The Exercises

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Feel free to browse the list, or click below to go to a particular exercise!

Yes, And Here Comes Charlie Exits Scene with an Attitude Tableau Props Levels/Status Denial Mirror Exercise Sound and Motion Evolving Sound and Motion Machine Beep Circle Tongue-Twisters Counting Open the Box Walks Motivation Ages Human Knot Positions Freeze and Justify What’re You Doing Yes Walking Around Animal Walks Bombardment Practice Styles I Really Hate You Because/I Really Love You Because Ed Golden Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something Quirk Four Through the Door Status Fortune Cookie Eight Through the Door Name Three 1 Person Firing Line Topic Firing Line Big Wind Blows 3-Sentence Scene Protector/Predator Tag-Out Gang-Up Character Interview Clapping Name Game Follow the Leader Character Development Through Walks Categories Hitchhiker Jester/Lord Add-On Game Explosion Job Interview Physicalization Scenes Scenes on a Theme Cocktail Party Crazy/Straight Scenes Motivation Scenes Wake Hot Spot

 

  

 

Description

Here you would find a description of an exercise, if you weren't too lazy to click on one of them. Kids these days...no sense of duty!

  

 

Ratings

Character - how defined does the character need to be?

Plot - how plot intensive is it?

Timing - does it require good timing?

Mime - how much can i speak?

Group Mind - how well do I have to know you?

For a more detailed explanation of "The Ratings Games" go here!

 

  
 

Yes, And

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     "Yes, and..." must be first thing said by each actor in the scene. No questions and no yeah buts, get a location or a relationship.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Here Comes Charlie

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     Two-three people waiting for Charlie, they describe different traits he has, actor then comes in as Charlie and has to display those traits.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Exits

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     3-5 different characters portrayed by the same actor come into scene with other two actors and they must justify his leaving.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Scene with an Attitude

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     Each actor gets an attitude for the scene like “Everyone’s out to get me”, “Everybody’s beautiful”, etc.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Tableau

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     Group of between 4-8 act out silently different locations.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Props

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     Funny uses with props. Duh.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Levels/Status

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     Either two person scene, where have eventual change in each person from high to low status, or the whole troupe mingling around in a party as either high or low status and then have everyone switch, in these games, everyone should act to the extreme, in all scenes, someone should be high and the other person low status.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Denial

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     Reverse of "Yes, and" to demonstrate how bad it is.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Mirror Exercise

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     One actor mimes another.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Sound and Motion

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One actor makes a sound and motion, and the other actors mimic his exact sounds and motions.

    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Evolving Sound and Motion

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     Same as above, only each actor adds a new sound and motion    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Machine

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     One actor pretends to be a machine, and the other interacts with him.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Beep Circle

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Actors pass a "beep" around the circle and affect its path by adding modifiers.

    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Tongue-Twisters

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     'Nuff said.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Counting

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     Actors must count off, but only one number per person, in random order, and if two people talk at once, count starts over.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Open the Box

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     What’s in the box? Shake it, roll it up in a ball, eat it. Basically a free-form mime exercise.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Walks

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     Lead with different parts of your body, and see what kind of character springs from that kind of walk.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Motivation

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     Give each actor a motivation for a scene and play it out.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Ages

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     Actors portray different ages and focus on how that affects their bodies.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Human Knot

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     Exactly what it says it is!    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Positions

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     One person gets in weird physical position, the other comes around and looks at them, and says why you’re doing such and such, the other person accepts and does that out of his position.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Freeze and Justify

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     Same as positions, only with two or three actors who both get into position and then justify the position.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

What’re You Doing

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     One actor asks another what he/she is doing, then proceeds to mime what the actor replies.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Yes

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All troupe members in a circle. One person starts by pointing at another, they start walking towards that person when they say yes. The next person must then point at someone, hear yes from that person, and start walking before the first person arrives at their spot. Also done with the word go or with people's names as an icebreaker (say your name to the next person and they repeat your name to let you go).

    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Walking Around

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     It gets cold, shovel snow, pick up paintings falling, see a person you know, gets actors to physicalize space.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Animal Walks

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     Turn it into a human, then person interrogates that human-type animal    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Bombardment

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     One person is in the center, each person around the circle thinks up of a relationship to that person and/or something that they want from that person, the director then taps random people to go in and bombard that person, and then tags new people to go in and the old person leaves.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Practice Styles

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     Go over cliches and typical things in different literary styles, movie styles, TV styles, emotions, etc. To help, i.e. for Shakespeare, Moliere, etc., bring in plays for illustrative examples.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

I Really Hate You Because/I Really Love You Because

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     Actors take turns explaining to each other why.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Ed Golden

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     Motivational improv, one person comes in and has to get the other person to do something, one person is packing and the other person has to stop them from leaving, acting is doing.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something

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     Game where each line must be accompanied by a physical action.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Quirk

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     Scenes with characters defined by a physical quirk.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Four Through the Door

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     Someone leads, every improver comes up to them, they are at an information desk, as a different character, and for each round can have a different style of character (i.e. ethnic or energetic).    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Status

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     One person must be dominant, the other subservient in every scene.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Fortune Cookie

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     Read a fortune cookie saying, do a scene about it.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Eight Through the Door

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     Everyone do a character like Four Through the Door, second time through, people imitate the characters of the people in back of them.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Name Three

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     Name three-five things associated with a place, three-five things not associated with a place.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

1 Person Firing Line

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     Everyone takes turn asking one person the most inane questions and they answer them quickly and seriously.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Topic Firing Line

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     Name five things in a topic really quickly as before others pass the ball around.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Big Wind Blows

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     Someone in center says big wind blows for everyone wearing socks, everyone who is wearing socks must run from their place and find a new place, someone is then stuck in the middle again.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

3-Sentence Scene

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     Actors take turns doing scenes with just three sentences. Other rules are that you can't ask questions, each statement must be said with emotion/attitude, and the first two sentences must acknowledge who the other person is. Optional rule: limit the number of words in each sentence.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Protector/Predator

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Everyone gets around in a circle. In their head they choose one person to be their protector and one person to be their predator. When everyone is ready, someone yells go, and everyone runs around with the objective of always trying to keep their protector in between themselves and their predator.

