KEY:
- 🎹 indicates that a pianist is required.
- 💻 indicates special audio or lighting requirements.
- Difficulty levels indicate the level of practice usually required to understand or play a game well
- No practice necessary
- Will be better if practiced, but could be done well with little practice
- Some practice is necessary for game to work well
- An intermediate amount of practice is necessary
- Requires large amount of practice and/or solid understanding of the individual game's mechanics
- Difficulty followed by "M" indicates the rating assumes musical improv training, and that the game will be more difficult without musical improv experience.
SCENE-BASED GAMES
Big, Bigger, Biggest
Difficulty: 3
The performers are split into teams of two. The first pair does a short, normal scene. Then the second pair does the scene again, escalating the magnitude of everything in the first scene. It is then done a third time (with a third team or the first again), escalating again.
Blind Line
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Sentences, Actor's Nightmare
Sentences given by the audience are written on slips of paper and scattered on the stage. Throughout the scene, the performers periodically pick up a slip of paper and read the sentence on it, then justify. Do not justify before reading (e.g. "My grandma always said…")
Changing Styles
Difficulty: 1, a.k.a. Genres
For 3 performers. Throughout the scene, the host may call out new genres, given beforehand by audience suggestion, and the players must adapt the story around it.
Chubby Bunny
Difficulty: 1
For 2 performers. The performers try to do a scene that is completely serious and not funny. Every time one of them makes the audience laugh, he must put a marshmallow put in his mouth, and is not allowed to chew or swallow.
Country Hijinks
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Lost in Translation
For 4 performers, split in pairs. The first pair does a scene while the second is outside. Then, the second pair is called back in, and the first repeats the scene exactly, but using gibberish instead of words. The second pair then creates the scene they thought they saw by duplicating the actions and inserting their own dialogue. Physical motions must be preserved between each iteration.
MUSICAL COUNTRY HIJINKS 🎹 - (Difficulty: 2M) Includes a song. The music should be as similar as possible between scene iterations.
Can also be played with 6, with the first repeat performance done by a third pair rather than the first; or if noise-cancelling headphones are available, the second pair can watch the first scene during the first iteration while listening to music that drowns out the dialogue.
A Day in the Life
SHORT VERSION
Difficulty: 3
The host asks the audience for someone who had a particularly eventful day that day or recently, then interviews one person who did, gathering all the basic details of everything that happened from waking to sleeping. The performers recreate that day with embellishments.
LONG VERSION (🎹 optional)
Difficulty: 2M
The host asks a couple who's been on at least three dates up to the stage, and the performers interview them about how they met, taking note of all the basic details and important friends involved. They then recreate that story. Optionally, this can be done in a specific genre and/or with songs.
Dead Bodies
Difficulty: 3
For 3 performers, one of whom is the puppeteer, and an audience member. Starts with one performer and the audience member sitting in chairs acting dead. The premise is a play is happening, but the actors died just before starting time. With no time to replace them, the director puts on the play by himself, puppeteering the actors and moving their mouths. Halfway through the scene, a third actor will enter and also die immediately.
Director
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Lights Camera Action
For 4 performers, one of whom is the Director. The other three are the actors, and perform a short scene. The scene ends when the director says "cut," after which he will give directions to alter the scene based on genres, accents, etc., given by audience suggestion.
Evil Twin
Difficulty: 3
For 4 performers split in two pairs. Two performers, one from each pair, start a scene together. When prompted by the host, the counterpart performer will swap in and say something "evil," then immediately swap back out.
Faster, Faster
Difficulty: 4
Performers do a 1-minute scene, then repeat it in 30, 15, 7.5, and 3.75 seconds.
Film Noir 🎹/💻
Difficulty: 5
Two performers do a scene in the style of noir films, with drama, mystery, and aside narration that can be used to force quirks and behaviors on the other performer. Accompanied by jazz piano or noir jazz music.
Foreign Film Dub
Difficulty: 5
Two performers do a scene in gibberish that sounds like a foreign language given by the audience. Each has an assigned "translator" performer, who translates what was just said after a gibberish line ends.
Foley
Difficulty: 5 (a.k.a. Sound Effects [2-person version])
For two performers. One does a silent scene. The other has a microphone and adds sounds into the scene.
Game-O-Matic
Difficulty: 4
The host gets three letters from the audience. The performers then come up with new improv games that have titles matching the initials. After the performers describe their games, the audience votes on their favorite. The performers then play that game.
Growing Shrinking
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Channel Surfing
For 4 performers. The game starts with one person doing a scene. The host will pause the the scene, at which point the person onstage freezes, and a second person enters and starts a new scene using the frozen position as inspiration. This repeats with a third, then fourth person. After the four-person scene, performers leave the stage with each pause, returning to the previous scenes and ending with the original 1-person scene.
ImprovBroadway+
Difficulty: 5 a.k.a. DVD
For 3 performers. The host has an imaginary remote, which he can call commands from to affect the scene. The buttons are: pause, rewind, change speed, skip scene, foreign language dub, director's commentary, deleted alternate ending, trailer.
Movie Pitch
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. My Movie
The performers are Hollywood pitchmen and the host is a producer. The pitchmen will give movie titles based on initials given by the audience. When the host hears one he likes, the person who came up with it gives a brief synopsis. If he still likes it, the host will ask the performers to act out a scene from the movie. After this, they return to giving movie titles.
MY MUSICAL 🎹- Difficulty: 2M, Performers pitch musicals.
Musical Thoughts 🎹
Difficulty: 4
For 4 performers, two of which are in the scene, and two of which are on the sides to sing. Over the course of the scene, the host will prompt those on the sides, who are each assigned to one person in the scene, to sing the inner thoughts of his counterpart in a very short song.
