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Welcome to ImprovDr.com

Hello! Let me take a moment to introduce myself and welcome you to ImprovDr.com. I’m David, and I’ve been an improvisational practitioner for over 35 years now. I’ve spent the bulk of my professional and academic life writing about, dreaming about, and figuring out different ways to use improv in my teaching, directing, and on the stage as a performer.

Take a look around the website to learn a little more about me and my various experiences and projects. I’ve called my blog “The Short and the Long of it” as I’m one of those improvisers who likes to play on both sides on the fence, and as many do, believes that skills learnt in one style truly make you stronger in the other: are there still (m)any folks out there who don’t agree that these are really two parts of the same thing despite any posturing to the contrary?

A little about my journey: I was introduced to improvisation through Theatresports in my home nation of New Zealand during the late 1980s, and those lessons have deeply shaped my view and approach to the craft. (Shout out to Logan Park High School and Stripy Socks where the passion began – more on that in another post!) During the early 90s I came to the United States to study theatre and was a financially poor but artistically enriched student at Roosevelt University in Chicago. While I played with ComedySportz and later studied at the Players Workshop of the Second City, I now kick myself looking back on those days that I didn’t have the time and money to fully take advantage of all the amazing things that were happening at that special time in that dynamic place.

And then, as I often joke, I followed the Mississippi river (loosely) to Western Illinois University in Macomb for my MFA and then to Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge for my PhD. Because, of course, nothing makes more sense that someone committed to improv leaving Chicago in the mid-1990s… These new locations, needless-to-say, had much less access to improv, and so like many have done before me and will continue to do so now, I made as many opportunities as I could, creating shows and organizing troupes as there wasn’t anything ready-made, all the while reading up on anything I could get my hands on to further expand my own horizons.

In 2003, my doctorate fresh in hand, I relocated to the Orlando area in Florida to accept a teaching position at Rollins College, where the improv continued, and I had the good fortune to quickly connect with Sak Comedy Lab. This venue has been my professional improv home for about 20 years now minus a hiatus of 18 months or so when I was in the company of Walt Disney World’s now sadly defunct Comedy Warehouse. In the early 2000s there was little in the way of long-form in the area, and I’ve been doing my part to push that envelope whenever and wherever I can: on my home campus of Rollins, at Sak Comedy Lab, and in other Florida venues when they’ve let me onto their stages! This website includes some images and descriptions of the fruits (fresh or otherwise) of these improvisational long-form labors, and you’ll also see that I’ve never strayed far from being an active short-form player at the same time.

So, that’s the short and the long of it (this was probably more on the long side than I intended, but if you become a frequent visitor, you’ll quickly learn that I love words and am as verbose on the page as I am on the stage despite my best efforts to the contrary!) I’m going to strive to make weekly posts about games or techniques that I’m currently working with or musing on, and I also welcome you to pose any questions or conundrums that you might have in regard to this art-form that consumes so many of us so wonderfully and so completely. Maybe I’ll have a few thoughts that can help you unlock something in a new way.

Cheers, David Charles.
improvdr.com
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All website and blog material (c) 2020-2025

Looking for the ImprovDr “Game Library”? Then go here.

Or looking for the ImprovDr “A to Z of Improv” now in print with Routledge? Then go here. You can read about my journey creating this resource in this feature in Winter Park Magazine.

If you want to learn more about my improv path, you can listen to the RebelRebel podcast here or the Improv Autopsy podcast here and here.

Read my recent co-authored article in the Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism here.

And you can see some love for my blog from Feedspot here.

Game Library: “Four Lines”

As the R&D Show continues its run and promise of all-new games, I increasingly find myself in search of new formats, particularly larger cast warm-ups as we usually have 12 lab assistants joining the fun for the second act. I devised this fun replay variation to meet this recurring need.

The Basics

Members of the ensemble work in (perhaps predetermined) pairs. A brief initial scene is created based on a prompt that only features Four Lines (hence the title). Different players are then shuffled onto the stage, and the host offers a small (or not-so-small) adjustment to the given circumstances. The new pair now repeats the scene, using the exact same dialogue, while embracing the altered conditions. The brief scene replays with new adjustments until everyone has played at least once, possibly with the original pair returning to provide the last variation.

Example

“Biting your fingernails” is offered as a small interpersonal pet peeve to inspire the action. The first pair take the stage and improvise a “neutral” iteration of the action.

Player A: (seeing Player B sitting on the couch and biting their nails – with annoyance) “I see you’re home early…”

Player B: (while chewing away) “Yeh, my morning class got canceled.”

Player A: (tempted to slap B’s hand out of their mouth but remaining reserved) “We’ve talked about you not doing that.”

Player B: (unruffled) “I didn’t think you were serious, Sophia.”

Blackout. The emcee obtains a new framing ask-for or adjustment and Players C and D tag out the first players from their starting poses. The action is now a first date in a movie theatre…

Player C: (seeing Player D sitting in the movie seats and biting their nails – with affection) “I see you’re here early…”

The scene and replays continue…

The Focus

This is truly a slimmed down version of Replay or Most Scenes in a Minute (see here and here) with a rotating rather than consistent cast, so those game pointers largely apply as well. If you mine the subtext of the lines, you can really find vast new possibilities for the scene and relationship.

Traps and Tips

1.) For the first scene. Don’t think of the scene as just the four lines or you’ll have a base model with very few details to model. Focus on setting up stage geography, mood, and relationship (or all the key CROW ingredients, for that matter). To this end, assume strong physical starting positions so the scene has a “starting in the middle” vibe. I’ve perhaps clumsily described the first performance as “neutral” – by that I mean, don’t lean into a broad style or overlay as this is the terrain that will follow. Consider the first crack at the story as grounded and set in the here and now. You only get four lines, so make them important. That being said, keep the dialogue succinct and memorable. I’m also a fan of a little specific ambiguity as this also gives room for surprising twists and development.

2.) For the first replay. The second pair to the stage model the flow of the game so it’s important that this initial transition is precise and clean. If you’re using this to warmup a larger group, it can be helpful to have everyone repeat the lines of dialogue aloud before the first switch just to maximize the likelihood dialogue will be remembered. (Pre-assigning who will be replacing Players A and B respectively will help with this, too). Incoming players should assume the exact positions of the outgoing characters who should snap back into their starting or “one” positions to facilitate. (If the emcee plans to radically change the environment or context each time, you might want to omit this Freeze Tag overlay.) It’s helpful for those who will follow to pace this first reenactment. If the first replay significantly ups the energy, resets the norms, or changes every line of text (deliberately or by accident) there’s not really much room for the greater exercise to expand. On the other hand, if the first replay excels in subtle shifts of tone and intention, the playing field will remain wide and open for future improvisers.

