Improvisational theater

This is a collection of improv games I tested during workshops and company stand-ups with a wide range of people (different ages, cultures, backgrounds, etc.). I also talk about why I think improv is a great tool to use in a workshop.

Table of contents:

• My Improv background
• Improv warm-up games as ice-breaker and team-building tool
• Power of improv

• Improv games

  • Name/get to know each other games
  • Warm-up
  • Moving energy around
  • Games for only two people
  • Games involving some movement/jumping
  • Online/remote compatible
• Links

My Improv background

A few years ago I was part of an improvisational theatre group. At the beginning of our weekly improv practice session, we played warm-up games to brush off thoughts about work, family, etc. and to get a clear, uncluttered mind.

Improv warm-up games as ice-breaker and team-building tool

While playing improv I started my role as CTO of a tech-startup. To spice up our daily standup meetings, I took improv games. Some co-workers were hesitant at first, but after a few sessions, everyone was having fun and were looking forward to each daily standup meeting. Quickly co-workers from other departments noticed us having fun and asked to join our pre-standup games.

I also used improv games during workshops and trainings to get people to open up and to get to know each other.

Power of improv

• You get to be director and actor all in one!
• You get to just shout out what you’re thinking.
• You become amazed by what you are capable of coming up with!

Improv games

A selection of improv games I used with non-improv-people, split-up into categories. I also added some explanations and variations.

Name/get to know each other games

• Zombie name game: Form circle. One person is the zombie in the middle and slowly moves towards a random person. The person which is “attacked” has to make eye-contact with another person who then shouts out a different name to force the zombie to move there.

  Alternative: The person to whom the zombie walks to can also call out another name.

• Present other: Choose a partner, share facts about yourself for 1 minute, then present the other person.
• All at once: Stand in a circle and ask all people to choose the person diagonal of them as partner. When you say go everyone tries to find out as much as they can of the person opposite of them. It will get very loud! Then you present the other person. The person being presented is not allowed to correct while the other is speaking. Only when the person is finished she is asked whether everything was right and she can correct mistakes.
• 10 Fingers: Ask yes/no questions in the group. However can’t say yes, looses a finger. Person with one finger left wins. E.g. “I have a cat”
• Accepting Circle: Move one gesture + sound around in the circle

• Memorize names + gesture: In circle, repeat all mentioned names with their gesture and add your own. It’s a difficult memorization exercise for the last person in the circle. 😉

  • Variation: Person makes gesture and others guess their quality.
  • Variation: Action Syllables - different movement for every syllable in name
  • Variation: Name + quality with gesture - e.g. “I’m Tom and I am a quick thinker”.
• Blob: ?
• Concentration: A game where you tap your thigs, clap and snip your fingers.

Warm-up

• Eights (also called Crazy Chicken/Shake down): Shake arms and legs 8 times, 7 times, 6 times, … until we reach 1 and jump into the air and shout “EIGHTS!” (or another word you pick as a group).
• Zen Counting (Digits/No Doubles/Count up): Form a circle, heads down, eyes closed and count up to 20, one person naming a number, one-by-one. If two people say a number at the same time we have to start at zero again.
• Oh yeah! / Yes, let’s!: “Let’s all do jumping jacks” - “Oh yeah!”, “Let’s all touch our cheeks” - “Oh yeah!” - “Oh yeah!”, “Let’s all look at our thumbs with awe” - “Oh yeah!”
• Die - not today: “Die - not today”, “This is a big bowl of spaghetti - oh thank you”, “Hawk - to me hawk”

• Count without the 3 (Fuzzy Ducky): In a circle, count up to 40 person by person, but instead of every multiple of 3 or where a 3 is part of the number, that person just claps.

  Alternative: Also replace the 7 and multiples of 7.

• Smart Fellas: “one smart fella HE felt smart.”, if its NOT multiple of 3 or with a 3 in it: “two smart fellas THEY felt smart.”, if it’s a multiple of 3 or with a 3 in it: “3 smart fellas THEY ALL felt smart” …after last one all together say “and they all felt smart together”.
• Blink (no language): Form circle with two rows. Each person has a person standing behind them. One standing person has no one sitting in front of them. This person blinks to another sitting person which has to run to the empty chair. The person standing behind her has to try to stop her from getting to the other spot.
• Ha Soh Kah: Put index and middle finger together horizontally on your forehead and says “Ha”. The next player (left or right - where fingers of first player point to) puts index and middle finger near chin and says “Ha”. Last person says “Kah”, pointing to another player with both hands. If someone makes a mistake they are out “Ha Soh Kah - you’re out!“.
• You - remembering patterns: Everyone in a circle. Everyone raises their right hand. Point to person in circle and continue. Remember pattern (order) of people and repeat. Then switch places in the circle. Repeat the pattern. Close your eyes, and repeat the pattern. Now this is repeated with favorite animal/food …
• Rock-Paper-Scissors EXTREME: Two people play rock paper scissors. The person who loses begins to be the Cheerleader of the winner. Until there’s a final winner, people will cheer the winner!
• Look on shoes and into eyes: Look down and look on someone’s shoes secretly. Then quickly look that person in the eyes. If two peoples eyes meet, you both scream and you are out until they’re only two people left.