My Hands are Tied
Difficulty: 1, a.k.a. Helping Hands
For 4 performers. The performers split into pairs, with one person in each pair putting his arms behind his back, and the other sticking his arms through the first person's arms. The first person must do the speaking in the scene, and the second person does all the motions and gesturing.
Naïve Replay
Difficulty: 3
For 3 performers, 2 of whom step outside at the start. The one left onstage does a scene as though the others are there, leaving gaps where they would be doing or saying things. After this, one of the absent performers is brought in, and the scene is redone with the first person exactly repeating the original performance and the second person filling in some of the gaps. The scene is repeated a second time with the third person trying to do the same.
The Nightmare 🎹
Difficulty: 4M
The host asks the audience for a nightmare someone recently had. After getting all the details of the nightmare, the performers reenact it as an opera.
New Choice
Difficulty: 2
For 3 performers. Throughout the scene, the host may call "new choice," at which point the last thing that was said or done must be replaced with something new. The host will call "new choice" again after each new choice until he hears something he likes, at which point the scene will continue.
BUZZERS AND BELLS - The host uses a buzz sound instead of shouting "new choice," and a ding sound when the scene can continue.
Oscar-Winning Moment 🎹/💻
Difficulty: 3
For 3 performers. The performers are acting out a scene from an "Oscar Bait" movie. At any point, the host may call "Oscar-Winning Moment," after which the person who spoke last must deliver an overly dramatic monologue. During this monologue, dramatic music with a singular strong emotion will play, either from the sound system or the pianist, and the performer must match the tone, even if the tone doesn't match the scene.
TONY-WINNING MOMENT - Like Sing It, but with the award-bait premise and tone-matching mechanic from OWM.
Paperback Writer
Difficulty: 5, a.k.a. Novelist, Dime Store Novel
One performer is a writer, reading aloud a story he's writing as he's writing it, while everyone else acts out the story. The writer has a choice to delete and rewrite brief parts of the story as they go along. Actors may speak and try to creatively interpret what the writer says, but must be careful not to contradict what has been "written."
Peanut Gallery
Difficulty: 4, a.k.a. Hecklers, Don't Make Me Heckle
For 4 performers in 2 teams. Both teams are performing the same scene, but only one is doing it at a time. The team not doing the scene heckles the other, trying to make them laugh. If someone in the scene laughs, the teams swap roles.
Pick-a-Text
Difficulty: 2
One performer is allowed to speak normally. All the others must speak only what they read from the messaging app of phones they get from audience volunteers.
PICK-A-LYRIC - (Difficulty: 2) Instead of phones, the performers are each assigned a song and can only speak in lyrics from the song.
Revolver
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Four Square
Four performers stand in a 2x2 grid. Each combination of adjacent performers is a different scene with its own suggestion. Throughout the game, the host will say "rotate" to cycle through the scenes, with the pair in front being the scene currently going. When a scene returns, time has passed.
Revolving Doors
Difficulty: 3, a.k.a. Walkout, Exit Game
Each performer is assigned a trigger word by audience suggestion. Every time a trigger word is said during the scene, the associated performer must exit or enter the scene, being sure to justify the entry or exit.
Rogers and Hammersing 🎹
The host will get the name of a musical, then 3 songs form it. The performers then act out the musical with three songs based on the titles.
Shamilton 🎹
Difficulty: 5M
A short rap opera about a subject or title given by the audience. One performer acts as a narrator who stands on the side of the stage and sets up and transitions between scenes in the opera.
Sing It! 🎹
Difficulty: 1M
During the scene, the host will periodically call "sing it," at which point, the person who spoke last (unless otherwise specified by the host) will sing a song.
BLIND SING IT! - Combination with Blind Line; each song must incorporate a line from a slip of paper.
RAP IT! - Instead of singing, rap.
SING IT LIKE - When "sing it like [name]" is called, the host will also specify an impression the singer must do while singing.
TEXT ME A MUSICAL - Each song is composed entirely of texts from an audience member's messaging app
Sweet Perfection
Difficulty: 4, a.k.a. You Can't Handle This Scene
For 4 performers in 2 teams. Both teams are performing the same scene, but only one is doing it at a time. The team not doing the scene may call "objection!" and tell the host a problem or error with the scene that should be corrected. The host, acting as judge, may sustain or overrule the objection. If sustained, the teams swap roles and the scene continues. If overruled, the scene continues without switching.
Two-Headed Monster
Difficulty: 4
For 4 performers. Two performers become a two-headed monster who must either speak sequentially (each head says every other word) or in unison. Can also be done with two monsters using one of the two rules each.
Two-Line Vocabulary
Difficulty: 3
For 3 performers. Two of the performers are assigned two sentences each, and may only say those sentences during the scene.
Two Rooms
Difficulty: 1
For 4 performers in 2 teams. Each pair does a separate scene, but only one scene is seen onstage at once. At any point, the host may call "switch," at which point the team not onstage switches in and does its scene. Every time this happens, the last line or sentence said by the scene switching out must be the first line said by the team switching in.
Understudy
Difficulty: 4
For 4 performers. One is the understudy, and one is the director. The director sits at the edge of the stage and mouths words to the understudy, who must say what he thinks the director is mouthing as he's mouthing it.
What Do You Mean? 🎹
Difficulty: 2M
During the course of the scene, performers will periodically respond to something someone else said with "what do you mean?" When this happens, the person who was asked must sing a clarification or elaboration of the last thing he said. The song continues until someone else in the scene talks.
Difficulty: 3
The performers are split into teams of two. The first pair does a short, normal scene. Then the second pair does the scene again, escalating the magnitude of everything in the first scene. It is then done a third time (with a third team or the first again), escalating again.
Blind Line
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Sentences, Actor's Nightmare
Sentences given by the audience are written on slips of paper and scattered on the stage. Throughout the scene, the performers periodically pick up a slip of paper and read the sentence on it, then justify. Do not justify before reading (e.g. "My grandma always said…")
Changing Styles
Difficulty: 1, a.k.a. Genres
For 3 performers. Throughout the scene, the host may call out new genres, given beforehand by audience suggestion, and the players must adapt the story around it.
