How to Play
Players ask the audience for a foreign language they studied while in High School. The players improvise a scene speaking only words they know in that language.
They each speak they language they studied. Which means, you might have a little French spoken with a little Spanish and a little Italian.
Notes on foreign language
Probably best if a player isn’t fluent in the language… but then again… if only one player is fluent it might be fun.
Origin
I have no idea where this game came from. I know it’s very popular with Paul Killam of BATS Improv.
Variation
I saw a variation of this in January at the International Improvisational Theater Festival in Amsterdam. A group of 8 players from all over the world played a long form Harold-like piece and everyone spoke his or her native language. It was wonderful. The audience was able to follow some of the language but not all. It reminded me that body language and tonal inflection are more effective communication tools than language. Play on.
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