat while keeping their own on, all inside a justified scene rather than a naked grab.

Two players interrogate a third about a bizarre or specific crime (audience-suggested); the suspect must build a defense on the fly while interrogators invent evidence.

One player enters with a repetitive motion and sound; each subsequent player adds a linked motion-sound until a full kinetic sculpture is running.

Three players sit shoulder-to-shoulder as a single multi-headed expert; an interviewer asks questions and the three players must answer by speaking one word at a time in sequence.

Two players initiate a scene and cut it off after exactly three lines of dialogue total, aiming to establish who/what/where/emotion as fast as possible.

Two players perform a scene where each line of dialogue must be exactly three words long. Violations pass the scene to a waiting pair.

One player speaks only gibberish; another translates line-by-line into English. Often deployed as an expert interview, lecture, poem recital, or diplomatic speech.

Arbiter reads a synopsis and critic's review from an actual TV listings magazine; teams must play the film described.

One performer in a scene is restricted to just two short phrases, which must serve as every line and be made to fit each new situation through delivery alone.

A narrator mimes typing at a typewriter, reading the story aloud; other players enact what's written. Narrator can introduce characters, twists, flashbacks, or even 'rip pages' to reset.

Group walks through the playing space at a neutral pace; coach side-coaches shifts, speed, weight, age, emotion, status, and players embody each.

Players walk the room in a neutral gait. A coach calls out prompts, walk as someone late, walk as someone in love, walk on the moon, and players shift without stopping.

Four-person news broadcast: one straight anchor delivers a top story while co-anchor, sports, and weather each have an audience-assigned quirk.

Circle passes an energy ball saying 'whoosh' in the direction of passing; 'whoa' bounces it back; extra words add rules and obstacles.

Two players perform a scene but each spoken sentence is built one word at a time, alternating between them. Forces radical listening and commitment to the group mind.

Group stands in a circle and tells a single continuous story one word at a time, rotating in order. No skipping, no stalling, punctuation implied.

Circle warm-up: players pass an imaginary ball across the circle while saying an associated word to the receiver; receiver associates again and passes to a new player.

Players line up and step forward one at a time to perform the 'world's worst' example of an audience-suggested role, job, or activity.

Ensemble warm-up: one player proposes 'Let's [do something]' and starts doing it; the entire group shouts 'Yes, let's!' and joins in. Continues until everyone contributes a proposal.

Arbiter 'zaps' between simultaneous scenes on different TV channels; players must freeze until their channel is selected.

Circle warm-up: players clap and point at another player while shouting 'Zip!'; the receiver passes 'Zap!'; the next 'Zop!' Errors eliminate or just reset the count.