Chubby Bunny
Difficulty: 1
For 2 performers. The performers try to do a scene that is completely serious and not funny. Every time one of them makes the audience laugh, he must put a marshmallow put in his mouth, and is not allowed to chew or swallow.
Country Hijinks
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Lost in Translation
For 4 performers, split in pairs. The first pair does a scene while the second is outside. Then, the second pair is called back in, and the first repeats the scene exactly, but using gibberish instead of words. The second pair then creates the scene they thought they saw by duplicating the actions and inserting their own dialogue. Physical motions must be preserved between each iteration.
MUSICAL COUNTRY HIJINKS 🎹 - (Difficulty: 2M) Includes a song. The music should be as similar as possible between scene iterations.
Can also be played with 6, with the first repeat performance done by a third pair rather than the first; or if noise-cancelling headphones are available, the second pair can watch the first scene during the first iteration while listening to music that drowns out the dialogue.
A Day in the Life
SHORT VERSION
Difficulty: 3
The host asks the audience for someone who had a particularly eventful day that day or recently, then interviews one person who did, gathering all the basic details of everything that happened from waking to sleeping. The performers recreate that day with embellishments.
LONG VERSION (🎹 optional)
Difficulty: 2M
The host asks a couple who's been on at least three dates up to the stage, and the performers interview them about how they met, taking note of all the basic details and important friends involved. They then recreate that story. Optionally, this can be done in a specific genre and/or with songs.
Dead Bodies
Difficulty: 3
For 3 performers, one of whom is the puppeteer, and an audience member. Starts with one performer and the audience member sitting in chairs acting dead. The premise is a play is happening, but the actors died just before starting time. With no time to replace them, the director puts on the play by himself, puppeteering the actors and moving their mouths. Halfway through the scene, a third actor will enter and also die immediately.
Director
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Lights Camera Action
For 4 performers, one of whom is the Director. The other three are the actors, and perform a short scene. The scene ends when the director says "cut," after which he will give directions to alter the scene based on genres, accents, etc., given by audience suggestion.
Evil Twin
Difficulty: 3
For 4 performers split in two pairs. Two performers, one from each pair, start a scene together. When prompted by the host, the counterpart performer will swap in and say something "evil," then immediately swap back out.
Faster, Faster
Difficulty: 4
Performers do a 1-minute scene, then repeat it in 30, 15, 7.5, and 3.75 seconds.
Film Noir 🎹/💻
Difficulty: 5
Two performers do a scene in the style of noir films, with drama, mystery, and aside narration that can be used to force quirks and behaviors on the other performer. Accompanied by jazz piano or noir jazz music.
Foreign Film Dub
Difficulty: 5
Two performers do a scene in gibberish that sounds like a foreign language given by the audience. Each has an assigned "translator" performer, who translates what was just said after a gibberish line ends.
Foley
Difficulty: 5 (a.k.a. Sound Effects [2-person version])
For two performers. One does a silent scene. The other has a microphone and adds sounds into the scene.
Game-O-Matic
Difficulty: 4
The host gets three letters from the audience. The performers then come up with new improv games that have titles matching the initials. After the performers describe their games, the audience votes on their favorite. The performers then play that game.
Growing Shrinking
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Channel Surfing
For 4 performers. The game starts with one person doing a scene. The host will pause the the scene, at which point the person onstage freezes, and a second person enters and starts a new scene using the frozen position as inspiration. This repeats with a third, then fourth person. After the four-person scene, performers leave the stage with each pause, returning to the previous scenes and ending with the original 1-person scene.
ImprovBroadway+
Difficulty: 5 a.k.a. DVD
For 3 performers. The host has an imaginary remote, which he can call commands from to affect the scene. The buttons are: pause, rewind, change speed, skip scene, foreign language dub, director's commentary, deleted alternate ending, trailer.
Movie Pitch
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. My Movie
The performers are Hollywood pitchmen and the host is a producer. The pitchmen will give movie titles based on initials given by the audience. When the host hears one he likes, the person who came up with it gives a brief synopsis. If he still likes it, the host will ask the performers to act out a scene from the movie. After this, they return to giving movie titles.
MY MUSICAL 🎹- Difficulty: 2M, Performers pitch musicals.
Musical Thoughts 🎹
Difficulty: 4
For 4 performers, two of which are in the scene, and two of which are on the sides to sing. Over the course of the scene, the host will prompt those on the sides, who are each assigned to one person in the scene, to sing the inner thoughts of his counterpart in a very short song.
My Hands are Tied
Difficulty: 1, a.k.a. Helping Hands
For 4 performers. The performers split into pairs, with one person in each pair putting his arms behind his back, and the other sticking his arms through the first person's arms. The first person must do the speaking in the scene, and the second person does all the motions and gesturing.
Naïve Replay
Difficulty: 3
For 3 performers, 2 of whom step outside at the start. The one left onstage does a scene as though the others are there, leaving gaps where they would be doing or saying things. After this, one of the absent performers is brought in, and the scene is redone with the first person exactly repeating the original performance and the second person filling in some of the gaps. The scene is repeated a second time with the third person trying to do the same.
The Nightmare 🎹
Difficulty: 4M
The host asks the audience for a nightmare someone recently had. After getting all the details of the nightmare, the performers reenact it as an opera.
New Choice
Difficulty: 2
For 3 performers. Throughout the scene, the host may call "new choice," at which point the last thing that was said or done must be replaced with something new. The host will call "new choice" again after each new choice until he hears something he likes, at which point the scene will continue.
BUZZERS AND BELLS - The host uses a buzz sound instead of shouting "new choice," and a ding sound when the scene can continue.
