Go big or go home. There are no bounds to where we can go with strong mime, and our unbridled imaginations. The choices we make on stage will either add to our characters, or add to the conflict. Making the conflict bigger is a way to make the scene better. Raising the stakes does not have to be a sledgehammer, it can be subtle. The following improv structures can help improvisers raise the stakes to the conflict in their scenes.
- 1-2-3-4
- 300!
- 5-4-3-2-1
- A dog is to a cat like a walrus is to a BLANK.
- A poor choice for collateral.
- Accepting
- Actor’s Nightmare
- Advance and Expand
- Airplane
- Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves
- Alien, Tiger, Cow
- Alien, Tiger, Cow Elimination
- Aliens
- Alliteration Introduction
- Alliteration Occupation
- Alliteration Prop
- Alphabet Circle
- Alphabet Game
- Amoeba
- Animal Characters
- Animal Characters
- Animals
- Arms Expert
- Ask For Practice
- Associations
- Associations-Cross Circle
- Associations-Firing Line
- Associations-Pass the Chi
- Associations-Rhythmic
- Associations-Walk Over
- Back Dancing
- Backwards Scene
- Ball Pass
- Balladeer
- Balladeer-Doo Wop
- Balladeer-Minstrel
- Banana Banana
- Become
- Big Blob
- Big Blob
- Big Booty
- Big Brother
- Bing Bing Bong
- Bippity Bibbity Bop
- Bippity Bibbity Bopaphant
- Bippity Bibbity BunnBop
- Blind Dubbing
- Blind Stalker
- Blogification of learn improv
- Blurry Featured Image
- Body Guard
- Body Hide
- Booth Hell
- Build A Story
- Can I get a crucial moment in history?
- Can I get a location that fits on the stage?
- Can I get a non-geographical location?
- Can I get a polysyllabic noun that starts with the letter D (F, G, etc)?
- Can I have a relationship between two people?
- Capturing the Whatsit
- Car
- Cat and Mouse
- Categories-Exercise
- Categories-Handle
- Categories-Warm Up
- Chain Mystery Endowment
- Chain Reaction
- Chairs
- Character Circle
- Characters
- Circle of Knots
- Clap Focus
- Clap Snap Stamp
- Clay
- Clay
- Coming Home
- Conducted Story
- Conducted Story-Back
- Conducted Story-Channels
- Conducted Story-Die
- Conducted Story-Show
- Conflict
- Conga Line
- Convergence
- Corridors
- Corridors
- Counting Game
- Crime Scene Improvisation
- Cross Circle
- Day In the Life
- Deaf Translation
- Deconstruction
- Deprecation
- Deterioration of Elocution
- Die Game
- Digits
- Ding Dong
- Disc
- Double Opener
- Dry Cleaner Bag of Death
- Dubbing
- Dubbing-Cross
- Dubbing-Low Budget
- Dubbing-Reverse
- Dubbing-Three Way
- Eights
- Elevator
- Emotional Symphony
- Emotional Transfer
- Emotional Transfer
- Emotional Zones
- Endowments
- Endowments-Crime Scene
- Endowments-Party
- Endowments-Repair Shop
- Entrances and Exercises
- Entrances and Exits
- Environment
- Environment Build
- Environment Scene
- Environment Shift
- Exaggeration Circle
- Facebook and Improv
- Fairy Tale-In A Minute
- Fairy Tale-Modern
- Falling
- Farmer’s Daughter
- Fill in the blank. The -blank- holiday.
- Fill in the blanks. For every -blank- there are seven -blanks-.
- Financial Support Accepted
- Fingertips
- Firing Squad
- First Blog Post
- Fish Story
- Flock Dance
- Foreign Language Gibberish
- Four Month Update Done
- Freeze
- Freeze Tag-Exercise
- Freeze-Endowment
- Freeze-For All
- Freeze-Space Jump
- French Braid
- Fruit Basket
- Fuzzy Bunny
- Game Names and Name Games
- Genre Zones
- Gibberish
- Gibberish-Hello
- Gibberish-Switch
- Gibberish-Switch
- Goon River
- Goon River-Spoon River
- Goon River-Voices From Heaven
- Group Sort
- Group Stop
- GutenWord
- Half Life
- Half Space
- Hands
- Hands Up
- Harold
- Harold-Armando
- Harold-Blind
- Harold-French
- Harold-Monoscene
- Harold-Sheila
- Harold-Sybil
- Harold-The Bat
- Harold-Triple Play
- Head and Shoulders
- Head In A Bucket
- Hello
- Hello
- Help Desk
- Here Comes Leslie
- High Fives
- Historical Scene
- Hitch Hiker
- How do we know God is a woman?
- I’m sorry but the dog ate my BLANK.
- If god were an atheist what would god have called religion?
- If Mac’s were actually decent computers what would they be called?
- If money could buy you love, how much would it take?
- If there was no fire what would you use to keep warm?
- If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?
- If you could defy any natural law, what would it be?
- If you could go on holiday in any year in history, when would it be?
- If you could invent a new human organ what would it be?
- If you could replace your boss with an animal, what animal would it be?
- If you could replace your spleen with something, what would it be?
- If you could work at a Federal Penitentary what job would you choose?
- Improv Encyclopedia
- Invocation
- Jeepers Peepers
- Jump
- Jump-Association
- Killer Bunny
- La Ronde
- LACE
- Leading
- Leading
- Leaving the Couch
- Leslie’s Bakery
- Less Is More
- Less Work Less Success
- Let Me Help You!