Moving energy around

• Moving clap with increasing intensity: Move clap around in circle, gradually getting louder and faster…
• Exaggeration Circle: Moving little sound or gesture with increasing intensity
• Ha-ha-haya: Look at a person and say “Ha” (move both arms to front), the receiving person says “Ha” and moves both their arms up, then the persons to the left and right of the receiving person say “Haya” while moving their arms like swords towards the belly of the receiving person. Than the receiver makes a new “Ha” towards another person. Whoever makes an error is out for this round. The last two get into a duel to shoot.

• Zip-Zap-Boing:

  • Zip: Right
  • Zap: Left
  • Boing: Mirror/Block

  Extra moves:

  • Zoom: Send diagonal
  • Katching: Everyone switches position in circle
  • Whoosh: Different sounds: Whoosh goes left or right, Woo change direction, Zap goes diagonal to any person you point to.
• Synchro clap: Stand in a circle. Look another person (not one directly next to you) into the eyes. You have to clap simultaneously - you can also clap back to the same person.
• Beat/Rhythm detective: One person has to leave the room. Group decides who the beat leader is and all people copy the beat of the leader. Person comes back in. Everyone does the beat as the beat leader who changes the beat frequently to give the detective a chance to figure out who the leader is.

• Whisky Mixer:

  • clockwise: Whisky Mixer
  • counterclockwise: Mister Whisker (German: Wax Maske)
  • diagonal or change direction: Max Mutzke (or Misty Vista)
  • Word alternative: viscous mixture

  Only rule: You’re not allowed to laugh. If you do, you have to run a lap around the circle.

• Hand Slap: All players in a circle, down on the floor. Cross arms, and then put hands flat on the ground. Each hand in turn pats/slaps the ground, in order. Hands that miss are eliminated.
• Association circle: State an association with the word of the person before your turn mentioned.

Games for only two people

• Count till three: Gradually replace numbers by other words
• Clap - Hands - Clap - Hands: Hands move either up, down or to the sides. Don’t move hands in same direction!
• Remote Control: One player makes sound, the other player makes movement according to sound.

Games involving some movement/jumping

Walking around in the room

• Stop and Go: Walk around in room. When you say stop, people stop, when you say go, people go. If people stop when you say go a second time, they are out. Trick people by saying stop or go multiple times.

  • Variation: Instead of saying go, you clap.
• Number of people walking: All people walk around. One playmaster says a number. Exactly that number of people have to continue to walk. All other people have to stop walking. Playmaster will change the number frequently.
• Greetings: Walk around in room and greet people you meet. Make variations of how people should greet each other. E.g. ex-lover, someone with bad breath, secret crush, someone you really hate, someone who sold you a crapy car.
• Ninja: Take turns in trying to tap people via you and the other person being allowed to make one movement of any kind. If you are tapped, you lose one arm (which you keep behind your back). If you lose both arms, you’re out.
• Bunny bunny, tuki, tuki: Hands open and close before eyes with “Bunny, bunny” and people move right-left with “tuki, tuki”.
• Dance, dance, dance: Music changes every 20-30 seconds and another person is the dance leader. Others mimic the cheerleader’s dance moves.
• Group cutlery: Form scissors, knife, spoon etc. on floor.

Online/remote compatible

• Zen Counting, Eights, Beat/Rhythm detective, Memorize names + gesture, Oh yeah! / Yes, let’s!, 10 Fingers

• Kamehameha: Facilitator sends “energy blasts” out of her hands to different sides of the screen: LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, CENTER. The group dodges the blasts by moving in the opposite direction of where the blast is pointed. Blast left → dodge right, etc. Up requires ducking, down requires jumping, and center can be any direction.

  An optional point system could be included to tally successful dodges and/or hits.

  Taken from here.

Links

• Encyclopedia of improv games
• An article about remote games.