Oscar-Winning Moment 🎹/💻
Difficulty: 3
For 3 performers. The performers are acting out a scene from an "Oscar Bait" movie. At any point, the host may call "Oscar-Winning Moment," after which the person who spoke last must deliver an overly dramatic monologue. During this monologue, dramatic music with a singular strong emotion will play, either from the sound system or the pianist, and the performer must match the tone, even if the tone doesn't match the scene.
TONY-WINNING MOMENT - Like Sing It, but with the award-bait premise and tone-matching mechanic from OWM.
Paperback Writer
Difficulty: 5, a.k.a. Novelist, Dime Store Novel
One performer is a writer, reading aloud a story he's writing as he's writing it, while everyone else acts out the story. The writer has a choice to delete and rewrite brief parts of the story as they go along. Actors may speak and try to creatively interpret what the writer says, but must be careful not to contradict what has been "written."
Peanut Gallery
Difficulty: 4, a.k.a. Hecklers, Don't Make Me Heckle
For 4 performers in 2 teams. Both teams are performing the same scene, but only one is doing it at a time. The team not doing the scene heckles the other, trying to make them laugh. If someone in the scene laughs, the teams swap roles.
Pick-a-Text
Difficulty: 2
One performer is allowed to speak normally. All the others must speak only what they read from the messaging app of phones they get from audience volunteers.
PICK-A-LYRIC - (Difficulty: 2) Instead of phones, the performers are each assigned a song and can only speak in lyrics from the song.
Revolver
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Four Square
Four performers stand in a 2x2 grid. Each combination of adjacent performers is a different scene with its own suggestion. Throughout the game, the host will say "rotate" to cycle through the scenes, with the pair in front being the scene currently going. When a scene returns, time has passed.
Revolving Doors
Difficulty: 3, a.k.a. Walkout, Exit Game
Each performer is assigned a trigger word by audience suggestion. Every time a trigger word is said during the scene, the associated performer must exit or enter the scene, being sure to justify the entry or exit.
Rogers and Hammersing 🎹
The host will get the name of a musical, then 3 songs form it. The performers then act out the musical with three songs based on the titles.
Shamilton 🎹
Difficulty: 5M
A short rap opera about a subject or title given by the audience. One performer acts as a narrator who stands on the side of the stage and sets up and transitions between scenes in the opera.
Sing It! 🎹
Difficulty: 1M
During the scene, the host will periodically call "sing it," at which point, the person who spoke last (unless otherwise specified by the host) will sing a song.
BLIND SING IT! - Combination with Blind Line; each song must incorporate a line from a slip of paper.
RAP IT! - Instead of singing, rap.
SING IT LIKE - When "sing it like [name]" is called, the host will also specify an impression the singer must do while singing.
TEXT ME A MUSICAL - Each song is composed entirely of texts from an audience member's messaging app
Sweet Perfection
Difficulty: 4, a.k.a. You Can't Handle This Scene
For 4 performers in 2 teams. Both teams are performing the same scene, but only one is doing it at a time. The team not doing the scene may call "objection!" and tell the host a problem or error with the scene that should be corrected. The host, acting as judge, may sustain or overrule the objection. If sustained, the teams swap roles and the scene continues. If overruled, the scene continues without switching.
Two-Headed Monster
Difficulty: 4
For 4 performers. Two performers become a two-headed monster who must either speak sequentially (each head says every other word) or in unison. Can also be done with two monsters using one of the two rules each.
Two-Line Vocabulary
Difficulty: 3
For 3 performers. Two of the performers are assigned two sentences each, and may only say those sentences during the scene.
Two Rooms
Difficulty: 1
For 4 performers in 2 teams. Each pair does a separate scene, but only one scene is seen onstage at once. At any point, the host may call "switch," at which point the team not onstage switches in and does its scene. Every time this happens, the last line or sentence said by the scene switching out must be the first line said by the team switching in.
Understudy
Difficulty: 4
For 4 performers. One is the understudy, and one is the director. The director sits at the edge of the stage and mouths words to the understudy, who must say what he thinks the director is mouthing as he's mouthing it.
What Do You Mean? 🎹
Difficulty: 2M
During the course of the scene, performers will periodically respond to something someone else said with "what do you mean?" When this happens, the person who was asked must sing a clarification or elaboration of the last thing he said. The song continues until someone else in the scene talks.
GUESSING GAMES
Crystal Ball
Difficulty: 2
For 3 performers, with the roles of fortune-teller (guesser), spirit, and client. The spirit, from a crystal ball between the fortune-teller and client, mimes 3 details of the clients future: next job, future spouse, and manner of death.
Customer Service
Difficulty: 4
A customer (hinter) must return an item to a shop employee (guesser). The employee must guess what the item is, then what's wrong with it through dialogue and interacting with it.
Interrogation
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Good Cop Bad Cop
For 3 performers, two of whom are police interrogators, and one of whom is the suspect (guesser). The suspect must "admit" his crime, his accomplice, and his motive.
Karaoke Charades 🎹
Difficulty: 5M for guesser, 3 for hinters
One performer must guess who he broke up with, where they broke up, and why, based on miming from the others. The guesser must constantly be singing.
Late for Work
Difficulty: 2
For 4 performers. A late employee (guesser) must provide 3 excuses for why he's late to his boss. Behind the boss's back, 2 other employees mime the three excuses to the guesser, and justify their strange positions when the boss occasionally turns around to look at them.
Party Quirks
Difficulty: 4
A party host must guess the strange quirks or identities of 3 party guests. Guests exit the scene when identified correctly.
Press Conference
Difficulty: 2
One guesser is holding a press conference, with everyone else sitting in the audience as reporters. The reporters help the guesser figure out who he is, then why he's holding a press conference, with their questions.
