Description: One player is chosen to perform a scene a step at a time; however, all the scenework creation falls on the rest of the group. The player starts with a suggestion for an action - for example, wakes up in the morning. The player performs this action briefly, and then the coach (or another troupe member playing the moderator) asks the group, "What happens next?" The group then suggests the next logical step in the player's actions.

Group: She goes to the bathroom. {Player acts out going to the bathroom.}

Leader: What happens next?

Group: She washes her hands. {Player acts out washing her hands.}

Leader: What happens next?

Group: She looks for a towel but it's not there. {Player acts out trying to dry hands, looks for towel.}

Leader: What happens next?

Group: She dries her hands on her pajama bottoms. {Player wipes hands on pants.}

Leader: What happens next?

Group: She changes her clothes. {Player acts out changing out of pajamas and into clothes.}

Leader: What happens next?

Group: Her belt breaks. {Player pulls belt on, reacts to it breaking.}

...and so on.

Tips: For purposes of the exercise, the group-suggested steps should be logical but small - think of them as one action at a time, not one vignette at a time. The above scene layout could be broken down even more elementarily - instead of "changes her clothes," it could be "takes off her pajamas; puts on a new shirt; puts on pants," etc. The purpose of the exercise is to get players to think about how to make small, logical steps in a scene.

Variants: To explore more complicated scene dynamics, the coach/leader can suggest that all group suggestions fit a particular theme - for example, every action ultimately leads to an unintended and disastrous consequence. This can be used to have players work on skills like heightening the action, status changes, etc.

Description: This game can be played by a large number of people. All players stand in a circle, and Players A and B stand in the center of the circle. They each adopt a physical position, and then Player A begins a scene suggested by and justifying these positions. After a short time, another player in the circle (Player C) yells "Freeze!" Players A and B freeze in their current positions. Player C then steps into the circle, tags out either player (C's choice), and adopts that player's same physical position. Player C then says a line to begin an entirely new scene, also suggested by and justifying the players' positions.
This continues until everyone in the circle has joined a freeze at least once.

Tips: Making large, exaggerated actions will help other players be inspired to tag players out.
Players can practice returning to common themes by having characters, situations, etc. recur throughout the game. For example, Superman may recur throughout the game if positions suggest flying, lifting heavy objects, fighting large opponents, etc. (The player playing Superman may then refer to the other as Lois, Jimmy, etc., even if the players are different than when those characters first appeared.)

Variants: Also known as Switch. 

Description: Players A, B and C are actors in a movie. (Get the title of the movie from the audience.) They will play out a scene from the movie for a few minutes, until Player D enters the scene as the Director. The Director will critique how the scene went (often being negative), and then give the Players a suggestion for how to play the scene. A, B and C play the scene again, incorporating the Director's suggestion. The scene will be repeated another 2-4 times until the Director brings the scene to a close.

Tips: A, B and C can adopt stereotypical actor personas to play in the moments between the scenes (diva, method actor, "I'll be in my trailer", "What's my motivation?" etc.).
The Director can end the scene with an appropriate commentary on the movie - that was the most brilliant scene ever; we've run out of money in the budget; we're going straight to video; etc.

Description: Player A is telling the audience about a recent trip he or she took (get suggestion from the audience as to the location). Player A mimes showing a slideshow, complete with "Click" for changing the slides. When the slide changes, the remainder of the players form a tableau of the slide, after which Player A describes the scene being pictured by the tableau.

Tips: This game really requires the stage lights to be able to go off and on, allowing the players to form the tableau in relative darkness in order to surprise the audience. Player A can describe the scene about to be shown ("In this next slide, you'll see..."), which allows the tableau players some information to use when posing; however, Player A can also leave it open-ended ("OK, this next slide is really interesting..."), at which point the tableau players form whatever poses they want and Player A must justify them.

Gimmicks: The slides can be backwards or upside down (or sideways). The slide could be in 3D - for this the tableau players can move closer (in varying degrees) to the audience, even so far as to be right in their faces. The slide could be in the wrong slideshow. ("Whoops! That's from my date last night! How'd that get in there!?")

Description: Players stand in a circle. Player A begins miming an action. Player B (to left or right, group's decision) asks A, "What are you doing?" A answers with any action which isn't what they are actually miming. B then begins miming the action stated by A. Player C then asks B, "What are you doing?" and so on. Continue as many times around the group as desired.

Tips: Don't think of an action that throws your partner under the bus. Give them interesting, but not embarassing, actions.

Skills: Specificity is great in this game, because it gives players a chance to practice how to mime such specificity. For example, do "digging a hole to bury my treasure" and "digging a hole to bury a dead body" look different?
- Physicality is important to practice acting out the details of the action. Players are free to add any physicalizations or characterizations necessary; however, don't let it turn into an entire scene.
- Don't let any one player's actions go on too long; there's some benefit in making players get to the "point" of an action quickly.

Variants: If the group agrees, all actions and characterizations can be done without vocalization or dialogue (except, of course, for the question "What are you doing?" and its answer). This forces more emphasis on Physicality.