Swedish Storytelling Improv Activity

Quick Description

In Swedish Storytelling Improv, one person tells a story and 1 or 2 other players say words or short phrases they must incorporate into the story.

Don’t know why it’s called Swedish Storytelling – that was the name when I learned it.

How to Play

As an activity in a workshop or a performance.

Ask the improvisers to get into groups of 4.

Each person in the group chooses a role:  1. storytelling 2. audience for the story 3. and 4. word suggester.

The storyteller faces the audience for the story.  The two people suggesting words stand on either side and slightly behind the storyteller.

The storyteller begins to tell a story and from time to time a person on either side will say a word out loud.  The storytelling must incorporate the word or phrase as soon as possible into the story.

Origins

I feel like I learned this activity in the 1980s.  But I definitely remember playing it in a workshop with Gary Hirsh of On Your Feet.

Notes

It’s helpful to have the storyteller keep their focus on the audience and not on the players suggesting words.

Variations

• You can use words or phrases written on index cards.
• As a performance game there are a few options.
  • Have the audience pre-write words on a piece of paper (look over them first, because they could be rude).
  • Have two audience members come up on stage to give the player words or phrases.
  • Ring a bell, have the storyteller stop, ask the audience for a suggestion of the next word or phrase.
  • Invent your own variation.  (And tell me about it so I can add it here and list your group).
• Shakespeare monologues.  In preparation for improvised Shakespeare, I’ve pre-written Elizabethan words and phrases on sheets of paper.  Write the words a big and easily readable from the audience.  Have a player start a soliloquy and from the begin showing them the words to incorporate. Here is a good list.

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