YES! AND… Short Story Game: How to Play Large Group Warm Up Improv Games, Team Building

This is great game for corporate events and introducing YES! AND… techniques. Read description below. CLICK HERE for more games. Clink links above for public shows and classes, live from Times Square NYC. EMAIL for more information about private workshops and entertainment.

YES! AND… SHORT STORIES

Staging:

• Break into groups of 6-10 players each (adjust based on actual group size).
• Within each circle, establish someone as PLAYER ONE and count off around the circle each, adjust based on actual group size).

Sample MC Set Up:

• Now we’re going to play a game called SHORT STORIES.
• This game will be a series of 5-line conversations.
• To start, PLAYER ONE will offer a statement to begin a new scene.
• Keep it simple, in a perfect world we establish a WHO WHERE WHAT, but for now, I NEED A NEW PAIR OF SHOES is enough.
• PLAYER TWO responds YES AND… (add statement here).
• PLAYER ONE responds YES AND… (add statement here).
• PLAYER TWO responds YES AND… (add statement here).
• PLAYER ONE responds YES AND… (add statement here).
• END of scene.
• Now, PLAYER TWO starts a 5-line scene with PLAYER THREE.
• Continue until the last player starts a scene with PLAYER ONE, giving everyone a chance to do 2 mini scenes.

Game Play:

• PLAYER ONE starts a scene with a simple statement
• PLAYER TWO responds with “YES, AND…” and adds to the scene.
• Players continue to alternate “YES, AND…” responses, building the scene for a total of 5 lines.
• The scene ends after the 5th line.
• The next player starts a new 5-line scene with the person next to them.
• Continue around the circle until everyone has participated in two scenes.

Teaching Tips:

• Encourage players to keep their statements short and simple.
• Remind them to actively listen and build on each other’s ideas.
• Focus on establishing a clear “who, where, what” in the first few lines if possible.
• Emphasize the importance of accepting and heightening each other’s offers.

Remember:

• The goal is to create quick, collaborative stories.
• Don’t worry about creating perfect scenes, just focus on having fun and making simple choices that support your scene partner.
• This game is excellent for developing listening skills, spontaneity, and the ability to build scenes quickly.

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Walt Frasier has 25+ years of professional credits in comedy, Theater and music. He got his big break in TV performing comedy sketches on MTV’s Stankervision, Late Nite with David Letterman, TruTV’s Friends of the People, and most recently on HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay. As an actor, Frasier has appeared on NBC’s Blacklist, CBS’s Blue Bloods, USA’s Royal Pains (Filmed in Puerto Rico), Netflix’s Lilyhammer (filmed in Norway) and NICK’s Naked Brothers Band. In addition to 1000s of live performances around the world, Frasier has also appeared in numerous commercials, industrials, webisodes and reality TV shows.