Improv Scenarios

Who is there, where they are and what has gone wrong: scenes for two players, three or a group.

A house seller and a buyer. The house is perfect, apart from the ghost.

Read it out, then start in the middle of the problem.

All 150 improv scenarios

Two players 60

  • A barber and a customer. The barber sneezed at the worst moment.
  • A captain and a first mate. The ship is sinking, and the captain refuses to notice.
  • A cashier and a customer. The customer wants to pay with a jar of coins.
  • A chef and a food critic. The famous dish is a peanut butter sandwich.
  • A clerk and a shopper. The shopper wants to return a half-eaten cake.
  • A coach and a player at halftime. The team is winning, and the coach is furious.
  • A coach and a player. The player keeps running toward the wrong goal.
  • A customer returns a jacket. The clerk slowly realizes it is their own lost jacket.
  • A dentist and a patient. The patient will not open their mouth.
  • A detective and a witness. The witness answers only in rhyme.
  • A driving teacher and a student. The student has never sat in a car before.
  • A fairy godmother and a client. She only does pumpkins, and the client wants a bike.
  • A farmer and a scarecrow. The scarecrow wants a day off.
  • A genie and a wisher. Every wish needs a form filled out three times.
  • A grandchild teaches a grandparent to use a phone. Halfway through, the roles flip.
  • A host gives a guest the house tour. The guest broke a vase and is hiding the pieces.
  • A hotel clerk and a guest. The hotel has no record of the booking.
  • A house seller and a buyer. The house is perfect, apart from the ghost.
  • A job interview. The applicant slowly realizes they are in the wrong building.
  • A knight and a dragon. The dragon would rather talk it over.
  • A librarian and a visitor. The book is forty years overdue.
  • A lifeguard and a swimmer. The swimmer will not leave the kiddie pool.
  • A magician and a volunteer. The trick worked, and the rabbit will not come back.
  • A museum guard and a visitor. The visitor is sure the statue winked.
  • A parent and a teenager. The teenager wants a pet snake.
  • A pet shop owner and a customer. The parrot being returned has started giving orders.
  • A piano teacher and a student. The student has not practiced and bluffs every answer.
  • A pilot and a copilot. Neither can find the keys to the plane.
  • A superhero and a tailor. The cape keeps getting caught in doors.
  • A surprise party planner and the guest of honor, who has arrived an hour early.
  • A taxi driver and a passenger. The passenger does not know where they are going.
  • A teacher and a student. The homework is done, but in invisible ink.
  • A tour guide and a tourist. The guide is making up every fact.
  • A tourist asks a local for directions. The local is lost too and hides it.
  • A vet and a pet owner. The goldfish seems bored.
  • A waiter and a diner. The kitchen has run out of everything except soup.
  • A weather forecaster and a producer. It is raining inside the studio only.
  • A wedding planner and a singer. The singer knows one song, and it is a sad one.
  • A wizard and an apprentice. The spell turned the wizard's hat into a frog.
  • A worker asks the boss for a raise. The boss was about to ask the worker for a favor.
  • A yard sale. The buyer knows the old lamp is worth a fortune; the seller does not.
  • A zookeeper and a new hire. The penguins have learned to open the gate.
  • Two actors backstage. One has forgotten every line, and the curtain rises in a minute.
  • Two astronauts in orbit. One admits they left the front door open back home.
  • Two bakers in a contest final. One swapped the salt and the sugar and feels guilty.
  • Two campers in a tent. One of them heard a noise outside.
  • Two coworkers at the printer. It has one sheet of paper left, and both need it.
  • Two explorers in a jungle. The map turns out to be a restaurant menu.
  • Two friends on moving day. The sofa is stuck in the doorway.
  • Two hikers at a fork in the trail. One is lost and too proud to say so.
  • Two neighbors at the fence. One neighbor's tree drops leaves in the other's pool.
  • Two neighbors at the mailbox. Each got the other's package, and each opened it.
  • Two old friends at a reunion. One has forgotten the other's name and will not admit it.
  • Two pirates with one map. Each holds half, and the halves do not match.
  • Two rivals stuck in an elevator. They must leave it as friends.
  • Two roommates in the kitchen. One ate the leftovers the other was saving.
  • Two scientists in a lab. The experiment has started talking back.
  • Two siblings in the back seat. One window seat, and a long drive ahead.
  • Two spies on a park bench. Both have forgotten the secret password.
  • Two strangers at a bus stop. The bus is very late and one is in a hurry.

Three players 30

  • A captain and two sailors. One sailor knows the map is upside down and waits to be asked.
  • A director and two actors. The actors keep performing a different play.
  • A family of three packs one small car for a two-week trip.
  • A game show host and two contestants. Nobody knows the rules, including the host.
  • A judge and two bakers at a pie contest. Both pies came from a shop, and the judge knows.
  • A king, a queen and a jester. The jester has run out of jokes.
  • A news anchor, a reporter and a guest. The guest came to talk about chickens, not space.
  • A pilot, a flight attendant and a passenger who is sure they can fly the plane.
  • A referee and two players. Both players are sure the ball was out.
  • A teacher and two students. Both handed in the same essay, word for word.
  • A tour guide and two tourists. One tourist knows more than the guide and says so.
  • A waiter and two diners. One wants to stay all night, the other wants the check.
  • Three astronauts land on a new planet. Each brought a flag, and there is room for one.
  • Three bandmates before a show. One has decided to quit and has not said so yet.
  • Three campers, one marshmallow left.
  • Three chefs share one kitchen and one frying pan.
  • Three coworkers hang a banner. Each thinks it is crooked in a different way.
  • Three detectives at one scene. Every clue points to one of them.
  • Three friends order one pizza. Nobody agrees on a single topping.
  • Three ghosts share one house. A new family moves in tomorrow.
  • Three pirates dig up the chest. Inside is a single sock.
  • Three robots in a factory. One has just learned to say no.
  • Three shoppers reach for the last umbrella as the rain starts.
  • Three siblings clear out an attic. Each secretly wants the same old clock.
  • Three strangers in a stuck elevator. One of them pressed every button.
  • Three wizards wake up. Each is holding another wizard's wand.
  • Two friends plan a surprise for a third, who is standing right behind them.
  • Two knights and a dragon. The dragon is the only one who has read the map.
  • Two movers and a homeowner. The piano has to go up the stairs.
  • Two parents and a child at bedtime. The child always has one more question.

