Scenes from a Bag is one of my most favourite theatre games. It can easily become one of those “takes over the whole class period” games because it’s simple and fun for students. This game is useful for practicing improvisation skills, working with different people, thinking on your feet, and exploring lots of different characters and scenarios in a short amount of time.
Scenes from a Bag is exactly what it sounds like – an improvisation game lovingly adapted from the improv television show Whose Line Is It Anyway. (The original game from Whose Line was called “Scenes from a Hat” but I changed it to “bag” because the first time I played this game in a classroom, we had only a brown paper lunch bag to draw slips from. Whatever works!) Students divide up into pairs. For each pair, draw a slip of paper with a two-person scenario from a bag and have that pair improvise the scene. Each scene needs to have a beginning, middle, and end, and should be timed (between 1-2 minutes) to ensure all pairs get a chance to perform, and to keep the scenes from going on too long.
The key to ensuring that the scene works is to remember the most basic improv rule: “Yes, and…” Whatever is established in the scene is the reality for that scene, and students must go along with it. For example, if one partner says, “Oh my goodness Kate! I can’t believe we’re on an African safari!” the other partner cannot turn around and say, “What are you talking about? My name is Ben and we’re working in an office right now.” That totally kills the scene. Go with whatever is brought to the scene!
Scenes from a Bag can be played as simply as each pair drawing a slip and then performing in turn, but there are lots of variations you can employ in your classroom. If you come up with a great variation, please share it with us! Here are just a few variations to get you started:
Partner Variations:
Scenario Variations:
Gameplay Variations: