How to play
To play the improv game “Spin Doctor,” three players take the stage. The setup is that a Government Minister is being interviewed and gets advice by his/her political Spin Doctor about which way to answer the questions from the journalists.
The Interviewer and Minister sit and the Spin Doctor stands between them.
The players ask the audience for a suggestion of type of government minster.
The other players ask questions of the Minister, which the Interviewer repeats.
The Minister looks to the spin doctor to know how to answer this question. If the spin doctor gives a ‘thumbs up’ the answer is very positive, if ‘thumbs down’ the answer is negative, if the hand is flat, palm down and wiggles a bit, the answer is non-committed.
The audience can suggest questions for the journalists to ask the minister.
Example (from performance)
The Minister of Bad Jokes
Interviewer: How does the Minister feel about puns?
[Minister glances toward the player who is playing the Spin Doctor Advisor who gives the Minister a thumbs up.]
Minister: Puns are a very high form of humor that can be enjoyed by every person.
[Spin Doctor turns his/her thumb down.]
Minister: Which is a horrible way to make people laugh.
Interviewer: Next question.
Notes
This reminds me of a game that I used to play as a child. One of us would jump off of a swimming pool diving board and in mid-jump someone would shout out “Jump” or “Dive” and we would have to adjust our jump accordingly.
This game reminds us that we can take any position… on any topic… it is a choice.
Origin
I first saw this game played by Blind Mirth, the improv group from the University of St. Andrew, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
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