Synonyms
Party Labels. Read Between the Spines. Word on the Back. Party Quirks.
Introduction
These performers are all at a party and they don’t know who they are. Each performer will be sent into the sound proof parking lot and be endowed as a famous person.
Description
Endowment Party is a handle where the performers are endowed with famous folks that they must guess by getting clues from other performers. It is strongly recommended to review Endowments to get a handle on the tips and tricks for running a successful Endowment Party.
Once the host has efficiently and painlessly endowed each performer with a famous person the scene starts with one performer on stage. Typically, the first performer will be setting up for a party, but this convention is entirely unnecessary. The scene could take place anywhere, however, beware of spending too much time setting this scene up. As performers arrive, they will create characters as they would for any scene. The scene should also follow a narrative and not digress into a guessing game.
As the performers explore the scene and engage in pathetic small chat like at any party hints will be dropped to try and get the performer to guess who they are. The characters are not confused people they just need hints. When a performer thinks they know which famous person they have been endowed with they will alert everyone to this by carrying out a defining action. The performer should avoid announcing, “oh I’m Albert Einstein.” A stronger way to do this would be to adopt a Teutonic accent and comment on the theory of relatives. The audience should be primed on how to support and direct the guesses of the performers. As the party progresses more performers join. Performers that know who they are may leave or stay and help give hints to other players. Once all performers have identified themselves the scene may gracefully be put out of all our misery. I mean the lights can go down.
There is also no reason why this could not be a cold start with all performers on stage at a party in progress. Don’t let the success of structured televised improv comedy determine what your house does on stage.
Since the performers are being endowed as living or dead figures that are not themselves, they must perform at the top of their intelligence. In this case the pithy aphorism is to avoid gags and gimmicks that exploit the heritage, gender, or ethnicity of the famous figure. It never was okay, but it’s not the 90s anymore.
Gimmicks
- Everyone forgets who a performer was endowed as.
- Endow the performer as themselves.
Variations
- Word on the Back – Performers have a name written and taped on their back or attached to their forehead somehow.
- Party Quirks – This is identical to Endowment Party except the performers are endowed with a quirk they don’t know about.
- Other Endowments – Endow as animal types, vehicle types, virus types, textiles.
Credits
- Information appreciated.