Family Portraits, an improv group exercises
As described by Lisa Bany. Oh, the uses for Family Portraits! I use this for team building, for brain yoga, for non-verbal communication, for trusting your gut and embracing imperfection, for character and scene idea development, and for performances! Divide the group in half. Groups gather together as if they’re having a family picture taken, perhaps with some levels, some folks standing behind others who are sitting, etc. If…
Interactive Sensory Art Exhibit
A.K.A “Yes, Yes, Yes.” As described by Lisa Bany. An improv exercise for using the five senses to feel present in the moment, and creating a unique experience with an ensemble Inspired by therapeutic exercises that use the five senses to ground oneself and feel present in the moment (such as 5,4,3,2,1)*, I created this exercise for improvisers to explore their senses in a creative and grounding way. Let’s imagine…
First Word, Last Word: An Improv Therapy Group game about listening and being in the moment.
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…
Worms: An Improv Therapy Group visualization exercise for finding the humor in saying YES
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…
Imperfect Pairs: An Improv Therapy Group scenic exercise for embracing imperfection
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…
Pocket Line : A traditional low-stakes improv game used for decreasing anxiety
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:…
Hot Spot: An Improv Therapy Group “Follow the Fear” exercise
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…
Stuck inside? Play Fancy Lady/Hairy Monster
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?”…
Ease into Freeze: The Improv Therapy Group way to teach the traditional improv game, Freeze
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. …
Yes And Friend: An Improv Therapy Group exercise
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…
Sculptures: An Improv Therapy Group exercise
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…
Storytelling, An Improv Therapy Group exercise
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…
Love It! An improv therapy group exercise inspired by the improv games Emotional Symphony, Gripes, and Rants & Raves
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…
Comma, an improv therapy group exercise
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…
Silent Scream, an improv therapy group exercise
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…
Mirror Talk: An improv therapy group exercise
An improv team is in front of an audience. They ask for a suggestion of an activity. The audience says, “dancing.” Right away the entire team begins disco dancing at what appears to be the exact same time. How did they do that? How did they all know to disco dance instead of tango or macarena? The answer: One of them started to point to the sky, and the others…
Chain-O-Links, an improv exercise
Creating a story as a group bonds an ensemble, helps us stay in the moment, and encourages us to let go of perfection, all while laughing together. This is one of my favorite storytelling/group bonding exercises. To start, three participants volunteer for the “easiest jobs” of this exercise. For player one I get a suggestion of an occupation (plumber) and an object (apple). Player one’s line is: “Once there was…
Therapist Know-It-All, an Improv Therapy Group exercise based on One Word Story
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….
Da-do Da-do, An Improv Therapy Group warm-up based in word association
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…
Inspirational Inventions – An Improv Therapy Group adaptation of the improv game Ad Campaign
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
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
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…
Recovering from Control Issues and Learning to Trust the Process
“Trust the Process.” I was frustrated when Lisa said that to me. We were leading an improv group in a treatment setting and I was annoyed that people were not following the rules of the game. I leaned over to Lisa and whispered, “That is not what you told them to do. They are not doing it right.” Lisa gave me a sweet dimpled smile and said, “Trust the process.” …
Pass the ball, I’m not afraid to fail
There is an improv game we play with adults at recovery treatment centers. The exercise calls for someone to start with an imaginary ball of energy. The first person is holding the ball, moving it around with their hands and describing what it is. “I’m holding a beach ball,” says the first player. After pretending to bounce it a few times, they toss the ball to another player in the…
Characters Building Character
Comedic Improvisers are known for their ability to create absurd and wacky characters, often including funny voices or strange physicalities. These performances are entertaining, as the characters might remind us of people we know, or are simply so outlandish we cannot help but laugh. In Improv Therapy, character work is a difficult skill that is often saved for more experienced groups. But encouraging patients to experiment with taking on heightened…
Five Joyful Things – An Improv Therapy Group adaptation of the warm-up game Five Things
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…
I Am Somebody – An Improv Therapy Group Warm Up
It’s the first day with a new group. They may be apprehensive about being in an improv class, a recovery group session or an event they are attending . They don’t know me, and I have yet to earn their trust. I want to show them that this is going to be fun, that we’re going to laugh together. I want the group participants to know they are going to…
What Are You Doing – An Improv Therapy Group Exercise
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…