- Let’s Not
- Life Game
- Life In One Day
- Line Gag-185
- Line Gag-Epitaphs
- Line Gag-Jeopardy
- Line Gag-Lovers
- Line Gag-Offspring
- Line Gag-Props
- Line Gag-World’s Worst
- Line Gags
- Listening
- Literature Review
- Lots of New Posts Coming
- Machines
- Making Faces
- Malapropism
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
- Massage
- May I get a backyard activity?
- May I get an occupation that involves no risk of physical injury?
- Meanwhile
- Meanwhile
- Meanwhile
- Mirrors
- Monarch
- Montage
- More or Less
- Movie In A Minute
- Musical
- Musical Show
- My post-it notes don’t work, they are covered in -blank-.
- Name a new type of PhD.
- Name Volley
- No Laughs Scene
- Object
- Object Circle
- Object Monologue
- Once Upon A Because
- One Duck
- One To Ten
- Open Scene-Exercise
- Open Scene-Handle
- Open Your Hands
- Options
- Options-Container
- Options-Paper Chase
- Options-Pillars
- Options-Retail Therapy
- Options-Roller Coaster
- Options-Shopping List
- Options-Um Err
- Oscar Moment
- Park Bench
- Party Quirks
- Pass Catch
- Pass the Freak
- Pass the Peep
- Pass Yes
- Passages
- Photograph
- Pirates
- Please describe your favourite physical exertion that is mimed.
- Please fill in the blank. The -blank- family.
- Please name a bad none clothing replacement for pants.
- Popcorn
- Puking Dinosaur
- Puppeteer
- Puppets
- Radio Play
- Raising the Stakes
- Randoms Working Again
- Rather Not
- Receiver Right Clap
- Redirection
- Relationships
- Relaxations
- Remote Controller
- Resolution
- Retired the old heading
- Rhythm Circle
- Rope
- Satellite Radio
- Satellite TV
- Scene In Verse
- Scene Three Ways
- Scene To Music
- Sevens
- Shakespeare
- Should Have Said
- Show Me That
- Silent Scene
- Silent Scene
- Simply Random
- Simulclap
- Sit, Stand, Kneel Lie Down
- Slap Takes
- Slide Show
- Slow Family Robinson
- Slow Motion Samurai
- Slow Motion Swordplay
- Snap Focus
- So I’ll
- Soliloquy
- Song
- Song Circle
- Song-Do Ron Ron
- Song-Madrigal
- Song-Mangled Madrigal
- Song-Plain Chant
- Sound Effects
- Speak In One Voice
- Speak In One Voice
- Spit Takes
- Split Environments
- Stage Directions
- Status Transfer
- Status Transfer-Exercise
- STEPS
- Sticks
- Stretching
- Structure Taxonomy
- Stunt Doubles
- Subconscious Scene
- Superhero Eulogy
- Superhero Helper
- Survivor
- Switch Characters
- Taxonomy Time
- Teamwork
- Tell me what was your favourite toy as a child?
- Tell us the meanest thing a co-worker did to your cubicle.
- The Catholic Game
- They’re not really fighting over oil, they are fighting over BLANK ?
- Those are not tears of sadness they are tears of BLANK.
- Three Noses
- Three Rules
- Tick Tock O’clock
- Time Line
- Toilet Roll
- Tossing
- Touch It
- Touch To Talk
- Translation-Film
- Translation-Future In Laws
- Translation-Healthcare
- Translation-Opera
- Translation-Poem
- TRIANGLE
- Trifecta-Narrative
- Trifecta-Setting
- Trifecta-Ties
- Try That on For Size
- Tug of War
- Typewriter
- Updating the LACE Update
- Using the Last Scene
- Using the Last Sentence
- Using the Last Word
- Vampire
- Walk By Numbers
- Waterloo Ballet
- We Don’t Serve Your Kind Here
- We know the seven habits of highly effective people, what is the ninth?
- What am I holding in my hands (hold up hands)?
- What animal does your spouse remind you of?
- What Are You Doing?
- What are you planning to do on your next day off?
- What best describes the human mating ritual?
- What did you want to be when you grew up?
- What does it take to wake you up in the morning?
- What food type should have a seven day waiting period?
- What Happens Next?
- What Happens Next?
- What Has Changed?
- What is a lame excuse for NOT being given a speeding ticket?
- What is a room in the house?
- What is an annoying personal habit?
- What is the best thing to have in your pants?
- What is the integral of 3Xcubed?
- What is the name of an unlikely superhero?
- What is the opposite of the colour (blue)?
- What is the thirteenth commandment?
- What is the worst excuse you have heard for missing work (school, church)?
- What is your favourite cereal topping?
- What is your favourite fruit (vegetable, meat etc.)?
- What is your uncle’s favourite hobby?
- What profession should not (should) play with silly putty?
- What should Microsoft’s next “killer app” be?
- What vegetable should a computer be named after?
- Whats your favorite Candy Bar?
- Where is a bad place to take a date?
- Which human virtue would you like to be able to control?
- Whoosh
- Why are you limping this morning?
- Word At A Time
- Word At A Time Convo
- Word At A Time Expert
- Word At A Time Story
- Write On Right
- Yes
- Yes And
- Yes Let’s
- Zombie Walk