Exercises (17)
Structured activities that build specific skills through constraints.
Yes, And Chain
Be Positive — the literal-words version of accepting and extending offers. A universal beginner drill taught at every school. This atom covers the dri
Status Transfer
Status awareness and the ability to shift status dynamically within a scene. Two players. One begins high status (confident, still, expansive), the
Silent Space Work Scene
Space work — building and maintaining a shared physical environment with no dialogue. Two players. No speaking allowed. 2-3 minutes. Build a scene e
Organic Opening
Group free-association, thematic extraction, comfort with ambiguity, ensemble coherence. The Harold opening practiced as a standalone exercise, remove
One-Word Scene
Surrender and letting go of control — which produces simplicity as a byproduct. Also known as "One Word At A Time" or "One Word Story." Standard warm-
No Backspace Scene
Irreversibility — the felt experience of path dependence. Borrows from Johnstone's New Choice mechanic but enforces forward rather than replacing. T
Mirroring
Deep attention, body awareness, ensemble connection, yielding/leading as a spectrum. Viola Spolin's core exercise — taught at every school, in every f
Last Word Response
Be Present — forcing attention onto the immediate moment, breaking the planning habit. Two players in a scene. The rule: your first word must be the
Group Mind Cultivation
Collective attention, shared decision-making without verbal negotiation, ensemble coherence beyond basic mirroring. These exercises develop the practi
Gift Giving
Be Thankful — receiving unexpected input as a gift rather than a problem. Two players face each other. Player A mimes handing over an invisible obje
Genre Scene
Specificity, commitment, shared vocabulary, narrative heightening through convention. Not parody — authentic engagement with genre as a vehicle for de
Fracture Repair Drill
Fracture recovery — the ability to re-establish shared reality when two players have diverged. Two players begin a scene. A coach secretly whispers
First Line Drill
Be Brave — the threshold moment of starting. Players line up. One at a time, each steps out and delivers a single declarative first line that commit
Emotional Honesty Scene
Be Honest — sending clear, authentic signals without distortion. This is the scene-length application of Do-Feel-Say. Two players given a specific s
Emotion Switch
Be Changeable — the ability to fully shift emotional state in response to input. Two players in a scene. A coach periodically calls out an emotion —
Directed Scene
Adaptability under constraint, external awareness, ego dissolution, rapid integration of abstract direction into specific behavior. Performers do a sc
Blind Offer
The perceptual foundation of Be Supportive — reading your partner's physical offers and building a reality that serves them. Primary mechanism: justif