3.) For the subsequent replays. Building on the above note, the curve of absurdity should be your friend especially when viewed across the game as a whole (rather than one small individual step or replay). Look to satisfy the pitch from the emcee while also honoring discovered games and trends that unite the vignettes. As best you can, keep the opening poses and the original dialogue intact. (In my book, it’s okay to shift a word here or there to honor the new given context – so “home” becomes “here” in the above example to recognize the shift in location.) Subtext and stage directions, however, are ripe locations for mischievous play and reimagining. I’ve tried to nod to this potential with the first player’s disgust morphing into affection, although that large a move will probably serve better a few replays into the action. If you have a set number of pairs playing, I think an attitude of “leaving room for those who follow” becomes especially important as you don’t want the series of scene to climax before half the ensemble has even hit the stage.

4.) For the facilitating emcee. Know what you want to get out of the game as this will also set your focus and inspire your adjustments. When we first played it, my stated thesis was that small changes could have a big influence, so each new premise tried to tweak a seemingly minor (though ripe) ingredient. If you’re going to the audience for new inspirations, make sure you’re guiding them a little into the fruitful terrain you’d like to investigate. It’s great to simply explore genres or styles, but I’ve found it’s equally fun to make the focus a little something more out of the ordinary. So, each replay could try to just gently increase the amount of love being felt, or decrease the amount of physical space available, or adjust the ages of the characters… (See Age Replay here for how I added a blind component to this concept as well.) In this way you can keep the frame of the exercise while pursuing markedly different scenic or comedic results.

The R&D Twist

This fast-paced series of scenes provides a nice way to get the whole ensemble up and playing together. It requires a little advanced sorting as you can lose a lot of time and energy if there isn’t a clear sense of who’s playing next and in what positions. I also strongly recommend the device of having the whole company repeat the lines before leaping into the action – the fun of watching characters butcher the dialogue will quickly evaporate if following scenes now have little to nothing to mirror and explore!

New to ImprovDr.com or the Game Library? You can find the ever-expanding collection of games, exercises, and warm-ups here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Tony Firriolo
© 2026 David Charles/ImprovDr

The R&D Show Expansion Pack

Game Library: “Environment Endowment”

This format provides a delightful variation on the endowment subset of improv games. I’d forgotten all about it, to be honest, until I went on the hunt for an off-the-beaten-track game for my R&D Show at Sak Comedy Lab.

The Basics

An environment or location is obtained and then the entire team leaves the space so they cannot hear the remaining set up. While they’re gone, two words related to the setting (often objects) and one activity likely to be performed in the space are obtained by the emcee or facilitator. When the players return, they create an improv scene in which they attempt to say the two hidden words and partake in the given action. The audience should “ooh” and “aah” appropriately to help improvisers know when they are getting close. The scene concludes when all the given elements have been successfully identified or a preset time limit has been reached.

Example

The team is assigned a desert as their location, and while they’re out of the space the audience assigns “oasis,” “cactus,” and “riding a camel” as the three ask-fors. The team is summoned back into the theatre, and the scene begins…

Player A: (crawling painfully on the ground) “I don’t think we’re ever going to be found in all these sand dunes. I don’t know how much longer I can go on.”

Player B: (assuming a similar position while playing with a compass) “If you’d checked the airplane’s fuel when I asked you to… I can’t seem to get any reading at all on this compass, or at least nothing that I can understand.”

Player A: “Does the sun set in the east or the west? Have we just been walking around in circles?”

Player B: “I don’t know what to tell you, Drea. All I know is that if we don’t find some water and shade soon…”

The audience “oohs” at the mention of water…

The Focus

Putting the endowment part of the exercise aside, this premise provides strong motivation to build nuanced and detailed worlds with lots of great objects and characteristics.

Traps and Tips

1.) During the host’s set-up. This scene requires a little more finagling than you might be accustomed to in terms of eliciting helpful audience suggestions. Most base locations will work as long as they have multiple features and components. (Being stuck in an elevator might be a little too limiting, for example.) When it comes to the hidden elements, consider your performance parameters. If you’re playing within a tight time limit, you might want a couple of the items to be at least a little obvious. If you’re looking for a longer offering, then leaning into related but slightly obscure choices will likely serve better. In either case, it’s typically wise to rule out the really obvious candidates, such as “sand” or “dune” for our desert location, as it will make the scene pace odd if the first move in the scene ticks off one or more of the missing components. I tend to lean toward nouns or objects for the first two words just as this tends to encourage players to create props in their world which is more fun and can also lead them toward the generally more difficult activity as well.

2.) During the players’ absence. When the improvisers are released from the theatre as the host brainstorms the endowment pieces, it’s incredibly helpful for them to engage in some quick brainstorming as to possible elements. (This is why it’s important to get the base environment before the team leaves the space.) You don’t want the scene to devolve into nothing more than a loose list of references and guesses, but it can open up improv doorways if everyone quickly considers fruitful possibilities. What kinds of people or occupations might be found within the world? Is there jargon or lingo that might commonly be used, or props that tend to define the location? Perhaps even exploring a “third thought” attitude to the scenic prompt might help. Deserts tend to be devoid of water, so what are some related strategies or ways of solving that as a character?

3.) During the scene itself. Take risks. Pursue active choices. Fill the stage with objects and potentials. Above all, however, listen to each other and the audience. If players act as individual detectives hunting for the right answers, you won’t get much of a scene. So, you’ll want to make extra sure you’re building off each other’s ideas and seeing what doorways organically emerge as a result. A dynamic story will more likely lead you into fruitful territory than a random series of buckshot announcements. That being said, if you haven’t heard any response from the audience for a while, that’s their way of telling you that you are barking up the wrong tree (or cactus) and so you’ll want to look for ways to evolve the direction of the exploration. Repeating the same “wrong” choices again and again won’t ultimately get you any closer to the endowment finish line, so let the story expand.

