Improv Exercises (Drama)

Interrogation: The “criminal” has to guess their location, accomplice, and crime based on the clues that the
“interrogators” give.
● Begin by sending one person out of the room, or offstage to the “soundproof” booth (which could
be the person standing with their hands over their ears). This is the Guesser/Criminal.
● While the Guesser/Criminal is “offstage,” set a chair in the middle of the stage and get three
suggestions from the audience: a location, a celebrity accomplice, and a crime (i.e. a pet peeve).
● Repeat back the three suggestions to make sure that everyone (including the audience) is on the
same page, then invite the Guesser back to the stage.
● The Interrogators then try to get the Guesser to confess their crime by giving them clues
(beginning with Location).
● The key to this game is that everyone needs to speak in assumptive statements or the game
doesn’t go anywhere. Questions like “where were you?” and “what did I do?” don’t help. If the
location is “dentist’s office”, then clues like “you can’t handle the tooth!” will help the Guesser figure
out what’s going on, while statements from the Guesser like “Stop drilling me!” will let the
Interrogators know they’re on the right track.
● Once the Guesser knows what the location is, they say it aloud. (“Alright, alright! You got me! I was
at the dentist’s office!”) The Interrogators then move on to clues for Celebrity Accomplice.
● Once Celebrity Accomplice is guessed, move on to the Crime.
● Finally, the Guesser sums up all three: “I picked my nose at the dentist’s office with Beyoncé!”
● Actor Switch -
○ Three actors are given a situation and a character from the audience. They start a scene.
○ At some point during the scene you call out SWITCH! The three actors now have to switch characters.
That means they have to really listen to each other and be aware of who the other characters are so they
can pick up another character at any moment.
○ Remind students: The aim is to keep striving for a complete cohesive scene no matter what the situation.
● Sit, Stand, Kneel, Lie Down -

○ Four students come to the front and start a scene. They receive a location and a first line from the class.
○ During the scene, one person must be standing, one must be sitting, one must be kneeling, one must be
lying down.
○ If someone moves from sitting to standing, that means everyone else has to change position.
○ Coach students to work to make the choice truthful in the scene. What’s a good reason for someone to lie
down? Coach them to work together to make the scene coherent.
● Hitchhiker -
○ This is a scene with three actors and three chairs.
○ The scene starts out with a driver and a passenger. They start their conversation. In the middle of their
conversation, the hitchhiker approaches. The hitchhiker has to have a defined physicality, character, and
vocal quality.
○ As soon as the hitchhiker gets in the car, everyone in the car takes on the hitchhiker’s character. Keep in
mind, the scene still has to continue. It’s not just about being a funny character; there has to be a
conversation. They have to work together.
○ After a moment, the driver comes up with a reason to leave the car and everyone slides over, returning to
a neutral character. Then a new hitchhiker approaches with a different physicality, character, and vocal
quality. Cycle through your class so that everyone has the opportunity to play.
Semester 2: Who Am I?
● Two actors go on stage. One actor in the scene will secretly decide what character they will play without
telling the other actor or audience.
○ For example, one might play a traffic cop arresting you. Or a babysitter looking after you, the
child.
● By observing and listening to how your partner acts toward you, you must guess who that person is and
try to respond accordingly.
Semester 1: FREEZE Improvisation Game –

1. Two people start an improvisation scene by coming up with a scenario of “WHO, WHAT, and WHERE.”
2. After a few exchanges of dialogue and allowing the plot to develop, the instructor calls out “Freeze.” The
players must immediately freeze in their current gesture and positions.
3. The next audience member replaces one of the players and assumes that player’s exact position.
4. The instructor then reads out an entirely new scene (who, what, where...see examples below. Have the
situations written on cards that can be handed to the students before the activity starts.) starting in that
position. This scene continues until another player says “Freeze” and replaces a player.
5. Allow each scenario to take about 30 seconds - 1 minute.
6. Every student in the class needs to take a turn and participate. Have the students go in order of where they are
sitting, so the students know who needs to “freeze” next.
1. Variation- Teacher calls out 2 new students to replace the existing actors, to act out a totally different
scenario. This takes less time to have 2 new students go up, rather than 1 at a time.
7. Encourage to use the rules of improv/principles of acceptance “Yes, and…”, to look outward to your partner, and
to be observant.
8. Instructor calls out sample situations:
1. A nervous paper girl is trying to get payment from a customer who just woke up and refuses to pay
because the newspapers are thrown and found on the roof.
2. Two siblings are clearing the table and a fast working sibling wants to get this done so that friends can
come over. The slow moving sibling wants to take time to avoid do homework.
3. Two friends at a restaurant having a meal: One is a well bred person with refined manners who wants a
nice dinner with a friend. The other is an uncultured slob who wants a quick meal while playing a video
game.
4. Two friends trying to decide what movie to see at the ticket window. Both want to please their friend, but
one wants to see an adventure movie and the other wants to see a certain mystery movie.
5. Two friends at a park training to be run in an upcoming marathon. One loves the sun and wants a tan. But
the other loves the shade and is afraid of ultraviolet rays.
6. A student misbehaves and gets thrown out of class.
7. While on restriction, teenagers try to sneak out.
8. Bank employees get caught in the safe.
9. An airplane has engine problems.
10. First day working at McDonalds.
11. Inexperienced waiters in a fancy restaurant.
12. Kids planning to run away from home.
13. Elderly people go birdwatching.
14. Rookie firefighters go out on their first alarm.
15. College students on an ocean liner cruise.
16. Robbers breaking into a safe in a bank.
17. Escaped prisoners stop for gas. The station attendant is very old and slow.
18. Passengers on an airplane discover they are sitting next to a movie star or some other famous person.
19. Students in a science lab trying to discover new formulas.
20. Passenger in a speeding car is stopped by the police.
21. Teenager sneaks into the house at 2:00 a.m., they were suppose to be home at 11:00 pm.
22. An elevator gets stuck. Characters react in different ways: claustrophobia, impatience, heart attack.
23. Kids are playing outside when one falls and breaks an arm. The other must decide how to help.
24. Two people discover they are going to the homecoming dance with the same person.
25. Family members in a car are having an argument, and then the car runs out of gas in the middle of
nowhere.
26. A customer wants a simple haircut (or pair of shoes), but the hairdresser (clerk) wants to give him/her the
latest fashion.
27. Kid brings home a new and very unusual pet, but their parent doesn’t want them to keep it.
28. A customer tries to return a defective item. The clerk refuses to believe that anything is wrong.
29. A child tries to make friends with a bad-tempered elderly person in a park.
30. Astronauts on a trip to Mars discover they haven’t enough fuel to get home.
31. A family in a hurry to pack and leave for vacation.

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Interrogation: The “criminal” has to guess their location, accomplice, and crime based on the clues that the

● Sit, Stand, Kneel, Lie Down -

Semester 1: FREEZE Improvisation Game –

8. Instructor calls out sample situations:

because the newspapers are thrown and found on the roof.

the other loves the shade and is afraid of ultraviolet rays.

6. A student misbehaves and gets thrown out of class.

7. While on restriction, teenagers try to sneak out.

8. Bank employees get caught in the safe.

9. An airplane has engine problems.

10. First day working at McDonalds.

11. Inexperienced waiters in a fancy restaurant.

12. Kids planning to run away from home.

13. Elderly people go birdwatching.

14. Rookie firefighters go out on their first alarm.

15. College students on an ocean liner cruise.

16. Robbers breaking into a safe in a bank.

19. Students in a science lab trying to discover new formulas.

20. Passenger in a speeding car is stopped by the police.

31. A family in a hurry to pack and leave for vacation.

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