Faces

This is a long-form format that begins with a series of monologues. Each monologue is based on a character created from a picture of a face, which is projected on stage. Players are randomly assigned a face and then introduce the character in a monologue, building upon the image and audience suggestions for name, motivations, and social background. After all main characters are introduced, a series of scenes are played with these characters as the main parts, while auxiliary players may play side characters.

Factory Line

Players work in teams to construct an object or product on a factory line. Each worker provides one action or component towards crafting the final item. In the first round, teams silently perform a “production cycle,” and the audience guesses the product. In the second round, players add dialogue pertaining only to their work. In the third round, while still assembling the product, dialogue must be exclusively about a discovered past event, unrelated to their work.

Fairy Tale in a Minute

A well-known fairy tale or other story is performed in one minute. This game develops concise storytelling, rapid scene progression, and comedic pacing.

Family Dinner

In this game, audience members can be involved. An audience member describes several members of their family, and then a scene is played about a dinner at that family’s house. If the scene seems accurate, the audience member makes a bell sound (“Ring”); otherwise, they make a buzzer sound (“Meep”). If buzzed, players must redo their last action or line of dialogue until the audience member makes the bell sound.

Family Drive

Four players assume random family roles and an unrelated emotional state. A unifying destination for the drive can also be elicited. A scene is played where this patchwork of characters shares a car and hits the road. The focus is on the journey and the vivid, reactive characters rather than reaching the destination.

Family Portraits

Groups have a few seconds to create comical freeze-frame tableaus of different types of families (e.g., “Robot Family,” “Dinosaur Family”). They must include different age groups (children, adults, grandparents) and show relationships between characters, potentially including pets. The goal is to create interesting stage pictures with contrasting characters, expressions, and varying levels.

Famous Last Words

Players obtain a random line of dialogue, slogan, or platitude. A timed scene (often one minute) follows, which must culminate with a character dying after uttering this given phrase as their famous last words and as the closing words of the scene. This game offers a masterclass in reverse engineering, requiring the death to be fully supported and realized.

Famous Person Endowment

One player is given a number of famous persons, one for each other player in the scene. A scene is then played with all players, and the first player endows the others with the personalities of the given famous people. This is essentially the inverse of “Party Quirks.”

Fantasy Scene

Players work in pairs. They first establish a basic “who, what, and where” for a “real” scene. At some point, one character cues a fantasy from their perspective, and the second player instantly joins this new world, assuming a role within it. When the fantasy has served its purpose, either player cues a return to the original reality. The second player then launches their own fantasy world, and the scene ends with a sharp return to the first premise.

Fast Food Laban

This game is based on Laban movement theory. Players explore characters by combining three categories: Timing (Sudden or Sustained), Weight (Heavy or Light), and Space (Direct or Indirect). For example, “punching” is sudden/heavy/direct, while “stroking” is sustained/light/indirect. The attributes go with the characters, not necessarily the performer’s body.

Fast Food Stanislawski

Two players perform a scene, potentially with a title or location, and are also given a subtext for their character (e.g., “You want to seduce the other,” “You are a nerd”). The scene continues, and after a round of three scenes, an unrelated improv game is played. Then, the previous scenes are continued, with links emerging between them.

Fast Forward

A “director” or MC can interrupt a scene at any point and fast-forward (or backward) to another point in time. The story then continues from that new time. This technique employs both flash-forwards and flashbacks. It is also known as “Rewind.”

Fast Montage

This is a long-form format that serves as a transition from short to long-form improv. It consists of a series of unrelated scenes of any size or length, separated by blackouts. The players from the previous scene are expected to solicit a suggestion for the following scene after the blackout.

Feature Film

This is a long-form format based around the making of a movie. It includes a director character who can guide the players to replay poorly performed scenes or offer parts of the storyline. Besides scenes from the movie itself, it can also include scenes of what is happening behind the scenes, or involve the scriptwriter. It is also known as “At the Movies.”

Finger Applause

To warm up the audience, instruct them to clap not with their whole hands, but by starting with two fingers. Then, they gradually add more fingers until their whole hand is used. This is often most fun when clapping to music.