4.) During the scene’s culmination. As is the case with all endowment games, it’s more than fine if you don’t end up finding all the clues especially if you’ve given the audience a joyful and brave journey along the way. Time reminders from the emcee can help shape an incomplete picture by strategically ramping up the stakes. Similarly, the host can (should) encourage the audience to offer feedback if the players are feeling a little rudderless or abandoned. Often, the activity provides the most challenging element to find, so I find it helpful to try to first focus on the two objects just so everyone tastes a little victory early on in the action. As the activity might require several elements, it tends to be a little more impressive as the scenic climax or button (especially when the players fully commit to performing the given activity). As is the case with Crime Endowment (see here) and other related games, bringing back all the discovered puzzle pieces at the end of the scene provides a lovely out as well.

The R&D Twist

This game rewards pursuing the obvious in our scene work and is worth a look for that reason alone. Initially, I resuscitated the concept as an offering for the R&D lab assistants but I’m considering expanding it into our first act down the road as well. Simpler ask-fors were needed for the former; expanding the number and difficulty of the hidden elements will certainly be needed for the latter.

New to ImprovDr.com or the Game Library? You can find the ever-expanding collection of games, exercises, and warm-ups here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
© 2026 David Charles/ImprovDr

The R&D Show Expansion Pack

“B” is for “Beauty”

“Let us be very clear on this. Theatre cannot be dependent on the frills and trappings which surround it. Drama is born with force and beauty in any empty space whether square, rectangular or circular. “
Safdar Hashmi, “The Right to Perform.” Radical Street Performance. An International Anthology. Ed. Jan Cohen-Cruz. London: Routledge, 1998. 31-37.

Definition

This entry finds inspiration in part from discussions with my two Aussie Nicks (sounds like a shaving accident) during a life-changing Improvention conference in Canberra. The term Beauty perhaps conjures hopelessly romantic images. And while there is certainly room for this type of material and energy in improv, I’m using the word here to describe a more holistic approach to our craft – an attitude that seeks on some level to elevate and prioritize humanity’s more admirable instincts and creations rather than needlessly and repeatedly dwelling in the stench and muck. Which isn’t to argue that the grimier hues of life don’t also belong in our performances. (Although, through the lens of beauty, perhaps even these can be handled with an eye toward revealing a light and lightness.)

Example

A character finds themselves relentlessly bullied through the course of a dramatic action. At the end of the show, the company finds some glimmer of hope, comfort, or redemption for their story (as opposed to leaving them in an ugly state of despair).

In Pursuit of the Beautiful.

1.) Beware of cynicism. Most weekends, when I’m not engaged in other projects, I’m performing short-form in front of family audiences. This demographic poses a particular challenge in terms of content. It’s not an uncommon observance during intermission that our scene work has inadvertently veered into gruesome tones, perhaps stinging or somber endings or plot twists having become the norm. It often seems that improvisers are drawn to these macabre revelations and reversals, while more general audiences (especially those containing younger patrons) do not always share the same morbid fascination. When the distasteful or sour move starts to dominate the performance, a general sense of cynicism frequently takes hold. Arguably, this mood accurately reflects our greater world, and it’s worthwhile to interrogate theatre modes that aspire to nothing more than trivial escapism. However, replicating the uglier aspects of life again and again can wear heavily on everyone involved, and if you’re aspiring to produce an entertaining or uplifting evening of improv, audiences might quickly tire of a performance style that disproportionately lingers in the cruel, mean-spirited, or obscene. Beauty in this context, acknowledges that good can exist even in rather disheartening conditions and finding moments to illustrate this hopeful fact.

2.) Beware of anger. And violence. And unbridled hate. In our search for energy, improvisers can over-rely on big (but essentially negative) emotions that often have an attacking or diminishing edge. Again, sure, these energies exist in the real world and if we’re “holding up a mirror to nature” they also belong in our performances to some degree. But there is little beauty to be found in characters repeatedly yelling and fighting without any sense of growth, or change, or compromise. (Sadly, this is probably yet another commentary on how many of us experience our day-to-day lives and the modern political landscape…) When such scenic interactions become bullish noise devoid of any love, nerves can become jarred and jaded. (I consider the importance of love as an entry in its own right here.) Less experienced improvisers can tend towards these rough energies as, sadly, vulnerability and affection oddly feel more uncomfortable and dangerous. Beauty, viewed through this lens, recognizes the value in exploring what brings us together rather than only recreating the patterns of fear that seek to drag us apart.

3.) Beware of victimizing. In our efforts to seek fidelity that gains inspiration from the world around us, it can become easy to replicate cruelties and injustices without any consideration as to what such re-presentations might do to those amongst us who have felt these injuries firsthand. My example above offers just such a situation where relentless bullying left unattended may land heavily on audience members (and fellow players) who have experienced (or are currently experiencing) this very dynamic. Admittedly, always letting the underdog win or overturning the bully will start to feel inauthentic, simplistic, or fantastical, but when narratives of inequality and oppression are routinely displayed without any consideration of those playing the roles of the victim, stories can become empty vessels for a regressive status quo. Small moves – such as allowing disadvantaged characters to speak and show their truth or offering up different character combinations that allow different previously unseen facets of key relationships and dynamics to shine – can go a long way to complicating portrayals without dragging everything into the realm of fairytales. Beauty, in these situations, posits that glimmers of light can occur in even rather bleak conditions.

4.) Beware of easy. Finally, crassness and hopelessness can tend to be the easy or obvious choice when faced with nuanced problems and dynamics. In such instances, seeking the beautiful becomes synonymous with taking the road less traveled. In doing so, one might uncover a connection or wrinkle in a contrary stance or belief, unlock empathy for someone previously considered an “other,” or embrace commonality with a community that feels alien or dangerous at first glance. Comedy, in particular, can settle for the laughter of the lowest common denominator if left to its own unquestioned devices. (While tragedy or drama, similarly, can reify old enemies and cliches as it revisits inherited tropes and dynamics.) Searching for the beautiful against a tide of easy laughs or gimmicks invites improvisers to look (and play) deeper. Beauty, from this vantage point, consists of the resulting vibrant messiness.

Final Thought

Why replicate ugliness when we can use our art to magnify and reveal hidden potentials for change, growth, and connection?

Related Entries: Content, Love Antonyms: Injury, Simplicity, Stereotypes, Ugliness Synonyms: Care, Complexity, Grotesque

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Scott Cook
© 2026 David Charles/ImprovDr

Improv Dictionary Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Backwards Scene”

Here’s a pithier entry as many of the mechanics for Backwards Scene have been elucidated in the helpful rehearsal tool for this elevated madness, Backwards Interview here (which is worth a gander at if you’re committed to trying the following…)

The Basics

The scene begins with its ending and rewinds until it finishes where the action started.

