List of games for online improv

You will find here adaptations of face-to-face improv games which we have done online and worked well. Every set is for around two hours with a short toilette pause, is centered on one topic and has a couple of additional games for the case that your group jumps fast from one game to the other.
Our experience is that groups of up to 12 people can stays focused online. Ideally you have 8 students per teacher.

We hear the most lively personal stories when we are deeply interested in the person who is talking. This builds rapport and encourages zim to unfold zir feelings and reveal zir secrets. We enjoy those moments as witnesses of something unique and specially given to us. Taking that interest on stage we create moving scenes, slow down and focus on emotions, being fully aware of richness of the offers we receive.

Working on awareness, silence and emotional moments, we will develop that interest during our scenes finishing with a long-form game.

PS: zim/zir > I tried some inclusive language. Here you can read more about gender neutral pronouns: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/gender-neutral-pronouns

• Circle up
• Call people using signs
• Griberish circle
• Emotional mirror in Greberish

• Ask the group, When they are interested in what other person is saying?
• Interested on one word
• 2 players scene with sentence repetition
• Exaggerating scenes: With three pair of players. For example: cooking an omelett, cleaning a baby and repairing a clock
• Pauze
• Fast forward
• Next sentence starts with the last letter
• Distillation for intermediate players

• 2-3 players with a talking stick
• Emotional replay (6 players with 6 emotions, first scene with 2 players) Long list of emotions List of emotions in German Diagram with complex emotions
  
• Mirror, Action, Object
• You seem to be…: The goal is to find something on the other person to say
• Sounds & Atmosphere exercises

• Armando: Audience suggestion for a word
  • 2 minutes monologue on that word. Suggestion: say a story you love to tell, rooted in reality and personal experience and full of details. Your favorite story. Don’t worry about being funny, just be yourself
  • A scene inspired by the monologue for 3 minutes. The scene do not replies what happened into the monologue, but uses details and look for absurd or interesting detail about the story
  • 2 minutes monologue inspired by the scene, based on what has seen
  • 3 minutes scene inspired by the new monologue
• Disaster Movie
• Oracle long-form

• Memory circle

Hallo Rice Grains,

“bla bla bla, bla bla bla”. That's what a scene too often looks like. As improvisers, we often fear the silence because we think that nothing is happening anymore. That's not true! Many times silence is the best line we can tell! More than 70% of communication goes through our body and our behaviour. Isn't it proof that words can be useless? Our actions, our look, our emotions, tell so much. And silence builds the tension and catches the audience…

Don't panic, we'll talk in this workshop! But we'll also learn to answer by silence. A living, deep and powerful silence, meaning much more than a verbal line…

Talkativeness or what happens when you talk to much

• Circle up
• Picking gifts
• Let Me Show You My Room: an exercise about honesty, details and mime: Every players shows objects of their childhood room for 2 minutes
• Eye-contact for 3 minutes, still and moving face mirroring
• Mirror, Action, Object: With a statement and also “emotional sound”
• Fantasy language and normal: After a while fantasy language is replaced with silence. No talk is allowed.
• Sounds & Atmosphere exercises
• Pauze The moderator must not interrrupt the scene, it is better that he shows when the 5 seconds have passed with this fingers.
• Distillation: The players perform a one minute scene. Repeat the scene but each player only gets 3 lines. Repeat the scene again and each player gets one line. Extremely difficult. For intermediate players.
• Memory game

Let's get emotional! Let's exaggerate! On Sunday we will meet again with our ebullient feelings and our surreal views on actions and objects. Non-reality is our aim!