Playground Insults
Difficulty: 3
For 6 performers taking the role of children on a playground, divided into two teams, each with two mimers and one guesser. The mimers standing opposite the guesser must mime an insult using the format "You're a [adjective] [nouns] that [verbs]." One team communicates at a time, swapping every 20 seconds.
SIDELINE DEBATE - Choose the genre/premise of the debate instead of just a playground
Split Environments
Difficulty: 3
Two performers are assigned separate locations. Each must interact with his own location while trying to figure out where the other is.
Three Things
Difficulty: 4
One performer guesses, and the others give hints using miming and gibberish. He must guess a sport or other activity that involves parts, then two elements of that sport or activity that have each been replaced with something else. This is repeated twice for a total of 3 different sports or activities.
Difficulty: 2
For 3 performers, with the roles of fortune-teller (guesser), spirit, and client. The spirit, from a crystal ball between the fortune-teller and client, mimes 3 details of the clients future: next job, future spouse, and manner of death.
Customer Service
Difficulty: 4
A customer (hinter) must return an item to a shop employee (guesser). The employee must guess what the item is, then what's wrong with it through dialogue and interacting with it.
Interrogation
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Good Cop Bad Cop
For 3 performers, two of whom are police interrogators, and one of whom is the suspect (guesser). The suspect must "admit" his crime, his accomplice, and his motive.
Karaoke Charades 🎹
Difficulty: 5M for guesser, 3 for hinters
One performer must guess who he broke up with, where they broke up, and why, based on miming from the others. The guesser must constantly be singing.
Late for Work
Difficulty: 2
For 4 performers. A late employee (guesser) must provide 3 excuses for why he's late to his boss. Behind the boss's back, 2 other employees mime the three excuses to the guesser, and justify their strange positions when the boss occasionally turns around to look at them.
Party Quirks
Difficulty: 4
A party host must guess the strange quirks or identities of 3 party guests. Guests exit the scene when identified correctly.
Press Conference
Difficulty: 2
One guesser is holding a press conference, with everyone else sitting in the audience as reporters. The reporters help the guesser figure out who he is, then why he's holding a press conference, with their questions.
Playground Insults
Difficulty: 3
For 6 performers taking the role of children on a playground, divided into two teams, each with two mimers and one guesser. The mimers standing opposite the guesser must mime an insult using the format "You're a [adjective] [nouns] that [verbs]." One team communicates at a time, swapping every 20 seconds.
SIDELINE DEBATE - Choose the genre/premise of the debate instead of just a playground
Split Environments
Difficulty: 3
Two performers are assigned separate locations. Each must interact with his own location while trying to figure out where the other is.
Three Things
Difficulty: 4
One performer guesses, and the others give hints using miming and gibberish. He must guess a sport or other activity that involves parts, then two elements of that sport or activity that have each been replaced with something else. This is repeated twice for a total of 3 different sports or activities.
JUMP-OUT GAMES
NOTE: "Famous Person" is shorthand for celebrity, fictional character, or historical figure—basically any person the whole audience would recognize.
185
Difficulty:1
"185 [suggestion]s walk into a bar. The bartender says, 'We don't serve your kind here,' and the [suggestion]s say [punchline].
Dear Diary
Difficulty: 2
Performers read out diary entries from a Famous Person.
Casanova
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Hey Baby!
Make up pickup lines based on a suggestion.
Celebrity Voicemail
Difficulty: 2
Performers deliver messages left in a Famous Person's voicemail.
Deleted Scenes
Difficulty: 1
Performers act out "deleted scenes" from a movie suggested by the audience.
Freeze Tag
Difficulty: 3
Two performers do a scene while the others stand in a line at the back. At any point, someone on the back line can call "Freeze!" At that point, the performers in the scene freeze in place. The performer who stopped the scene takes the place and exact physical position of one in the scene, and starts a new one.
OBJECT FREEZE: Includes props
Good News/Bad News
Difficulty: 1
"The good/bad news is [suggestion]. The bad/good news is [punchline.]"
Hey Waiter
Difficulty: 1
An audience member, acting as a restaurant patron, sits at the front of the stage. When tapped on the shoulder, he says "Hey waiter, there's a [suggestion] in my soup." The performer then delivers the punchline.
It's a Boy
Difficulty: 2
A performer standing at the front of the stage mimes holding a baby. Another performer taps him on the shoulder, at which point he passes the baby and says "Congratulations, it's a [suggestion]." The tapper takes the baby, says a punchline, then remains on stage as the baby-holder for the next person.
Jeopardy!
Difficulty: 5
Performers give pun Jeopardy questions for answers given by the audience.
Last Action Joke
Difficulty: 2
Performer A kills a Performer B, who standing in the middle of the stage, then delivers an action movie one-liner based on a suggestion. Performer A then stands in the middle of the stage to be killed by the next person.
Props
Difficulty: 2
The host collects props from the audience. Performers use the props to make one-line jokes.
Scenes From a Hat
Difficulty: 2
Performers act out one-line scene suggestions written on slips of paper by audience members, pulled out of a hat at random by the host.
When I Was Your Age
Difficulty: 3, a.k.a. Back in My Day
Performers make jokes as old people, starting by saying "When I was your age…"
World's Worst
Difficulty: 2
Performers act out a ridiculous or bad version of a thing suggested by the audience.
185
Difficulty:1
"185 [suggestion]s walk into a bar. The bartender says, 'We don't serve your kind here,' and the [suggestion]s say [punchline].
Dear Diary
Difficulty: 2
Performers read out diary entries from a Famous Person.
Casanova
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. Hey Baby!
Make up pickup lines based on a suggestion.
Celebrity Voicemail
Difficulty: 2
Performers deliver messages left in a Famous Person's voicemail.
Deleted Scenes
Difficulty: 1
Performers act out "deleted scenes" from a movie suggested by the audience.
