One-Liner Games
These aren’t exactly improv, in the pure, improvised acting sense of the word- but they are improv in that we never know what’s coming. These games involve some sort of suggestion in which the end result by the players is to make a quick, snappy joke for the audience.
99 Blanks
(all players)
The company makes up bar jokes on the spot, as audience suggestions of nouns are given. The joke takes on the basic form of “99 _____ walk into a bar.” For example, the audience suggests a random noun: nails. A performer steps forward and says, “99 nails walk into a bar. Boy did they get hammered.” Another steps forward and says, “99 nails walk into a bar. They got drunk and nailed a bored waitress.” And so on.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Advice
(3 players)
Three players invite the audience to ask them questions, as if they are professional help consultants. One player gives the audience members good advice, one gives them bad advice, and one’s advice is just uuuuuuugly!
Props
(4 players)
Players in teams are given odd props. They must figure out as many creative uses for the props as they can.
Scenes From a Hat
(all players)
Players are given suggestions from the audience for the strangest, most awkward, or in some cases, most deceptively normal scenes imaginable. The players then play out a few lines from each scene, coming up with variations on similar themes.
Three-Headed Oracle / Word-at-a-Time Oracle
(3 players)
Three players link arms and shoulders and answer audience questions about the future. The trick is that the “Oracle” must answer each question one word at a time, with each word coming from one of its “heads.”
World’s Worst
(all players)
Players take suggestions from the audience for the world’s worst example of various things, acting them out for cheap laughs. For example, one suggestion might be ”World’s worst babysitter,” to which the audience inevitably wants to see a performer step forward and say sheepishly and high-pitched, “Hi, I’m Michael Jackson.” Please don’t make us do more Michael Jackson jokes. Update: Thank God for Senator Foley. (for the sake of comedy of course)