Fingertips

Played in pairs, this is a listening and trust exercise. One player closes their eyes and is guided by their partner, who touches their fingertips together. The challenge is to move around the room communicating only with fingertips, without speaking. Players explore how to change direction, move backward, and move forward.

Firing Squad

This is an association game, sometimes used as a warm-up. All players, except one “victim,” form a long line. The first player in the line throws any word to the victim, who responds as fast as possible with the first word that comes to mind. The next player in the line then throws another, usually unrelated, word, and the victim responds quickly. This continues until everyone has thrown a word.

First Line Last Line

A scene begins with an audience-given line and must end with that same line. The next group then starts their scene with that same line and concludes with a new line given from the audience. The pattern continues until all actors have played.

First Text, Last Text

In pairs or small groups, players have a conversation where the last letter of the last word said by one player is the first letter of the first word of the next player’s response. This game highlights the value of listening to the end of another person’s thought.

Five Letter Word

The team obtains a five-letter word from the audience, ideally with five unique letters. For the duration of the scene, players move through the letters in sequence (repeatedly) to begin each sequential sentence. A traditional ask-for, such as a location or relationship, can also be used to ground the action.

Five Things

Players stand in a circle. One player challenges another with a prompt like “Five Things a [blank] might say…” The challenged player must quickly provide five answers without stopping, while the group counts off each response. Each round culminates with a celebratory chant of “And that’s five things!”

Five Four Three Two One

Five entirely unconnected scenes take place in succession, based on five audience suggestions. The next wave of scenes consists of continuations of only four of the previous scenes, chosen by audience vote, host’s choice, or randomly. This process of elimination is repeated, with scenes becoming more interconnected, until a final scene ties everything up.

Fixed Points

This exercise involves capturing the body/being in a physical attitude in space and sustaining that enlivened shape for theatrical and comedic impact. A player is engaged in full-bodied physical movement, and then “stop” or “halt” is called. The player must arrest their movement, like a single frame in a film, and sustain that exact physical configuration.

Flock Dance

A type of movement improvisation where students mirror or shadow each other’s movements in groups, often in a diamond formation. Students follow the movements of a leader and share leadership throughout the group. This is an extended version of mirroring for three or more people.

Follow the Leader

All students except one form a circle, with the single student in the middle. The student in the middle closes their eyes while the rest of the group secretly chooses a “leader.” Once the leader is chosen, the student in the middle opens their eyes, and all other students mimic the leader’s actions or movements. The goal is for the student in the middle to identify the leader.

Follow the Leaver

Also known as “Pass-Off Scene,” this game creates a longer narrative piece by having the action follow a character as they exit a scene. When a character leaves, the scene follows them to a new location, and any remaining characters in the original location stealthily exit the stage. This continues as characters exit and new ones are introduced in different facets of a larger location.

Follow your Nose

Players walk around the space in a large circle. The teacher shouts different body parts (e.g., nose, chin, stomach, head, knee, foot, left arm) that the students must lead with while they walk, imagining a piece of string pulling them along by that body part. This can be extended to thinking of different characters that might walk that way.

Foot Touch Tag

One person is “it” and stands in one spot. Other players are paired up, side by side, touching one foot. The pairs swap names. The “it” person calls out a name. The named person must run to “it” without being tagged by the person whose name was called. If tagged, they return to their pair. If they get away, they join “it,” and the partnerless person becomes the new “it.”

Foreign Film Dub

Two players act out a scene in total gibberish, relying on physical humor and body language to give context clues. Two other actors serve as their “dubbers,” making up the scene and translating it into English.

Foreign Film Dubbing

Players perform scenes from an imaginary foreign film, emphasizing physical activity and emotional changes. Offstage dubbers watch their mouths, providing dialogue as soon as lips start moving and stopping when they stop. The dubbers should say words that seem “obvious” rather than trying to invent funny interpretations.

Foreign Film Translation

Two players improvise a story in Gibberish, while two others translate. The idea is to build the story together, with the “actors” giving elements to the translators, and the translators helping to steer the action for the “actors.” Also known as “Subtitles.”

Foreign Movie

Two or more actors play a scene without speaking, though they can move their mouths. Two or more players sit in front of the action and provide the speech, creating the effect of a dubbed movie.