Freeze Tag
Difficulty: 3
Two performers do a scene while the others stand in a line at the back. At any point, someone on the back line can call "Freeze!" At that point, the performers in the scene freeze in place. The performer who stopped the scene takes the place and exact physical position of one in the scene, and starts a new one.
OBJECT FREEZE: Includes props
Good News/Bad News
Difficulty: 1
"The good/bad news is [suggestion]. The bad/good news is [punchline.]"
Hey Waiter
Difficulty: 1
An audience member, acting as a restaurant patron, sits at the front of the stage. When tapped on the shoulder, he says "Hey waiter, there's a [suggestion] in my soup." The performer then delivers the punchline.
It's a Boy
Difficulty: 2
A performer standing at the front of the stage mimes holding a baby. Another performer taps him on the shoulder, at which point he passes the baby and says "Congratulations, it's a [suggestion]." The tapper takes the baby, says a punchline, then remains on stage as the baby-holder for the next person.
Jeopardy!
Difficulty: 5
Performers give pun Jeopardy questions for answers given by the audience.
Last Action Joke
Difficulty: 2
Performer A kills a Performer B, who standing in the middle of the stage, then delivers an action movie one-liner based on a suggestion. Performer A then stands in the middle of the stage to be killed by the next person.
Props
Difficulty: 2
The host collects props from the audience. Performers use the props to make one-line jokes.
Scenes From a Hat
Difficulty: 2
Performers act out one-line scene suggestions written on slips of paper by audience members, pulled out of a hat at random by the host.
When I Was Your Age
Difficulty: 3, a.k.a. Back in My Day
Performers make jokes as old people, starting by saying "When I was your age…"
World's Worst
Difficulty: 2
Performers act out a ridiculous or bad version of a thing suggested by the audience.
PANEL/CHARACTER GAMES
Acronym Panel
Difficulty: 3
Characters come up with alternative meanings for a real acronym given by the audience, with an associated rationale or story about how that acronym came about.
Advice Panel
Difficulty: 3
Characters give answers for advice questions from the audience.
Double-Heart Bypass
Difficulty: 4
The host brings a volunteer couple who have been together a while on stage. Two performers are characters who separately went on dates with one of the people in the couple. The host interviews all four about the recent dates with the characters. At the end, the audience members must choose whether to stay together or go with the characters, and indicate their choice with a kiss.
Good, Bad, Worse
Difficulty: 2
Performers give (in order) good, bad, and worse (or ridiculous) answers for advice questions from the audience.
Difficulty: 3
Characters come up with alternative meanings for a real acronym given by the audience, with an associated rationale or story about how that acronym came about.
Advice Panel
Difficulty: 3
Characters give answers for advice questions from the audience.
Double-Heart Bypass
Difficulty: 4
The host brings a volunteer couple who have been together a while on stage. Two performers are characters who separately went on dates with one of the people in the couple. The host interviews all four about the recent dates with the characters. At the end, the audience members must choose whether to stay together or go with the characters, and indicate their choice with a kiss.
Good, Bad, Worse
Difficulty: 2
Performers give (in order) good, bad, and worse (or ridiculous) answers for advice questions from the audience.
AUDIENCE GAMES
Campfire Tales
Difficulty: 5
One performer is an older adult telling a campfire story to two "children" (audience members), all seated to one side of the stage. The remaining performers act out the story as it's told, sometime driving the story but always deferring to the storyteller's narrations. Periodically, the storyteller will prompt one of the children to say what happens next.
Date Patrol
Difficulty: 5
One performer is doing a scene with an audience volunteer wherein they're going on a date. Three performers with identities given by audience suggestion are "watching from the bushes," and periodically communicate with the date-going performer by earpiece, giving in-character advice on what he should be doing based. This advice must be acted out or adhered to.
Dubstep
Difficulty: 3
One audience member is in the scene, but is voiced by a performer offstage.
Hesitation
Difficulty: 1
During the scene, performers will periodically hesitate in their speech and gesture to the audience to give the next word of dialogue.
Human Props
Difficulty: 4
For 2 performers and 3 audience members. Throughout the scene, the audience members become whatever prop is required by the scene or invoked by the performers.
Moving Bodies
Difficulty: 3
For 2 performers and 2 audience members. The performers act as talking mannequins and the audience members act as puppet masters, moving the performer to whom they are assigned.
Pillars
Difficulty: 2
For 1-2 audience member. Throughout the scene, performers periodically tap on an audience member, who then says a random word that acts as the next word of dialogue the tapper says.
Serenade 🎹
Difficulty: 1M
The performers serenade an audience member after a somewhat lengthy interview wherein they gather details to make into a verse.
Sound Effects
Difficulty: 3, a.k.a. Foley
For 2 performers and 2 audience members. Throughout the scene, the audience members make sound effects for things happening in the scene and the performers justify how bad they are at making those sounds.
Telephone
Difficulty: 2
For 4 performers in 2 teams. The first team waits outside while the first does a scene, then comes back in. During the first scene, the audience volunteer must pay attention to the story, then describe it to the second team in 10 words or less when they come back in.
Difficulty: 5
One performer is an older adult telling a campfire story to two "children" (audience members), all seated to one side of the stage. The remaining performers act out the story as it's told, sometime driving the story but always deferring to the storyteller's narrations. Periodically, the storyteller will prompt one of the children to say what happens next.
Date Patrol
Difficulty: 5
One performer is doing a scene with an audience volunteer wherein they're going on a date. Three performers with identities given by audience suggestion are "watching from the bushes," and periodically communicate with the date-going performer by earpiece, giving in-character advice on what he should be doing based. This advice must be acted out or adhered to.
Dubstep
Difficulty: 3
One audience member is in the scene, but is voiced by a performer offstage.
Hesitation
Difficulty: 1
During the scene, performers will periodically hesitate in their speech and gesture to the audience to give the next word of dialogue.
