Blind Line
1988-present ยท UK / US
Also known as Lines, Lines from a Hat, Blind Lines, Newspaper
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.
Known for
- A Whose Line staple on both the UK and US versions, distinct from Scenes from a Hat (titles) because the slips are full lines of dialogue dropped into a real scene.
- The comedy lives in the justification, as a wildly out-of-context line has to be made to fit the moment.
- Called 'Newspaper' or 'Lines' in some troupes when the slips are pulled from a prop rather than the floor.
- Trains commitment and instant context-building, since the performer cannot pre-read the line for sense.
Connected to
Troupes
whose line
Concepts