Quick Description
Audience Attack. Audience members throw plush dolls at the players to change the action.
How to Play
The audience is given plush dolls.
The audience is given permission to throw them at players. Each doll has a different effect on the action of a scene.
Have the improvisers improvise a scene. [Probably not a game… it would be overloading.]
Each doll serves a purpose.
The Audience throws a doll when they want to affect the action
The audience members are encouraged to throw their toy when they want to affect the action. If an improviser is struck with the toy, they have to do one of 5 actions: fall in love, have good luck, have bad luck, confess something, or tell a lie.
It can be integrated with most any improv format.
Notes
This format works in both long form and short form.
Practice throwing the dolls. Choose ones that are not heavy. They can hurt.
Dolls can be picked up during scenes and held up to demonstrate that the action is being taken. For example, if the “tell a lie” doll strikes a player, the player may pick up the doll and hold it high above his/her head during the lie. This lets the audience know that a lie is being told right now.
After a doll is finished with, toss it onto a pre-determined location on stage to avoid littering the stage, such as downstage-left. Discuss with your group how often you want to return dolls to the audience. You can distribute them during scene breaks or even toss them back to the audience mid-scene. Experiment!
Origin
I learned Audience Attack from Joe Balfantz. His group On Tap Improv currently plays this format in San Francisco.
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