Example

Player A: (after being winched into the helicopter) “Thank you so much! I never thought we’d be rescued.”

Player A gets “back into their harness” before slowly moving backwards (and downwards) toward the mountainside.

Player B: (with great encouragement) “You’re nearly there. You can do this!”

Player C: (previously rescued, while sitting in the helicopter wrapped in a blanket) “I shouldn’t have gone first. I don’t know if Roman’s nerves can withstand this…”

Player A: (now just above the surface) “The wind is picking up!”

Player D: (as the pilot) “We can’t stay here much longer!”

The Focus

Survival! And enjoying the many stumbles you’ll likely face along the way.

Traps and Tips

As the core concepts are identical to Backwards Interview, I’m focusing on the opening moments here as so much of the game’s joy depends upon a grounded and brave start.

1.) Think big. It’s common for improv scenes to end with well adorned stages featuring the majority, if not all, of the available team members. Entrances (exits) are particularly tricky with this format as a character’s “first” line is actually their “last” line (often accompanying their exit). If your initial stage picture is too sparse, then, you might find yourself thwarted at the get-go. I’ve found it much easier to whittle down the cast as the scene winds backwards than it is to find logical ways to add bodies when they’re needed. And as the first steps of the scene are typically the most challenging, on a very simple level, it’s helpful to have as many minds working to solve the riddle as possible.

2.) Think bold. Consider adopting a physical attitude similar to that you might deploy in Statues (or, more fittingly Reverse Statues). You usually have a whole scene to figure out who everyone wants to be; here, you need to bravely hit the ground running with clear characters and relationships already in play. Assuming our example above was inspired by an “avalanche” suggestion or similar, you’ll want to begin with a strong array of poses that indicate characters related to a possible end for that scenario. While Player D has taken a few lines to speak (appropriately so), their actions should have long made clear their intended function in the action. If everyone begins in “neutral” or under-energized, there won’t be a lot of raw material to exploit as you de-construct the story.

3.) Think climactic. Similarly, if we want something significant to have happened in our inverted story arc, the scene will benefit from starting right at or after the climax. Our mountain climbers have apparently just been rescued. In some ways, the major beats now are relatively obvious. Both survivors need to get lowered to the mountain again, the helicopter and its occupants need to arrive, the climbers need to become in peril, some catastrophe needs to unfold… Now, how these steps unfold is another matter entirely and will certainly provide ample challenges for the team of improvisers. But if the final outcome remains obscure when the lights come up on the ending, the work of reverse engineering the story become nearly impossible as there’s nothing to really unpack.

The R&D Twist

We played this game (or, at least, our brave lab assistants did!) for R&D XIV which focused on love, and launched it from a big, celebratory life moment. I was reminded of the importance of taking small, logical steps and the joy of alluding to actions that haven’t yet occurred in order to guide those very moments to the stage. For local readers, the experience has tempted me to use this general frame again for our long-form first act in R&D XV. I might come back and add discoveries after that experience (or just delete this closing teaser altogether!)

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Tony Firriolo
© 2026 David Charles/ImprovDr

The R&D Show Expansion Pack

Game Library: “Baby Talk”

Perhaps more of a handle than a game in its own right, Baby Talk nonetheless provides a surefire way of upending a run-of-the-mill scenario.

The Basics

A premise is obtained. Players perform a scene in which all their dialogue is now performed with the cadence and timbre of adorable babies. That’s it!

Example

An employer calls a wayward employee into their office for an end-of-year review.

Player A: (gesturing) “Pwease, have a swheat…”

Player B: (sitting nervously) “I have to wadmit, Wi’m pwetty nervwous…”

And so on…

The Focus

Committing to the absurdity that invariably ensues.

Traps and Tips

1.) Explore baby sounds. I’ll willingly confess that I don’t feel that I have a great “baby talk” in my back pocket as a player, and most actors will likely have slightly different ways of approaching this. But whatever “sounding like a baby” means to you, you’ll want to grab at your choice with both hands and not let go. Be it a joyful lisp, different placement, higher pitch, slower cadence, or some unexpected alliterative fun (as I’ve tried to model with my unexpected “W” placements above), the scene is served by strong attack. And even if your first efforts feel a little clumsy, if everyone is similarly bold, the scene will have energy (and you can steal dynamics from others that you might not have thought to use yourself).

2.) Explore baby language. There are various approaches in this domain as well, but the scene benefits from players mirroring a dominant attitude. Whether you’re using very adult and educated words (but mispronouncing them terribly, or slowly, or deliberately…), or replacing adult concepts and vocabulary with juvenile equivalents, seek to build the language reality and games in a similar direction as your teammates. This is a “rules of the world” approach where there isn’t really a wrong technique so much as a clear and unified understanding as to how the baby talk will infuse the action.

3.) Explore baby movement. Again, look for physical choices that will delightfully increase the comedic juxtapositions and commentary. There’s fun to be had from only making the language component of the scene childlike, with movement qualities remaining typical and expected. In this manner, the satiric distance between the adult behavior and the baby speak increases: Players A and B are still wearing suits and engaging in all the normative behaviors of office workers. Or there’s similar but equally rich joy to be had from fully embracing baby movement as well, thereby unlocking physical schtick and opportunities for discovery. Now, Players A and B struggle to even get into their adult-sized chairs without considerable effort.

4.) Explore baby logic. As you piece together your preferred mechanics for the game, strive to deploy “how a baby might view this world or scenario” throughout. Does B throw a temper tantrum when their job review doesn’t go particularly well? Does their boss offer them a juice box to calm them down? Does someone have to come and hold their hand to lead them safely out of the office, or does a bell indicate that it’s now recess or nap time? The more you can apply the “if this is true, what else is true” mentality, the more the scene can become more than a simple gag (though it’s also a fun simple gag!)

The R&D Twist

We used this game in the R&D Show XI where we were exploring youthfulness and how considering age alone can create new improvisational pathways. It’d be fair to say that it appeals to some performers more than others, as it’s a bit of an acquired skill to have a brave baby talk voice ready to go. Nonetheless, I find both the struggle and success of the resulting effort absolutely endearing, especially when the characters assume the naiveté of a young child regardless of their given circumstances.

