Freeze: two-three players improv a scene, when someone sees an interesting movement they yell “freeze!” The two players hold their body positions person who called freeze takes one of their places starting a new unrelated scene based on those body positions.
Change: (VIDEO LINK) Players act out a scene, one person is off to the side as the “changer” and when the actors say something that the changer says “change” and the actor must change what he/she has just said to something completely different. For example “I like the shoes you’re wearing today” CHANGE “you shoes, they bring out your eyes” CHANGE “you know those were made with child labour right?”
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Get advice from 3 characters, audience asks questions and receive good, bad and ugly advice. This game is not just about coming up with advice, it’s about building a character who would give that advice.
Three-Headed Professor: Three players sit on the stage and answer questions as one three-headed professor, each delivering one word at a time but acting as one person.
Chicken Fight: Players stand in a circle, two people enter the center and act like chickens – first one to laugh is out.
Questions: Actors play out a scene by asking only questions.
Superheroes: (VIDEO LINK) Players act out a scene where each of them has a super power. The first player introduces a problem that must be solved and calls for one of his super hero friends to help. When they arrive on the scene, he gives them a superhero name that indicates their power. “I’m so glad you’re here, only talks in rhyme girl”, or “Only you can solve this crisis, ‘Can’t get a date man’”
Weird News Anchors: (VIDEO LINK) Players act out a mock news show where they have different character straights. One person plays the “straight man”, a regular news anchor - - everyone else has a quirk. Sports anchors, health specialists, weather man/woman, co-anchor usually make up the team.
Party Quirks: (VIDEO LINK) Three players are giving personas they must be during a party. The party thrower returns and begins the party. Players enter at different times, and at the end of the scene the party thrower must guess who they are.
Props: Two groups of two take the stage and each receives a prop. They must use the prop in creative ways to create different objects. The prop can be anything - - except what it actually is.
Pocket Lines: Lines are written by the audience on small pieces of paper before the show. Players comes up to do the scene, they put a few lines in their pocket without looking at them. At random times they must pull a line from their pocket, read it, and make the scene continue.
Scenes from a Hat: Everyone writes suggestions for scenes; they are put into a hat and pulled out and for one, two or three players to act out.
High Status, Low Status: One player acts out high status (rich, tall, powerful), another acts low status (low paying job, in debt etc…) using body movements to also convey their status. Host may call for them to switch roles!
Sit, Stand, Lean: Players act a scene, and at any point, one person must be sitting, another standing and the last leaning. Players must pay attention to their fellow actors and make the transitions look natural.
Murder Wink: A ‘murderer’ is chosen in secret, everyone sits in a circle. If the murderer winks at you, you die a grueling death. A ‘detective’ watches the circle in hopes of guessing who the murderer is.
Knights, Horses, Cavaliers: This game is freaking impossible to explain in text.
Circle of Truth: Sitting in a circle, everyone speaks a truth. Truths do not leave the circle. This game is often played as part of main production warm-ups.
Human Knot: All players go to the middle and find hands to hold. Once everyone is tangled up, players have to unknot the mess until everyone is in a circle, holding hands. Everyone hates this game, so we only ever play it once per year.
Pass the Clap: Go around the circle passing the clap to the right or left, once it flows smoothly, allow players to be able to pass back.
Energyball: Use the energy ball to create something that can be “sent” over to another player (baseball bat & ball, slingshot, paper airplane etc). The player it is sent to must react and then send it to someone else.
Let's Make a Date (Love Bachelor...ette): (VIDEO LINK) Players act out a dating show with different traits for the candidates.
