“Action Replay” Improv Game

"Action Replay" is a fast-paced, high-energy improv game in which one pair of players tries to re-create a one-minute scene that was performed by another pair of players. The catch: they don't know what the scene was about.

Step 1

Bring two players (the "A-Team") on stage.

Step 2

Isolate two other players (the "B-Team") so that they can see the action on stage but cannot hear what is said. (If your theater is not equipped with a soundproof booth, you can use a couple of mp3 players with earbuds to accomplish the same thing.)

Step 3

Ask the audience to suggest a setting or topic for a scene.

Step 4

The A-Team acts out a highly physical one- to two-minute scene based on the audience suggestion while the B-Team observes carefully.

Step 5

The B-Team leaves the soundproof area (or removes their sound-blocking devices) and replaces the A-Team on stage.

Step 6

The B-Team reenacts the scene, reproducing the A-Team's movements as closely as possible and coming up with a new setting and dialogue to justify them.

Bonus Tips

The A-Team needs to give the B-Team something to work with by including several big movements or gestures, but not so many that neither they nor the audience can remember them.
The B-Team should agree before the scene starts which member is going to imitate which member of the A-Team.
If the B-Team thinks they know exactly what the scene was about, they should "cheat" by coming up with something very different anyway to make it more fun for the audience.
If the B-Team cannot remember and reproduce all of the A-Team's movements, they should concentrate on those at the end of the scene and movements that bring the two players together (such as a fight or embrace), since the audience is most likely to remember them.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/duchamp/ / CC BY 2.0