Human Props
Difficulty: 4
For 2 performers and 3 audience members. Throughout the scene, the audience members become whatever prop is required by the scene or invoked by the performers.
Moving Bodies
Difficulty: 3
For 2 performers and 2 audience members. The performers act as talking mannequins and the audience members act as puppet masters, moving the performer to whom they are assigned.
Pillars
Difficulty: 2
For 1-2 audience member. Throughout the scene, performers periodically tap on an audience member, who then says a random word that acts as the next word of dialogue the tapper says.
Serenade 🎹
Difficulty: 1M
The performers serenade an audience member after a somewhat lengthy interview wherein they gather details to make into a verse.
Sound Effects
Difficulty: 3, a.k.a. Foley
For 2 performers and 2 audience members. Throughout the scene, the audience members make sound effects for things happening in the scene and the performers justify how bad they are at making those sounds.
Telephone
Difficulty: 2
For 4 performers in 2 teams. The first team waits outside while the first does a scene, then comes back in. During the first scene, the audience volunteer must pay attention to the story, then describe it to the second team in 10 words or less when they come back in.
GIMMICK GAMES
9 Out Of 10
Difficulty: 4
All performers are experts on a suggested subject. One person at a time stands front and center and may speak about the subject. At any point, any one of the others can shout "objection!" and raise an issue with something that was said. The host may accept the rationale for the justification and sustain it, in which case the objector takes the speaking spot, or overrule it, in which case the current speaker retains his spot.
Alphabet Soup
Difficulty: 3
Every line in the scene must start with the letter of the alphabet after the line that came before it.
Boo, Yay!
Difficulty: 2
Performers divide into two lines: a "boo" line and a "yay" line. Those standing in the front of the lines tell a story, alternating every sentence. The "boo" person will always add something negative, and the "yay" person will always add something positive. After the "boo" person speaks, everyone shouts "boo!" After the "yay" person speaks, everyone shouts "yay!"
Carnegie Hall 🎹
Difficulty: 4M
For 4 performers, one of whom is the singer. The non-singers take turns writing and holding up a word (based on the audience-given song theme) on a whiteboard, one word per song line. The singer must sing continuously, incorporating every word.
Dueling Soundtracks 🎹
Difficulty: 2M
For 4 performers, divided into pairs. Pair A is given the title of a TV show. They sing the opening song for the show, providing exposition and show elements. Pair B then acts out 1 or 2 lines from the show as a punchline. Then Pair B does the song, and they swap back and forth.
First Line, Last Line
Difficulty: 1
Two performers do a scene. At any point, the host can stop the scene. One performer swaps out. A new scene starts, with the last line of the previous scene being the first line of the new one.
For Your Consideration 🎹
Difficulty: 3M
Two performers are hosts of a Tony Award highlight show. They introduce a musical with an audience-given title, and set up the context, content, and title of a song, after which some of the remaining performers perform the song. They do this twice more for a total of 3 songs.
Greatest Hits 🎹
Difficulty: 3M
Two performers are hosts for a TV sales channel selling a CD compilation about a subject given by the audience. They set up the content, genre or band, and title for a song, after which the remaining performers sing the song.
Hoedown 🎹
Difficulty: 4M
Study examples from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" to understand the format of this game.
Irish Drinking Song 🎹
Difficulty: 5M
Study examples from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" to understand the format of this game.
Numbers
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. 867-5309
For two performers at a time. Performers must speak in lines that are a number of words long. The host sets the number, and can change the number at any point. If a performer makes an error, he is swapped out and a new scene starts.
Oxygen Deprivation
Difficulty: 2
For two performers at a time. Requires a bowl of water. The game starts with one person on stage and the others in a line, with the person at the head of the line submerging his face in the water and holding his breath. When the first scene starts, that performer starts a scene by giving a justification for why he is wet and out of breath, and the next one in line submerges his face. All scenes last until the next person runs out of breath and indicates needing to be tapped out by and swapped with whoever was on stage longer.
Pet Peeve Blues 🎹
Difficulty: 2M
The host gets pet peeves from the audience, and the performers sing blues verses about that pet peeve. One peeve per performer.
Sing For Your Supper 🎹
Difficulty: 3, a.k.a. Bouncy Ball Sing-Along
Performer sing a directed song; whoever the host is pointing at during a verse is the one singing. The parts of the song are: establish a 1-5 word chorus, repeat the chorus bringing in the audience, first verse, chorus, second verse, optional chorus, bridge wherein each person is repeating a different noise associated with the subject of the song, optional solo during the bridge, final chorus.
Slow-Mo Olympics 💻
Difficulty: 4
Two performers sitting to one side of the stage are commentators for a fake Olympic event based on a mundane or non-athletic activity. Two performers in the middle of the stage are facing off in the final round. Once the event starts, the Olympians move in slow motion while the commentators commentate in normal speed and dramatic music plays.
Spelling Bee
Difficulty: 4
Three performers stand shoulder-to-shoulder as a three-headed spelling monster. The monster spells words given by the audience, with each head giving the next letter one after the other. After each word, the host will ask the monster to do something else with the word, usually something that would be used in a spelling be such as definition, an example sentence, language of origin, etc., with the monster giving a response in the same manner as before.
Story
Difficulty: 2
Performers stand at the front of the stage with the host at the bottom of the stage. They tell a story together, but performers can only speak when pointed at by the host. With a large cast, this game can be played elimination-style, with performers kicked out for speaking when not pointed at, failing to make sense, bad grammar, etc., and having a new chapter start after each elimination.
Story is easy to modify with themes, such as Christmas Tale, Romance Novel, or Instruction Manual
Top That
Difficulty: 3
For two performers at a time. The host gets a physical action as a suggestion. The performers repeat this action continuously, taking turns coming up with a more exciting or interesting thing the action could be, and saying "top that!" at the end of describing each thing. If one of them takes too long to come up with something new or says something that fails to top the previous thing, that performer is out and a new one swaps in to compete with a new suggestion.
