As described by Lisa Bany. I remember Martin de Maat (my Columbia College/Second City mentor) pointing out how people are often thinking about what they want to say long before the person they’re talking to has finished speaking, missing the latter part of the conversation. We play this game to practice staying present in the moment, and listening through to the very end. Player One makes a statement. Player Two…

Students often ask me, “if I’m always saying YES in improv, how do we have any conflict or things that make our scenes interesting?” To demonstrate that YES AND is about accepting the situation, and saying yes to moving it forward, but that our character doesn’t have to like it, I created this visualization exercise: Imagine you have a bowl in your hands. It’s a very special bowl. It’s your…

Start with getting suggestions for occupations, animals or other types of characters such as: Astronauts Firefighters Ballerinas Penguins Zombies Then decide what would be the typical or “perfect” thing for these characters to be doing such as: Astronauts are floating through space Firefighters are putting out fires Ballerinas are dancing in a show Penguins are playing in the snow Zombies are eating brains Now mix it up! Randomly choose one…

A traditional low-stakes improv game used for decreasing anxiety, staying present in the moment, letting go of perfection, increasing confidence and finding humor in stressful situations.  DMV EMPLOYEE: What do you want? MEGAN: I need to renew my expired license. DMV EMPLOYEE: Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.  Everyone laughs including Megan who has been feeling anxiety about her upcoming errand to the DMV.  Here’s how to play:…

This improv warm up game is some people’s favorite, but it is also some people’s least favorite because it involves singing. (groans from students). Yes, I’m afraid there will be singing.  What’s worse is that you’ll be asked to stand in the middle of a circle and start a song all by yourself. This can be very much out of many people’s comfort zone, but I want to remind you…

Here’s an improv game I have played with young and old, from all walks of life. It plays on the humor of opposites, and on having fun with two basic characters: A fancy lady, and a hairy monster. The game starts with all players taking on the character of a very fancy lady, and reciting together: “I’m a Fancy Lady, yes it’s true. I’m a Fancy Lady, how about you?”…

Freeze is the most popular improv game. If you have a friend who only knows one improv game, Freeze is the one they know. I like to think of it as the improviser’s playground. A chance to do a bunch of short scenes and include things like inside jokes, character gifts and callbacks. But for some Freeze is intimidating. It brings up pressures of initiating and trying to be funny. …

Here’s a way to practice Yes And, while being able to name and celebrate what we look for in a friend. Players are in small groups of about four people. Imagine that the four of you are best friends. You’ve known each other a long time. You love getting together, and doing things together. There is a fifth of you. Another friend whom you all love. Invent this friend together…

This exercise demonstrates some of the very basic principles of improv and communication in an active, fun, low-stakes way. We are going to make 2-person human sculptures. Players are in a circle. First player strikes a pose in the middle of the circle. Second player adds to that pose to complete the 2-person human sculpture. The third player, inspired by what the first two did, names the sculpture. There are…

Telling our stories is one of the best ways to connect. This exercise increases empathy, team bonding and communication skills. Participants are in teams of about six (often the class is split in half) Teams sit in tight circles together. Each player is going to tell a one-minute true story about themselves. It can be an embarrassing moment story, an injury story, a celebrity meeting, a vacation story, a childhood…

There are many versions of emotion symphony type improv games. I have found that keeping things positive in recovery can be a beneficial and positive way to get folks into the improv frame of mind. Players are in teams, and position themselves half sitting and half standing behind them so that everyone can see me, the conductor. Each player will get a topic to rave about. They can choose their…

Word association is a great improv exercise to help us stay in the moment, listen to our partner, and react without overthinking or judging our own responses. Comma adds the element of furthering our thoughts, and sharing more about ourselves. Participants are in a circle. Start with any suggestion, such as summertime. First player says what summertime makes them think of. Whatever they said, the next person says what that…

Recognizing and expressing emotions is a skill that can be practiced to build empathy and emotional intelligence. In this exercise participants get to safely explore a variety of emotions, practice non-verbally communicating them, and practice recognizing them in others. As we play the game we also develop an elaborate list of emotions (similar to the emotion wheel) to refer to in further emotional work. Participants are divided into teams. Teams…

Playing one word story is one of the best ways I know to practice embracing imperfection and staying in the moment. Playing a therapist who knows it all is a great way to practice feeling confident, and celebrating that there are no wrong answers.  Players are in small groups of three to five people. The first goal is to try to tell a story together one word at a time….

This exercise starts as simple word association, then transforms into a rhythm game. We use the rhythm to help us get out of our heads and not overthink, as well stir up some energy and fun. Players are sitting in a circle. We are going to warm up by practicing word association – saying the first word that comes to mind when you hear the previous word. I say the…

YES AND instills self-confidence. Knowing that everyone in the room will say yes to all of your ideas at all times gives us the freedom to say what we feel without fear of rejection. Sometimes there is a voice in my head that says, “don’t say that. They might not like that. That won’t be funny enough. That won’t be good enough.” I tell my students, “Crumple that voice up…

Yes And Alien, An Improv Therapy Group exercise   Now that we have learned YES AND, I want experience creating something as a group together, but I don’t want to be limited to this world, so we create a YES AND Alien together. Players are in a circle. We are imagining that there is an alien in the middle of the circle. I start by saying a statement about the…

Yes And Adventure An Improv Therapy Group exercise   Everyone get a partner. Your task is for you and your partner to plan an amazing adventure together, but for the first part of the exercise you must start every sentence with either “no” or “yes, but…” For example, if your partner says, “Let’s go to Hawaii,” you might respond with, “no, I’d rather go to Europe,” or “yes, but it’s…

Five Joyful Things An Improv Therapy Group adaptation of the warm-up game Five Things   With all of the stress and struggles in the world today, especially for those in recovery, I like to begin an improv therapy class with something positive. Something that reminds us to be grateful for even the small joys in our lives.    Students are in a circle. I say, “We’re going to each share…

What Are You Doing?        An Improv Therapy Group Exercise After warming up I want to give players a taste of performing in a fun low-stakes charades-type way, so I play What Are You Doing. HOW TO PLAY Players are in a circle.  I ask for a suggestion of someone’s hobby. “Knitting” I then ask the person to my right to pretend to knit. While they are doing that…