If your drama class or theater troupe has been searching for a physically challenging yet comedically rewarding improvisation activity, try "Sit, Stand, Lean."
Number of Players: 3
How to Play:
The stage is set with one or two pieces of furniture for the actor's use. Ideally, there should be one chair, possibly a table, (and any nearby walls could help too).
Throughout this improv game there is one simple rule: one person must be sitting, one person must be standing, and one person must be leaning.
Before the performance, the audience suggests a location. The actors assume their appropraite positions and begin the scene. After just a few moments of conversation, one of the actors should positions (perhaps from sitting to standing). Then, one of the two other actors must assume a new position.
The trick of the improv game is to create a genuine scene with interesting characters while making sure the sitting, standing, and leaning occurs at the appropriate moment.
Advice: This scene can be very amusing to the audience, especially when the actors gradually speed things up. Towards the end of the scene, actors should try to change positions quicker, perhaps rapidly going back and forth from one position to the next. If this increased speed throws some of the other performers off a bit, that's the point. It's fun to watch and fun to perform.