• Chinese whisper with dancing: Players stand in a row all watching in the same direction. The second one turns to the firt one. The first player makes a dance. Now the third player turns and the second player imitates the dance. The game continues until every player has imitate the dance. At the end, the first player does the dance again and everyone laugh about the differences
  • When played online all the players have their eyes shut until the moderator names them. When they open their eyes they see one player dancing. Then they dance for the next named player
• Increase and Decrease in a virtual order The moderators names the next person
• Action-reaction to small movements increasing them
• I, you, we The moderator makes two rows explaning who comes next on each row
• “Yes”, “ok”, “too short” and “I come along with that”: In pairs. The goal is that player B shows emotions
• Dream storytelling
• Emotional improv circle: Players learn to keep the emotion going to get time before answering
• Responding emotionally on stage The players make to rows. Player A always gives an offer with a place, a character, an object or a relationship (CROW). Player B will:
  • says emotionally yes or no. (1. Round)
  • says emotionally jam or jak. (2. Round)
  • talks normally emotionally (3. Round) Player A may add a final line of dialogue
  • The goal is to always accept the offer and to also accept it with agreement or rejection
• Emphasizing movements with three players: The moderators adds many players to this games, each one has to exaggerate the last one who started playing
• Exaggerating scenes: 6 players are in pairs. The first pair plays a scene based on a audience's suggestion. The second and third pair must exaggerate or play it down It is difficult to get the details of the last scene because the image is small
• Laid out a conversation to an action choreography in pairs Depending on the concentration of the group at this point
• Statuskette (In German) with many players with and without place changes. Who comes, has always a higher status

• Count until 21 in group

• Be true to your emotional response always saying yes to the offer
• Listen and wait during the silences

Your improv telenovelas start here!

Hi Rice Cookies,

when was the last time that yout train your spontaneity muscle? By training it we not only develop creativity but self-confidence in unexpected situations. Something which is useful not only on the stage but in our everyday life.

Beginners and experienced players are more than welcome!

We will meet online at 15:00 :

Add link to event

Because we are going to get loose while playing the first games, please be on time.

Looking forward to have fun with you!

This session was moderated by Max.

• Finger snapping together
• Let’s dance: The moderator puts music and assign the two partners and they should mirror each other movement while dancing. Then all dance together, all mirror each other.
• Name game: In a round say something you like, something you dislike, describe your week in 5 words. Pass it to the next person
• Word ball: Keep your mic open. Pass a word by a person into the group, that person will answer with the first thing that comes to mind and pass another word to another person (also called “Association circle”)

* Noise ball * Increase and decrease in circle * 1, 2, direction, 3, 4, 5, 6, direction

• Simple rules for spontaneity Name three objects: Keep the mic open, we’ll do it all together and I tell you later why
  1. Point at objects into your space, your room and name them, say what they are. 60 secs.
  2. Point at objects into your space and name the last object you pointed. 60 secs.
  3. Point at objects into your space and say what the object is not.
  • Feedback, which one was the most complicated to do?¹⁾
• Convergence game: Object of convergence is to have two people say the same word at the same time. When you think of a word to say, you let the group know by saying, “one”. This will show that you’re ready and looking for a partner. When someone else in the circle thinks of a word they let the group know by saying “two”.  Now we have the two players for the round.Together they say, “one, two, three” and where they would say “four” they say the word  they have in mind simultaneously. Next round until the words converge. If playing this game online, the player can say their words one after the other.

Divide the group in two virtual rooms. Every person renames himself with the number given by the moderator

• Yes and Blocking
  1. iteration, 60 seconds for each round: Person A and Person B, you are going to a picnic. A proposes things you could do or brings. B kills every idea. B don’t just say no, really engage and deny it. Do it again with another pair
  2. iteration, 60 seconds for each round: Person B to accept the idea but is pissed off. Do it again with another pair
  3. iteration, 60 seconds for each round: Person B to respond with enthusiasm like is the best idea possible. Do it again with another couple
  • Feedback: which one you think of the three iteration kind was the most funny? Show it with your fingers.²⁾
• ABC-Game / Alphabet: A to Z with 2 people (2 people at a time, in a round). In this game, two people have a conversation where the first word of each sentence must begin with the next letter of the alphabet. Players are given 90 seconds to go from A to Z. With this time frame there will be no time to think, and players will work on spontaneity. If a pair is actually able to finish it in 90 seconds it doesn’t matter, it is important to push the words out of your mind.
  • How to play this game: Two people will have a conversation. For the first person, the very first word out of their mouth, must start with the letter A. When the next person responds, the first word they say must start with the letter B. When the first person responds, their first word must start with the letter C, and then so on, and so on, working their way to Z. Remember. Speed is important, just say the first word that come to mind starting with that letter and make it work.
• Expert interview (2 Rounds): In this game, one performer pretends to be the world's leading expert on some topic and the rest of the players will ask him questions about that topic. However, the expert will actually be given an area of expertise he really doesn’t know anything about.
  • How to play this game: Assign one person to be the expert. Expert to go somewhere else, or mute the volume or put fingers in the ears so to not to listen what topic we choose. The expert should answer immediately, without hesitation, and with extreme confidence − since they are the world's leading expert. Everyone raise your hands up when you have questions and the expert will ask you to talk. Assign the expert a topic they don't know anything about.The topic should not be too in-depth or technical, but rather a common activity, object, or hobby. Everyone else starts asking open-ended questions one at a time.³⁾
  • Ask, “Did you surprise yourself with any of the answers you gave? If you did, that's great, because that means you're accessing your creativity.
  • Ask, “Did you find it harder to be the expert or to be one of the people asking the questions?”⁴⁾
• Gibberish translation (2 person at a time, 2 rounds with role changes): In this game, one performer tells a story using a fake, made up language, and another performer translates that story into English.
  • How to play this game: One person is the storyteller. The other is the translator. The storyteller can only speak in Gibberish. Gibberish is a fake language of made up sounds. The storyteller must use gibberish, but they can also use physicality, mime, facial expressions, etc. The translator translates for the storyteller. The storyteller will give one or two lines of the story, then pause. The translator will then translate that into English for the audience. The storyteller will then say the next few lines in gibberish, then the translator goes, and they go back and forth until they reach the end of the story. ⁵⁾