New to ImprovDr.com or the Game Library? You can find the ever-expanding collection of games, exercises, and warm-ups here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
© 2026 David Charles/ImprovDr

The R&D Show Expansion Pack

Game Library: “Actor Switch”

I haven’t featured this tricky little game in the R&D Show quite yet, but as I’ve circled back to it as a possibility a couple of times, I thought it prudent to unpack so it’s loaded when needed. (And I’ll likely review it again when it’s fresher in my mind.) It draws from an Endowment and Freeze Tag vibe with a little Replay Scene thrown in for good measure.

The Basics

Two improvisers (A and B) will portray the same role. Before the ask-for is obtained, the second player (B) leaves the performance space so they will not know any details of the premise. The first half of the scene unfolds, with Player A being featured heavily as the protagonist (or, at least, a central figure who likely doesn’t leave the stage). When the stakes are sufficiently high and A’s character is in a dynamic pose, the host or caller freezes the scene. Player B returns from the lobby (or similar) where they have been unable to see or hear the scene. They tag out and assume A’s exact pose (who strikes to the side and no longer contributes), and the scene resumes as if nothing has happened. Remaining teammates strive to keep the story barreling forward while the replaced actor scrambles to discover and implement key features of their character and storyline.

Example

A scene about a bank heist is well underway, with Player A assuming the role of lead robber.

Player A: (berating their hostage) “I’ve warned you. If you don’t enter the correct combination now, I can’t be held accountable for what I might do…”

Player C: (nervously fumbling with the safe) “I promise I’m trying…”

Player D: (from a prone position on the ground with their hands behind their head) “Can’t you see you’re making the manager terrified…?”

Player A: “I’ll do more than that if…”

Player C: (mumbling in a panic) “35 left, 21 right…”

Host: “Freeze!” (The players do so) “Let’s call back in our missing actor. Actor Switch.”

Player B bursts through the theatre doors and onto the stage, tagging out A and taking on their ominous pose behind C. When the stage is appropriately re-set (possibly cued by another call from the host), the scene picks up with C’s imperceivably mumbling and D looking away.

Player B: (from A’s position, now springing back to life) “You’re not going to get away with this…”

Player C: (pausing, and a little confused as the character) “I could say the same of you.”

Player B: (to D who is cowering on the ground) “Are you just going to lie there?”

Player D: (anxiously) “That’s what you told me to do…”

Player B: “Well, I’ve changed my mind…”

The Focus

A justification game at its core, enjoy the tension between honoring the original scenic premise and fully embracing the unexpected surprises likely to come from B’s initial reactions.

Traps and Tips

1.) For Player A. It’s a trap to become a passenger in the first half of the scene or to feel marginal within the dominant story arc. If you assume the role of a terrified victim, for example, it’ll be easy for other characters just to boss around your double when the switch occurs. This, in turn, wholly diminishes the challenge of the exercise. Instead, assume a high-status role, or a character with clear agency and knowledge in the given environment and play the action from this position of strength. In addition to guaranteeing you’ll be in the thick of the plot, playing with certitude will set up your doppelganger (and the audience) in delightful ways as, if nothing else, your replacement endeavors to match your drive and significance. Remember that your physicality will (at least partially) communicate your essence to your replacement, so endeavor to make clear, active, and deliberate movements throughout that suggest both your function and features of your identity (such as age, occupation, ailments…). There can be a desire to shiv your absent teammate as well, by donning peculiar or difficult to emulate qualities. I’d warn against making this the focus of your performance. If some fun idiosyncrasies emerge of their own accord, so be it. But concentrating on this will tend to skew the logic of the story and, frankly, there’s plenty of built-in challenge without raising the bar impossibly high before the switch has even happened. Beginning with a more “kitchen sink drama” approach can tend to create joyful contrasts as well.

2.) For Player B. There are numerous traps to avoid from the position of the replacement. If you’re too timid – waiting for the remaining improvisers to feed you all the pertinent details – then the audience loses the opportunity to see you squirm. If, on the other hand, you’re too bullish, pushing an agenda that likely doesn’t match the original scene, the story will probably veer so off track that the two story halves won’t combine to make any kind of fulfilling whole. Aim to land somewhere in the middle, making bold choices that also leave room for your partners’ established realities (and for helpful feedback in terms of your first instincts). Specific Ambiguity can help a lot in this regard. B’s first lines in the example are strong but lacking a string of black and white nouns. “You’re not going to get away with eating that whole sandwich in this cafeteria, Brother,” though delightful, doesn’t give others’ any room to maintain their prior perspectives. Snapping into a strong energy is a must. But seek to wade knowingly into the waters of specificity as it’s challenging to leap out of the established bank vault into a completely random new location without essentially destroying the given circumstances. Generally, it’s a best practice for this new actor to get the first line upon their entrance just to maximize the tension of seeing their assumption juxtaposed against the audience’s experience.

3.) For the remaining players. It’s an odd conceit, but as best you’re able, ignore the fact that your cast has suddenly changed mid-stream! If you pause the rising action to inelegantly repeat or paraphrase details that the audience already knows, the scene will quickly feel weird. This is perhaps a key difference when comparing Actor Switch to more traditional endowment games where every line tends to have some kind of explicit clue. (Replay Scene, with its adherence to established patterns is closer kin to this offering in that regard.) Specific ambiguity will help from these positions as well. Sure, you’ll want to provide helpful context and threads for the missing actor to decipher, but these should feel organic, proportional, and subtle to prolong the inherent torture at the core of the experience. So, for example, Player C could offer the third combination at full voice, “48 left…,” when the story restarts, but this could possibly hand B the central premise in one fell swoop. Playing a little more evasively will actually serve the greater goal in this instance. Similar to Endowment games, it’s a helpful mindset to wait until the incoming player says fundamental aspects of the scenario – bank, robbery, vault, combination… – before using these “telling” terms as the supporting cast.

4.) For everyone. Other basic endowment game wisdoms also apply. You don’t want the scene to become bogged down by a “guessing” or “wimping” energy, where Player B looks to their fellow improvisers before making any choice whatsoever. Too many questions from the entering player will have a similar effect, hence the importance of placing them in a role where they would generally be providing the instructions or answers. Remaining players need to diligently embrace and justify unexpected twists and turns, avoiding calling out the game – “You’re nothing like you were just 10 seconds ago” – or dismissing the naive character as mad, or crazy, or stupid. If the vault is being robbed, these stakes shouldn’t dip even if the robber’s behavior has changed inexplicably. In fact, that change in behavior, if truly honored, should just add to the tension of the base scene.

