Master-Servant
1970s-present
Also known as Masters and Servants, King Game, Royal Status
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.
Known for
- Core Johnstone exercise; taught as a centerpiece of his 10-day workshops.
- Variant 'King Game': a high-status ruler on a throne; servants enter one at a time; failure to please results in a dismissive finger-snap and stage 'death.'
- Teaches that physical space is a status signal — who moves for whom.
- Patti Stiles (Johnstone collaborator) has extensive essays on Master-Servant work.
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Referenced by
Games