Most improv is about storytelling, and stories are about people being changed, altered. Key for a conflict is that A changes B. If one character is altered by another, we perceive this as action, otherwise if characters remain unaltered, we get the feeling that nothing is happening. Type of conficts: Man vs man, man vs himself, man vs world, man vs nature, man vs society, man vs technology, man vs supernatural. In our scenes we usually play just man vs man.

• Count until 21 together

• The no S Scene: 2 people on stage, they cannot use the word S into their wording. Rest of the people with the mic open ready to shut ‘Dieeeee’, the next number gets in and take the place into the scene.
• Crab trees (what did you say ? )
• Sex with me is like being in a quarantine
• Status 1-4
• Fantasy language and normal
• Blind Freeze When playing it online, it is difficult to reach a high pace
• New choice: The moderator may also say “new gesture”, “new voice”, “new character” or “new location”
• Nouns in a hat
• Next sentence starts with the last letter
• Toaster

Hi Rice Cookies,

let's reuse dropped characters, traits and objects in our stories. Let's establish patterns to bring our audience to past scenes and emotions. Filling them with details we will make them charming and real, or completely send them to the fictional dimension!

Beginners and experienced players are more than welcome!

We will meet online at 15:00 :

FIXE Add link to event

Because we are going to get loose while playing the first games, please be on time.

Looking forward to have fun with you!

• Picking gifts
• Emotion + Name calling circle
• Represent an animal
• Let Me Show You My Room: an exercise about honesty, details and mime: Every players shows objects of their childhood room for 2 minutes. Skip it if the group is big
• Circle Up
• I, you, we

• I am a tree with recalling
• Tell a simple story: 3 players (normality, conflict and resolution)
• Sorry, I am late
• Tell a story describing CROW Reuse dropped elements
• Boom Chicago
• Describe a crime scene: Skip it if the group is big
• Fortunately/Unfortunately telling story in a circle

• Speed Harold: 3 rounds of 3 scenes (ABC,ABC and ABC)
• 2-3 players with a talking stick: It can be difficult and make the scenes too chatty
• OR Pauze The moderator must not interrrupt the scene, it is better that he shows when the 5 seconds have passed with this fingers.

• Count until 21 in group

• Davor oder danach
• Voices from heaven
• Fast forward

Let's use our online world to be creative and have fun. Let's will play a variety of short form improv games to have fun, be silly with each other, and make each other laugh.

• Circle Up
• Increase and Decrease in a virtual order The moderators names the next person
• Picking gifts (close-up mimic and small objects) The moderators names the next person
• Samurai: Hi-Ha-Ho
• Award Ceremony: for strange characters with positive award with facial traits. The award giver names the next person
• One sentence at a time telling a story
  • Each participant renames himself
• Emotional replay (6 players with 6 emotions, first scene with 2 players) Long list of emotions List of emotions in German Diagram with complex emotions
  

Do you find akward and weird when your partner answers with silence? Then look again, he has given you an answer! You must pay attention to his body language and interpret it. Accepting silence as a gift is the first step to calming down, take a positive emotion about it and integrating it into our scenes. Less talk with more emotion!