The R&D Twist

I’ll come back and complete this bullet point when Actor Switch makes it into the R&D lineup. What I currently like about this game is that it gives you the audience buy-in of an endowment game while also encouraging strong story and scene-building mechanics. If players don’t efficiently and creatively establish rich relationships and environmental details, there will be very little for the absent player to figure out upon their return.

New to ImprovDr.com or the Game Library? You can find the ever-expanding collection of games, exercises, and warm-ups here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Tony Firriolo
© 2026 David Charles/ImprovDr

The R&D Show Expansion Pack

Game Library: “Age Replay”

This is a performance-ready retooling of a concept that I enjoy exploring in my improv classes, as embodying a specific (or playfully unexpected) age can cast new light on old, stale scenarios. I’m describing the ensemble warm-up version here birthed with the R&D Show, but it could be easily tweaked to create a workshop experience or team-style game.

The Basics

Players work in pre-assigned pairs. A situation or premise (and possibly a relationship) is obtained that can be experienced at various times in your life. All the pairs leave the performance space except for the first two improvisers, who take strong (frozen) positions from which to begin their exploration. The emcee assigns a specific age (generally beginning with an elder designation), and the pair creates a brief scene (6-8 lines of dialogue) in the given circumstances as characters of the given age. When the scene reaches its conclusion, the actors return to their initial poses, and the next pair is ushered into the theatre. They “tag out” their teammates, take on the exact positions, and receive the “first line” of the scene, before the emcee offers up a new age demographic to inspire the action. The scene is then replayed with ever-decreasing ages until all the absent pairs have participated.

Example

The ensemble is given “taking an international flight” and “best friends” as their premise, and everyone except for Players A and B exit the space. Two chairs are place side-by-side, with A assuming a seated pose looking out the window while B places their luggage in an overhead bin. The emcee assigns “70-year-olds,” and the scene begins.

Player B: (struggling a little) “I believe this should fit…”

Player A: (trying to unlock their belt, nervously) “If you need a hand…?”

Player B: “Don’t you move a muscle, Orlando. I’m not giving you an excuse to bale on me!”

The scene continues until both characters are clinging to each other’s hands for the takeoff. After the blackout, the host instructs A and B to return to their first poses, and C and D enter from the lobby.

Emcee: “You first line is ‘I believe this should fit,’ and you are now best friends in your fifties.”

The stage resets with the new actors.

Player D: (proudly) “I believe this should fit…”

The Focus

This game pulls a little from Tag traditions and a little from formats like Actor Switch, Replay, and Replay Scene. It’s fun to embrace the overarching concept of the experiment of only adjusting the age and seeing what happens, so look to really honor the common poses and line of dialogue while being open to where the scene might want to go afterwards.

Traps and Tips

1.) Start boldly. Choose clear, ripe, and emblematic poses if you’re playing in the first position. As the warm-up is designed to move quickly, it’s helpful for characters to start at least somewhere vaguely in the middle of the action (as opposed to waiting at the boarding gate lounge, for example, although the above scene could probably benefit from an even more dynamic start in that regard as well). Similarly, strive to compose a strong opening line. Ideally, later players will imbue the offer with new emotions, subtexts, and possibilities, so make it pithy and a little open-ended or, at least, open to reinterpretation.

2.) Proceed sharply. If you’re aiming for 8ish lines of dialogue for each iteration (which is particularly important if you have several couples to rotate through), you should make every word count. (Offering a foundational relationship can help in this regard as it hands the players most of their CROW information right up front so they can concentrate more on the how than the what of their foundational choices.) That being said, it’s probably even more important to make every moment (or silence) count so that you’re not just idly chatting. The scene is less likely to arrive anywhere of note if the stakes and energy aren’t expertly constructed to facilitate a dynamic payoff.

3.) Create smartly. This warm-up invites unnuanced stereotypes in its very construction so be wary of just playing a loose-fitting cliché as opposed to a more cleverly composed and balanced character (admittedly no small task given the brevity of each vignette). Elderly characters needn’t be doddering. Younger characters needn’t be obnoxiously oblivious or carefree. Casting can do a lot to help in this regard. We debuted the game with a wonderfully diverse array of actor ages, spanning nearly 50 years. Frankly, this reality, alone, heightened everyone’s awareness. Look for playful “if this is true, what else is true” connections. If our seventy-year-olds are taking their first flight, for example, that immediately raises the stakes and begs the question of why are they finally pursuing this experience now?

4.) Play obviously. The “blind” aspect of the game can offer some unexpected joys as well, with players perhaps inadvertently echoing or inverting the dialogue, staging, or choices of their forebears. If improvisers grab at the insanely whacky right from the gate, the likelihood of these appealing connections will dramatically decrease. Which isn’t to say explore tepid or static moves, but if our first scene eschews the simpler premise and makes our passengers inexplicably passengers on a flight to the moon, it’s unhelpfully unlikely that subsequent scenes will mine any entertainment from tilling old soil in new ways which, for me at least, is a large part of the charm with this game.

The R&D Twist

We played this warm-up with 10-12 improvisers, which involves some attack and focused facilitation between each vignette if you don’t want it to sag. Make sure players are able to spryly get back into the space to minimize the transitions. If you’re inclined toward steep curves of absurdity, ending on characters that are sooo young they have to engage in some sort of Baby Talk will likely get you to your intended destination! As we had a scene with this handle schedule later in the show, I opted to use teenagers for the final replay instead.

New to ImprovDr.com or the Game Library? You can find the ever-expanding collection of games, exercises, and warm-ups here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: James Berkley
© 2026 David Charles/ImprovDr

The R&D Show Expansion Pack

“A” is for “Appropriate”

“In the striving for agreement, any form of difference—whether it is based on gender, race, or sexuality—is subsumed into the larger groupmind. Anyone whose views diverge too far may be accused of trying to impose an inappropriate personal or political agenda. Feminist, ethnic, and gay perspectives are often viewed warily and allowed only in the most homogenized constructions. Thus, it seems that the universal groupmind for which classic improv strives is too often simply the heterosexual white male mind”
Amy E. Seham, Whose Improv Is It Anyway: Beyond Second City. Jackson, Mississippi:
U of Mississippi P, 2001. p. xxvi

Definition

Appropriateness is a notoriously knotty subject when it comes to the arts, and perhaps doubly so when practitioners assume the roles of real-time authors and performers. I’ve explored related subjects in prior entries (notably Groupmind, Inclusiveness, Punching Up, and X-Rated), and this new featured term strikes me as a particularly problematic intersection of all these issues of audiences, content, and intention. As Seham notes, players must exert extra care not to exclude unfamiliar material and perspectives from the messy process of group creation, for in doing so, a call for Appropriate can become accidentally synonymous with elevating the tired and often monopolizing voices of the majority. But how can we balance freedom and pursuing the (our) obvious, with a more nuanced and community-building awareness?

