This is a fun and somewhat silly variation of the classic childhood game that serves as a quick and energetic decider.
The Basics
Players face off against each other in pairs (typically from opposing teams). The host or facilitator provides a countdown from three, after which the featured players must adopt and hold random frozen poses. Each player is then invited to name what they are (justifying their positions in the process). The host then prompts the audience to vote for which “thing” wins (in a loosely “scissors beats paper” kind of way). The victorious player gains one point for their team, and the process is repeated if needed to determine the overall winner of the decider.
Example
Two players stand toe to toe as the host begins the countdown. Both competitors snap into poses.
Host: “Alright, Player A, what do you have?”
Player A: (who is standing with their body contorted into a knot, and after a moment of thought) “The world’s largest pretzel. “
Host: (to the second posed player) “And what do you have?”
Player B: (with the palm of their hand outstretched and empty) “An ant playing a tiny piano…”
Host: (to the audience with sweeping gestures) “So, with your applause, which one wins? Is it the pretzel… or the ant pianist?”
The Focus
Don’t overthink it. And give no heed to the votes at all as it’s all rather delightfully random.
Traps and Tips
I generally avoid offering shortcuts, but there are competing styles of play that tend to coexist within this structure that are worth outlining.
1.) Embrace the risk. In theory, especially if you’re an improv purist, this is the way you should always play the game. When the countdown sounds, challenge yourself to empty your mind and strike a bold pose. Then, figure out what that pose might be when the host throws the spotlight to you in a very traditional Freeze Tag kind of way. The audience will revel in your struggle, and the results will be wildly uneven and unpredictable. And there’s a good chance you will lose! Especially if your opponent applies one of the following approaches…
2.) Embrace the moment. Again, noting my distaste for offering “solutions” to knotty improv riddles, it’s not uncommon for players to tackle the decider from an “answers first” method. Here, a topical celebrity, reference, or meme might inspire their pose, thereby setting up a more surefire quip or punchline. This certainly minimizes the risk of the game but, frankly, can elevate the overall payoff when done with charm and commitment. There’s a good chance your wittier construction will win over the audience on the vote, but the game may lose much of its danger if every offer is preloaded in this fashion.
3.) Embrace the obvious. And sometimes it’s fun just to throw rock, paper, or scissors into the mix as an homage to the original. I wouldn’t advocate this becoming your stock choice, especially if you play the game often, and my skin crawls a little even mentioning this technique, but it can add a nice flavor to the mix when combined with the two techniques above.
In performance
Approach number one will certainly serve you best in the training hall (unless you’re workshopping puns or punchlines), and my preference would be for this to serve as the norm in performance. Still, those who have played the game a while will likely confess to peppering in the other two methods (at least occasionally or perhaps even subconsciously). If you only play in the latter styles, however, you might be avoiding the inherent risk and silly beauty of the decider, and that might be something worth considering.
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Cheers, David Charles.
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Photo Credit: Kalani Senior
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