TCS School of Improv Games by Type

Note that there are hundreds of games, but these are a small selection of ones we feel teach fundamental aspects of improvisation, and thus are most suited for our program’s unique mix of short and long form improv, or “quick-prov” and “slow-prov”. If you know these, you’re ready to learn any other games or formats out there! Underlined games are our core games. See the page Improv Game List With Definitions for explanations of how to play.

Emotions

Emotional Call

Emotional Replay

Endowment

Crime Endowment

Dating Game

Filler

Classic In A Minute

Commercial or 4 CM’s 2m

Death In A Minute

Half-Life

Genre

Genre Replay

Genre Roller Coaster

Justification

Expert Slide Show

New Choice

Papers

First Line / Last Line

Foreign Poet

Pillars

Playbook

LAC Endowment

Physical

Double-Hands Expert

Mannequins

Character Switch

Entrances and Exits

Sit, Stand, Kneel, Lie

Slow Motion Commentary

Channel Surfing

Story

Foreign Film Dubbing

Shared Story, Mixed Genre

Writer

One-Word Story

History

Radio Drama

Reminisce

Cinema Guide

Spoon River Anthology

Verbal

Number-of-Words

Story, Story, Die

3-Way Dubbing

ABC

Questions Only

Expert Panel

Music

Sing About it

Song

Game-influenced Scenes:

genre scene

emotional scene

physical scene

historical scene

scene with gibberish

Open Scenes:

truthful scene about X

scene with pathos

scene about a single word

scene with lots of entrances & exits

scene w/lots of sitting, kneeling & lying