Example

The ensemble performs in front of a grade school assembly, or PTA mixer, or group of community activists…

Player A: (after a potentially raunchy line of dialogue) “That’s what she said.”

Dynamics Worth Pondering in our Pursuit of the Appropriate

1.) Know your audience. My example above veers towards the silly as one would hope that most attentive improvisers would know better than to dip into their more salacious material in front of an audience of young children, but I’m not sure we always play with this level of sensitivity when performing in front of a more general gathering. Yes, there are certainly shows that thrive on a “no holds barred” energy, and where the audience expects a certain level of frankness, maturity, or outright bawdiness. More often than not, however, improvisers play before a variety of attendees. With my campus troupe, we tend to have mainly college-aged students in the house, but in recent years, we’ve attracted a loyal cohort of retirees which made it abundantly (and awkwardly) apparent when scenes portrayed older characters in a less-than-generous light. I’d argue that it probably shouldn’t have taken this shift in attendance to cause an adjustment in playing style and that, if in doubt, it’s perhaps always helpful to imagine someone belonging to the position you’re portraying sitting in the auditorium for any given performance.

2.) Know your venue. Depending on your venue, your audience might skew towards a certain demographic or expectation as well. In my professional home, certain nights, times, and show titles come with significantly different show parameters. What might feel perfectly at home during a wine-fueled Wednesday show marketed to young professionals in the area, might not feel at all appropriate if plopped as is into a family-friendly PG-13 show on a Friday night. Honoring venue norms are important when it comes to setting boundaries, especially if these content guard rails (or lack thereof) have been clearly communicated to your audience beforehand. (Which is not to say that a more adult show shouldn’t seek its own brand of appropriateness; lazy, stereotypical, and uninsightful improv is still just that even if your patrons have had a few drinks and are expecting easy laughs.)

3.) Know your agenda. And connected to the issue of audience and venue emerges that of your greater agenda. If you’re a regular reader of these posts, you’ll know that I believe (deeply) that improv can be a powerful tool in the world of art (and beyond) to forge powerful and meaningful bonds and empathy. Now, this may not explicitly serve as part of your stated agenda, but it is certainly worth interrogating why you (and your company) are doing (or not doing) what you are doing (or not doing). Commercial enterprises invariably have to deal with commercial concerns – I’m less worried about surprising my audience on campus with a complex and perhaps unfunny truth than the folks I entertain on the weekend who have paid cold, hard cash (although, truthfully, I tend to bring some of that same energy regardless)! However, the rallying call of commercialism needn’t become a mask for crass carelessness where punching down becomes the lingua franca. Even (especially) populist improv can (should) elevate rather than diminish.

4.) Know yourself. It’s human nature to gravitate towards what we know or find familiar, and for our sense of humor and joy to emanate from this lived truth and experience. If we see ourselves, however, as finished products as opposed to process (much like the artform we extol and pursue), we run the risk of becoming entrenched and stale. The world evolves (hopefully) and we should seek to do the same (hopefully). Most of us would admit to boldly crafting scenes, characters, or jokes without a second thought in our performance pasts that we would now cringe to offer up on our stages. And, perhaps, this is precisely what we should feel. So, as we seek to define and embrace some sense of appropriateness, we should recognize that this is a rich and moving target that will require us to question and adjust and change. I feel this deeply as a teacher of the form when I go back to lesson plans I may not have used for a few years and see in them shortfalls that the new me finds a bit dubious or uncomfortable. Which brings me to my final bullet point…

5.) Know. A common theme throughout many of my posts is that if we can only embody or perform what we know, then we should seek to know more and more each day. Blindness needn’t become entrenched.

Final Thought

Seham’s opening quote charges us all to view appropriate stories in an inclusive and welcoming (dare I say, loving) way. That’s what she said. There is a lot in the world pushing us apart. Perhaps improv needn’t add to that isolating narrative.

Related Entries: Groupmind, Inclusiveness, Punching Up, X-Rated Antonyms: Careless, Damaging, Offensive, Selfish, Thoughtless Synonyms: Boundaries, Caring, Thoughtful

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: Leesa Brown
© 2026 David Charles/ImprovDr

Improv Dictionary Expansion Pack I

“A” is for “Again”

“Storytelling is frightening (and exhilarating), because it involves a journey into the unknown. Abandon the struggle to tell stories and improvised comedy will be just another form of gutless light entertainment (gravy without meat), and your best players will drift away in search of something more stimulating than the endless repetition of the same games”
Keith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. New York: Routledge, 1999. p.75

Definition

Predictability can quickly become the enemy of spontaneity. As we strive to accept the obvious choices emerging in our path, it can become easy to fall into unproductive (or wimping) ruts where the same inputs invariably result in the same (or only marginally adjusted) outputs. If you’re fortunate enough to perform regularly – especially in the short-form tradition as Johnstone references above – these unhelpful performance ruts can become deep indeed. Why forge new connections when your audience (seemingly) enjoys the familiar and comfortable?

Generally speaking, routines are often most helpful and dynamic in our storytelling when they are broken or interrupted. After all, a day that just stumbles along as it has always stumbled along won’t usually develop into anything particularly stage worthy. While I stand by this perennial advice, there are situations in which digging into the routine itself can actually help your scene and character work. Let me introduce you to the latent power of one simple word that you’ve already guessed as it’s the title of this entry: Again. Used shrewdly, this technique can milk new nourishment from an otherwise dry situation.

Example

Player A: (setting down their briefcase beside the kitchen door) “I know. I know, honey. I’m late for dinner. Work ran late.”

Player B: “Again.”

Player C: (cracking open the bedroom door and whispering) “Sorry that I missed your recital tonight, sweetie. I couldn’t get away from the office.”