    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Tag-Out

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     Two people start a scene based on a word. Any other person can yell freeze at any time and tag-out one of the people in the scene. In the new scene the person coming in starts a new scene that extends a theme of the previous scene, the person remaining must keep the essence of their previous character, but doesn't necessarily have to be the same person.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Gang-Up

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Two people start a scene based on a word. Once a relationship/status/conflict has been established, people start coming into the scene taking one of the sides of the relationship, taking the theme to a new level. Example: Bike shop where person is trying to get their bike fixed, rode for a year, but then broke down, think it's the fault of the store owner, next person comes in and says their bike fell apart when they were riding down the street after having just bought it, and the last person comes in and starts testing bikes in the shop that just fall apart.

 

    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 
 

Character Interview

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Have two people walk around and have them think up a character, ask them to think about their background, how they walk, talk, what motivates them etc. Have both of them sit down, start interviewing one of them, then switch to the other person and ask them how they know the first person after you ask them a few personal questions. Ask questions back and forth about their relationship and their lives. Second person can modify their character based on what the first person says.

 

    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Clapping Name Game

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Everyone stands in a circle and claps hands. First clap is one hand down to the person to your left and one hand up to the person to the right, second clap is to the side to each person, and third clap is both of your hands together. One person starts off as George. They say George after 3 claps, then the name of someone else after another 3 claps. That person then says their name after 3 claps and then someone else's name after another 3 claps. George always has to be said for the person who's George, not their real name. One someone messes up, they become George. Try to clap faster and faster as you go along.

 

    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 
 

Follow the Leader

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     Just like in kindergarten (isn't that a stupid word? kindergarten...I blame the Dutch).    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Character Development Through Walks

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Have troupe members walk around in different postures until they develop a character. Then devise situation for them to interact in such as in an elevator, a park bench or bus stop - usually done in mime with director calling out instructions and changes to the surroundings. In the news interview version, a news reporter stops people on the street (troupe members who walk back and forth across the stage, changing their walk and character each time across) and asks them their opinion about a news issue.

 

    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Categories

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     All troupe members in a circle slapping their thighs. Each person names a category and each person in the circle must come up with something that fits that category.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Hitchhiker

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     Two people mime driving down the road, eventually they pick up a hitchhiker. The person playing the hitchhiker has a physical and/or verbal personality quirk that the other people in the car must pick up on. Once they do, the driver leaves, and the shot-gun person moves to driver and picks up a new hitchhiker.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Jester/Lord

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     Everyone in the group splits up into pairs. Each pair decides who is the jester and who is the lord. The pair walk around with the lord in front of the jester. The jester must compliment the lord continually while mocking him behind his back, if the lord catches the jester mocking him, he hits him with his cane (rolled up newspaper).    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Add-On Game

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     One person starts by explaining a situation for the group. Each person in the group in turn adds-on to what the person said before, agreeing with what's been said and discussing/amplifying the ideas further.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Explosion

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     Two person scene, people start apart for 30 seconds talking to an object related to the scene with very strong emotions, at the end of 30 seconds the two people face each and vent on each other.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Job Interview

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     Three 90 second scenes. In each scene, one person comes in as a different character interviewing for a job with the same interviewer. Interviewer asks them a series of question delving into their personal and professional life, finally ending off with "So tell me why you want to be an X" where X is something that this person is not qualified to do.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Physicalization Scenes

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     Two person scene, actors do physical actions for location or noun given for 30 seconds before starting the dialogue for the scene.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Scenes on a Theme

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     Everyone in the troupe participates, get a noun or theme, everyone performs in at least one two-person scene based on the theme or noun given. Scenes can be supported and swept to a new scene just like a Harold, but no scenes come back a second time.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Cocktail Party

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     X sets of two people at a cocktail party. Each group gives the next group their theme for the conversation. Each group converses on their theme until another group starts talking and the first group fades out. Eventually each group lets their conversation be affected by the topics of the other groups without actually physically interacting.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Crazy/Straight Scenes

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     Two person scenes where one person is told to act abnormally and the other person acts/re-acts in a normal fashion.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Motivation Scenes

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     Two person scenes where each actor is secretly given their motivation for the scene by the director.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Wake

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     One troupe member pretends to be dead. Each actor in the troupe goes up to the dead body and says their good-byes to that person. Each subsequent person must build upon what the last person said in their good-bye through the eyes of their character.    

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
 

Hot Spot

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Every person in the group plays. One actor steps forward and starts singing a song, another actor steps forward quickly and tags them out to sing a song that the first song made them think of. The key is each person must be tagged out quickly.

   

Character -

Plot -

Timing -

Mime -

Group Mind -

 

  
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