What Are You Doing?
Difficulty: 4
For two performers at a time. The host gets a pair of letters as a suggestion. Performer 1 asks Performer 2 "what are you doing?", P2 answers with a pair of words matching the letters given by the host, and P1 acts out those words in a solo micro-scene. They go back and forth, swapping roles until someone fails to come up with new words matching the letters. The one who messed up switches out, a new person swaps in, and a new set of letters is gotten.
Difficulty: 4
All performers are experts on a suggested subject. One person at a time stands front and center and may speak about the subject. At any point, any one of the others can shout "objection!" and raise an issue with something that was said. The host may accept the rationale for the justification and sustain it, in which case the objector takes the speaking spot, or overrule it, in which case the current speaker retains his spot.
Alphabet Soup
Difficulty: 3
Every line in the scene must start with the letter of the alphabet after the line that came before it.
Boo, Yay!
Difficulty: 2
Performers divide into two lines: a "boo" line and a "yay" line. Those standing in the front of the lines tell a story, alternating every sentence. The "boo" person will always add something negative, and the "yay" person will always add something positive. After the "boo" person speaks, everyone shouts "boo!" After the "yay" person speaks, everyone shouts "yay!"
Carnegie Hall 🎹
Difficulty: 4M
For 4 performers, one of whom is the singer. The non-singers take turns writing and holding up a word (based on the audience-given song theme) on a whiteboard, one word per song line. The singer must sing continuously, incorporating every word.
Dueling Soundtracks 🎹
Difficulty: 2M
For 4 performers, divided into pairs. Pair A is given the title of a TV show. They sing the opening song for the show, providing exposition and show elements. Pair B then acts out 1 or 2 lines from the show as a punchline. Then Pair B does the song, and they swap back and forth.
First Line, Last Line
Difficulty: 1
Two performers do a scene. At any point, the host can stop the scene. One performer swaps out. A new scene starts, with the last line of the previous scene being the first line of the new one.
For Your Consideration 🎹
Difficulty: 3M
Two performers are hosts of a Tony Award highlight show. They introduce a musical with an audience-given title, and set up the context, content, and title of a song, after which some of the remaining performers perform the song. They do this twice more for a total of 3 songs.
Greatest Hits 🎹
Difficulty: 3M
Two performers are hosts for a TV sales channel selling a CD compilation about a subject given by the audience. They set up the content, genre or band, and title for a song, after which the remaining performers sing the song.
Hoedown 🎹
Difficulty: 4M
Study examples from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" to understand the format of this game.
Irish Drinking Song 🎹
Difficulty: 5M
Study examples from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" to understand the format of this game.
Numbers
Difficulty: 2, a.k.a. 867-5309
For two performers at a time. Performers must speak in lines that are a number of words long. The host sets the number, and can change the number at any point. If a performer makes an error, he is swapped out and a new scene starts.
Oxygen Deprivation
Difficulty: 2
For two performers at a time. Requires a bowl of water. The game starts with one person on stage and the others in a line, with the person at the head of the line submerging his face in the water and holding his breath. When the first scene starts, that performer starts a scene by giving a justification for why he is wet and out of breath, and the next one in line submerges his face. All scenes last until the next person runs out of breath and indicates needing to be tapped out by and swapped with whoever was on stage longer.
Pet Peeve Blues 🎹
Difficulty: 2M
The host gets pet peeves from the audience, and the performers sing blues verses about that pet peeve. One peeve per performer.
Sing For Your Supper 🎹
Difficulty: 3, a.k.a. Bouncy Ball Sing-Along
Performer sing a directed song; whoever the host is pointing at during a verse is the one singing. The parts of the song are: establish a 1-5 word chorus, repeat the chorus bringing in the audience, first verse, chorus, second verse, optional chorus, bridge wherein each person is repeating a different noise associated with the subject of the song, optional solo during the bridge, final chorus.
Slow-Mo Olympics 💻
Difficulty: 4
Two performers sitting to one side of the stage are commentators for a fake Olympic event based on a mundane or non-athletic activity. Two performers in the middle of the stage are facing off in the final round. Once the event starts, the Olympians move in slow motion while the commentators commentate in normal speed and dramatic music plays.
Spelling Bee
Difficulty: 4
Three performers stand shoulder-to-shoulder as a three-headed spelling monster. The monster spells words given by the audience, with each head giving the next letter one after the other. After each word, the host will ask the monster to do something else with the word, usually something that would be used in a spelling be such as definition, an example sentence, language of origin, etc., with the monster giving a response in the same manner as before.
Story
Difficulty: 2
Performers stand at the front of the stage with the host at the bottom of the stage. They tell a story together, but performers can only speak when pointed at by the host. With a large cast, this game can be played elimination-style, with performers kicked out for speaking when not pointed at, failing to make sense, bad grammar, etc., and having a new chapter start after each elimination.
Story is easy to modify with themes, such as Christmas Tale, Romance Novel, or Instruction Manual
Top That
Difficulty: 3
For two performers at a time. The host gets a physical action as a suggestion. The performers repeat this action continuously, taking turns coming up with a more exciting or interesting thing the action could be, and saying "top that!" at the end of describing each thing. If one of them takes too long to come up with something new or says something that fails to top the previous thing, that performer is out and a new one swaps in to compete with a new suggestion.
What Are You Doing?
Difficulty: 4
For two performers at a time. The host gets a pair of letters as a suggestion. Performer 1 asks Performer 2 "what are you doing?", P2 answers with a pair of words matching the letters given by the host, and P1 acts out those words in a solo micro-scene. They go back and forth, swapping roles until someone fails to come up with new words matching the letters. The one who messed up switches out, a new person swaps in, and a new set of letters is gotten.