• Call people using signs: Every player makes his own personal sign using his arms, head and shoulders. Every other participant repeats and tries to remember his name and the sign. Afterwards each player starts calling other one making first his own sign, then the sign of the named person. The second player makes his sign and then call other player saying his name and sign. After a while no names are said, only signs are used
• Represent an animal: The moderator post a list of animals in the chat like “cat alligator mosquito wombat meerkat shark bat rabbit chicken bear snake goat”. Every player choose one without telling anyone about it. Then the moderator says “Show me how you sleep”, “how you groom yourself”, “how you eat”, etc. At the end all the players must guess if somebody else had choosen their animal
• Follow your Nose
• * Sounds & Atmosphere exercises Building an environment base on sounds with a suggestion like Sherlock Holmes
• Interested on one word
• Solo scene: The moderator puts music and each participant plays a solo scene in front of the camera for 3 minutes.
• One line + a silence response: Divide the group in pairs. Player A introduces a place, relationship, object or character and player B answers with silence. Player B don't do any gesture, he just stares are player A. Then player A finishes the scene with one last silence interpreting B's silence.
  • For A the silence will be akward and weird. All students must realize that silence can be a gift. Ella Galt believes that this comes from our improv lessons: Every player must answer “putting another brick for the castle”. The goal here is to consider silence as a valid answer
  • After a while Player B starts an activity or changes the location (goes out, enters a room) or his position (sits down). Now it must be easier for A to find a meaning to B's offer
• Next Sentence starts with the last word
• Emotional rollercoaster with silence: Every student writes down a list of positive and negative emotions. Then the group is divided in pairs. Player A starts a scene saying two lines establishing the place, relationship or the characters. Player B answers changes his activity or body position in silence. A looks at his list and aswers with a line and an emotion of the list. Afterwards B chooses another position or action, after which A which answer with another line and emotion. After 3-4 minutes the roles are swapped. It is important that A and B don't play at the same time. This gives each player enough attention to interpret the silent answer
  • Share the impression after this game. By now all players must see silence as a positive offer and see what freedom it gives
• 2-3 players with a talking stick: During the scene one player, holding a pen, can talk or mandate silence for everyone. When doing it online, all players have a pen nearby and the one holding it in front of the camera can talking or just wait (this generates silence)
  • There is not need to be polite: The time holding the pen can be divided unequally between the players
• Fantasy language and normal
• Pauze The moderator must not interrrupt the scene, it is better that he shows when the 5 seconds have passed with this fingers.
• Copy cat: Two players play a scene based on a suggestion. After a while a third player repeats the last sentence of one player and turns his camera on. The player whose sentence was repeated leaves the scene. Now a new scene is developed after a fourth player a sentence repeats and starts a new scene from there with the player who is staying. It is like a online freeze game.
• Dubbing actions
• Toaster: With silence at the beginning of each scene

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• Pen friends
• 3 lines scenes: in pairs. Player B answers and at the end Player A must finished the scene
  • Player A stars with a sentence like “Is that not a (crappy used car saleman?)”
  • Player A says a lyrics of a famous song
  • The moderator must tell make two online rows be telling every player who they follow

• Pasing a heavy or light brick around: Pasing other objects around. Each players mimics the movements of the last one. The moderator says who is next so everyone has to be focussed
• 32: Two or more players play a scene in a place given by the audience. They can't speak. Instead they have to count until 32, one number at the time. This helps the other players to listen and to concentrate in body language and entonation
• Silent Post: four monologues in a row with the other players outside the (virtual) room. To see how facial expressions and emotions are changed
• Gentle manipulation - dressage with an activity or action to guide the second player to guess what the action is
• Pen-Friends
• Reclamation
• 3 Different Sequences with a cities, fruits and cloths (movements, drinks, food, animals)
• Say one word in front of a supporting audience: All the players say the same word chosen by the moderator but we a different emotion
  • Ask the group what emotion they got from the player
• 1, 3, 5 words. 3 players can only say 1, 3 or five words per sentence
• Good Morning Fucko Not for online improv
• The clap