Player D: “Again.”

Player E: (stepping into the seedy restaurant backroom with a nervous look) “Look, Tony, I don’t think I can come up with this week’s payment.”

Player F: “Again.”

Player G: (frantically going through their backpack atop the library table) “I’ve got my notes here somewhere. I didn’t quite finish my part of the assignment, though.”

Player H: “Again.”

Let Me Say It Again…

1.) Add history. When an offer is made that isn’t a part of a more significant pattern, it can tend to create a need for heavy (and perhaps cumbersome) worldbuilding. In these cases, a simple “Again” points at a previous move and uses it to define a key facet of a relationship or dynamic. Rather than A’s late entrance adding little of value, now it shows a trend which helps to define the couple’s status quo. Admittedly, if Player A is never late home, their initiation also provides a powerful move in the form of a tilt. In many ways, the key is to avoid the generic and anticlimactic middle ground where A’s tardiness is occasional and, therefore, largely inconsequential.

2.) Add emotion. If the emotional temperature of the scene is feeling a little tepid, a well-placed “Again” can intensify the passions at play. A huge reaction on D’s part if their parent is late just this one time could certainly do the trick but may also strike the audience as potentially insincere or inorganic. (I love leaping to a big emotion, but if you want it to ring true, it helps if its reacting to something noteworthy.) A parent who is always or routinely late to everything their child holds dear, opens up powerful (and probably real) pathways to emotional honesty and connection where the responding player may not have to look hard to find a heartfelt response.

3.) Add stakes. Similarly, an expertly delivered “Again” can propel your scene out of stasis and deep (high?) into the rising action. Player E’s inability to meet F’s demands for the umpteenth time automatically makes the scenes vastly more important and likely to sizzle. Such a move also invites both techniques above as now E has endowed interesting backstory between the pair (has F been reluctantly letting the debt slide until now, and if so, why?), while encouraging both performers to dig into emotional truths (what has specifically happened to E that has prevented them from gathering this week’s payment, and how has that influenced their greater story arc and development?) And increased stakes will also invariably…

4.) Add consequences. A cleverly timed “Again” can also push a scene into bold next moves. With the added stakes of joining a pattern already in motion, the consequences are also likely to heighten, if not explode. Player H might have been inclined to give their classmate a break if this was a first strike against them, but if the poor behavior is now well established, H becomes empowered to release the scenic throttle. Perhaps they’ve already communicated with the professor and G has been removed from the group (and issued a failing grade), or an elaborate intervention has been set up, or Player H has arranged for Player G’s parents to join the study group. Regardless of the specific choice, there is the potential for something more dynamic than mere complaining and discussing.

Final Thought

One simple word. Endless opportunities.

A brief warning: if “Again” is thrown around but never really heard, accepted, or felt (with a good old fashioned gut check), then there is very little chance it will provide much help at all.

Related Entries: Freshness, Obvious, Stakes Antonyms: Breaking Routines Synonyms: Importance, Routines

Improv Dictionary Expansion Pack I

Game Library: “Audience Café”

My next Game Library project is pulling from my latest experiments with the R&D Show where we take old improv games (and invent some new ones) and view them through a particular theme or lens. This addition comes from our recent December offering focused on “Beginnings” and provides a nice way to incorporate audience volunteers in a dubbing-styled dynamic.

The Basics

Two audience members (typically) volunteer to perform in the scene with two resident improvisers providing their voices from the side of the stage, ideally on microphones. The scene often utilizes the premise of a first date at a café, with the dubbed (audience) characters accepting the verbal offers from their offstage counterparts.

Example

Volunteers A and B are placed on chairs center stage while Players C and D sit on the edge of the stage.

Player C: “Sorry, I’m so nervous. I probably shouldn’t say that.”

Volunteer A (ideally) does their best to mouth the words and act accordingly.

Player D: “This is a very nice restaurant, with a fantastic view…”

Volunteer B (ideally) gestures accordingly.

The Focus

Part charm offensive, part potential shiv fest, the experienced improvisers should always strive to make their volunteer partners look and feel good, even if some playful mischief unfolds along the way.

Traps and Tips

1.) Honor the conventions. Overtalking and poor give and take are a perennial issue with dubbing games as the excitement and need for strong communication within and between each character pair can prove challenging. If your audience isn’t familiar with this device, taking twenty seconds to quickly model Player C talking for Volunteer A (and then D for B) while they move their lips can give everyone a bit more of a fighting chance. And sometimes a host can offer a few sidecoaching nudges, too, if the whole affair is rolling terribly off the scenic tracks (even if a little of this struggle is part of the delight). A fuller consideration of dubbing in general can be found here.

2.) Honor the story. It’s really tempting to immediately leap into schtick as the dubbers, but the long-term health and success of the scene will invariably suffer if every move becomes solely concerned with grabbing at a laugh. Let the story build gradually and organically. Remember that the dubbers need to also honor the scenic choices being provided by the dubbed. You’re less likely to pick up on subtle body language or energies if dialogue merely races from one punchline to the next. Verbal offers that reflect what is already happening onstage can easily provide much of the fuel for the scene. And if you don’t invest in the story fundamentals, you’ll often arrive at a juncture with no clear next step.

3.) Honor the volunteers. I’m of the mind that we have rather important responsibilities when we bring our audience onto the stage to play with us. If they’re immediately made to feel uncomfortable or are pimped into icky or inappropriate situations, the whole theatre can start to feel less welcoming and safe. Yes, the game invites misbehavior, but this can feel so much more delightful when it bubbles up from the volunteers rather than feels imposed upon them. So, if you’re a resident improviser facilitating the scene, look to make you guests the heroes or stars, and watch carefully for signals from them regarding their joy and abandon.

The R&D Twist

It’s the norm to place the audience in the dubbed positions as this keeps more of the scenic control in the hands of the resident improvisers. Our R&D twist was to invert that arrangement by allowing audience members to put the company through the ringer. I’d like a few more cracks at it in this orientation to better understand all the nuances, but it was fun to explore clear focus gives and takes as the dubbed player while unlocking the creativity of our guests which is a little more hampered (by design) in the usual configuration.

New to ImprovDr.com or the Game Library? You can find the ever-expanding collection of games, exercises, and warm-ups here.

Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
Join my Facebook group here.
Photo Credit: James Berkley
© 2026 David Charles/ImprovDr

The R&D Show Expansion Pack