Four or more 30

  • A band of explorers meets a yeti who only wants directions.
  • A birthday party. The cake is missing, and everyone has a theory.
  • A carpool on Monday morning. The driver took a wrong turn an hour ago.
  • A choir rehearsal. Half the choir has the wrong song.
  • A class reunion. Everyone has told one small lie about their life, and the lies collide.
  • A classroom on the last day of school. The clock has stopped.
  • A committee names a new town. Each member wants it named after their pet.
  • A cooking class. The teacher's recipe is clearly wrong, and nobody dares say so.
  • A crowded elevator. It stops between floors, and someone has a tuba.
  • A detective gathers the suspects. Every one of them confesses to something different.
  • A family at dinner. Someone announces they are joining the circus.
  • A family road trip. The map just blew out of the window.
  • A family sits for a portrait. Each person secretly believes they are the favorite.
  • A flight is delayed all night. By morning the passengers have formed a small country.
  • A group photo. One person blinks in every single shot.
  • A jury of forest animals decides who ate the porridge.
  • A lifeboat with one oar. Each person has a reason they cannot row.
  • A line at the ice cream truck. The first customer cannot decide.
  • A pirate crew votes for a new captain. Everyone votes for themselves.
  • A royal court. The king has lost his crown, and everyone must look busy.
  • A soccer team at halftime. Nobody remembered to bring the ball back.
  • A space crew wakes from a long sleep. Someone ate all the snacks.
  • A superhero team meeting. Nobody wants to take the notes.
  • A surprise party hides in the dark. The wrong person walks in, and the party goes on.
  • A team of movers delivers a grand piano to a treehouse.
  • A town meeting about a dragon that keeps borrowing sheep.
  • Backstage at a talent show. Every act turns out to be the same magic trick.
  • Castaways on an island build a raft. Everyone has a different design.
  • Statues in a museum wake at night. They argue over who gets the best spot.
  • Zoo animals meet after closing time. The lion wants a vacation.

One character 30

  • A chef who hates the smell of food
  • A coach who cheers for the other team
  • A dentist with a sweet tooth
  • A detective who trusts every suspect
  • A dragon with a cold
  • A fortune teller who can only see five minutes ahead
  • A game show host who has run out of prizes and will not admit it
  • A ghost who keeps apologizing for the noise
  • A king who would rather be a baker
  • A knight in armor two sizes too small
  • A librarian who cannot stop shouting
  • A lifeguard who is afraid of water
  • A magician whose tricks only work by accident
  • A mail carrier who is scared of dogs
  • A motivational speaker having a very bad day
  • A night watchman who cannot stay awake
  • A pirate who is afraid of parrots
  • A referee who wants everyone to like them
  • A retired villain trying to be a good neighbor
  • A robot that has just discovered naps
  • A spy who waves at everyone they follow
  • A statue that is tired of holding still
  • A superhero whose only power is perfect parking
  • A taxi driver with no sense of direction
  • A time traveler who arrived one day too late
  • A tour guide on day one in a city they have never seen
  • A waiter who forgets every order at once
  • A weather forecaster who takes every storm personally
  • An alien on its first day pretending to be an office worker
  • An explorer who claims to have discovered the town park

How it works

These improv scenarios hand a scene its who, where and what: Two pirates with one map. Each holds half, and the halves do not match. Sixty are for two players; the rest suit three, a group or one character.

Read the full guide

Improv scene ideas by cast size

Two players is the classic improv scene: a customer returns a jacket, and the clerk slowly realizes it is their own. Three players adds someone to take sides, as when three pirates dig up a chest and find a single sock. Four or more gives a whole class a part: a pirate crew votes for a new captain, and everyone votes for themselves.

Improv characters to drop into any scene

One character holds 30 roles with the trouble built in: A lifeguard who is afraid of water, A dragon with a cold, A referee who wants everyone to like them. Hand one to a player before a scene starts.

  • Easy cards are everyday improv situations. On Hard cards one player hides something: let the room see it first.

Questions and answers

What are good improv topics for beginners?

Places and troubles everyone has lived, so nobody has to invent a world: a sofa stuck in a doorway, a hotel with no record of the booking, a bus that is very late. Those are Easy cards.

What are some funny scenarios for improv?

The Medium cards make one odd thing true and play it straight: A knight and a dragon. The dragon would rather talk it over. A genie and a wisher. Every wish needs a form filled out three times.

How do you use improv scene prompts?

Say who and where in the first line, then treat whatever your partner adds as true and build on it. Improvisers call that accepting an offer, or Yes, and. Refusing an offer is called blocking, and it usually stops a scene.

Do these work as acting scenarios for a drama class?

Yes. Every card is clean and needs no script or props. Give the same card to two pairs in turn, and the class sees one prompt become two different scenes.