Fortunately, Unfortunately

A story is told collaboratively, with alternating “fortunately” and “unfortunately” statements. This game develops narrative progression, quick thinking, and the ability to pivot between positive and negative developments.

Forward-Reverse

On the call of “Reverse,” players must replay their dialogue and actions in reverse. On “Forward,” the scene moves forward again.

Fosse

A scene in the style of a Bob Fosse musical, characterized by finger-snapping, tilted bowler hats, net stockings, splayed gloved fingers, turned-in knees and toes, and shoulder rolls. Players enact a person’s day or activity, with the player at the front leading and all others imitating.

Fortune Cookie

Players open a fortune cookie, read the fortune aloud, and then improvise a scene based on it. A variation involves giving every player a fortune cookie, with each player then needing to show that fortune in their character.

Fortune Teller

Three students act as fortune tellers, answering questions about the future from the rest of the class. The fortune tellers can only speak one word at a time, taking turns to build the response. The key is to work together spontaneously to answer the question, focusing on listening and acting on impulses.

Free Association

A common warm-up where players associate meaning to something without judgment, censorship, or thought. In a circle, one player free associates on the previous player’s free association, creating a series of disconnected words. This helps players break free from overthinking.

Free Association Lines

Players are on two lines, facing each other. One player walks to another in the opposite line, throwing them a word just before reaching them. The receiver then crosses the line towards someone else, throwing a new word, and so on. This encourages free association and can be easier for new players as they feel less “on the spot.”

Free Falling

A trust-building exercise where players stand in a circle with one player in the middle. The player in the middle closes their eyes, slowly turns, and then lets themselves fall backward (or forward), to be caught by the other players.

Free-Form Improv

This refers to improv with no specific rules or format, typically a narrative long-form. Players ask for a suggestion and start playing scenes. Scenes or storylines may or may not be related, and can be inspired by the original suggestion or previous scenes.

Freeze

Two students begin an improv scene. At any point, another student can call “freeze,” tag out one of the actors, and take their place. The two new students then must start a new scene, justifying their current physical positions.

Freeze Game

Players perform a short scene. On the call “Freeze!” they hold positions, and new players replace them, taking the same positions but in a different situation. This game is good for teaching efficient who/what/where, encouraging spontaneity, and justifying unexpected situations.

Freeze Tag

Two actors begin an improvised scene. At any point, another player can call “Freeze!” and tag out one of the actors, taking their exact physical position. The two new players then start a new scene, justifying their positions based on the frozen poses.

French Braid

This format consists of a number of unrelated scenes that are interrupted and then continue at a later point. Two or more players start a scene, and when another player enters, the scene is interrupted, and the new player(s) start a new scene. This repeats until all players have played, then the series restarts with the first scene, continuing or jumping forward in time.

French Harold

A Harold that takes place in one environment. It is a series of scenes connected by a common general theme, with all scenes based on that theme. [37]

Front Desk

One player is front and center, acting as a help desk employee for a major retail store. Other players wait in line, creating characters with distinct movements, sounds, and wants. Each character approaches the help desk with a strong request. The help desk player offers help, then leaves the help desk and heads to the back of the line, maintaining their character.

Fruit Basket

All players but one sit in a circle, with one person in the middle. The person in the middle calls out a category or descriptive that applies to some or all players (e.g., “everyone wearing jeans”). If a player matches the description, they must leave their chair and find another. The person who doesn’t find a chair becomes the next in the middle. When “Fruitbasket” is called, everyone changes chairs.

Funeral Service

This game can be used as a long-form format or an exercise. The stage is set up as a funeral or viewing. One player is the deceased, visible in a casket. The audience suggests an odd way to die, and the death is played. Then, guests at the funeral service take turns presenting monologues about their experience with the deceased, followed by a flashback scene of what was described.

Fusillade

A fast-thinking exercise where all players line up in two lines, facing each other. The MC or trainer yells a word/title, and the next player in line has 30 seconds to perform something based on the suggestion. After 30 seconds, a new title/word is given, and the next player goes.

Fuzzy Ducky

Players sit in a circle and take turns saying “Fuzzy duck.” A player can randomly say “Does he?”, which reverses the direction of play and changes the phrase to “Ducky fuzz.” If a player says the wrong thing, plays out of turn, or breaks the rhythm, they must take a drink.