How to Play the Improv Game "Alphabet"

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By keith4hire
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Play the Improv Game "Alphabet"

The object of this improv game is to create a scene in which each line of dialogue starts with the letter immediately following the letter that started the one before it. Got it?

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Select two performers to play the game.
Step 2

Ask the audience to suggest a location for the scene to take place.
Step 3

Ask the audience for a letter of the alphabet.
Step 4

One of the players improvises the first line of dialogue, which must begin with that letter.
Step 5

The other player must respond with a line of dialogue that starts with the next letter in the alphabet. (For this game, "A" follows "Z".)
Step 6

Repeat until the players return to the starting letter.
Step 7

If a player takes more than a couple of seconds to respond or begins with the wrong letter, the caller should "buzz" that player out and another player should replace them and give a response starting with the correct letter. Alternatively, you can instruct the audience to boo or shout "die" or make a buzzing noise.

Tips & Warnings

Study words beginning with "X" and "Z".
Each line of dialogue should be a logical response to the one before it and should move the scene forward.
Limit responses to one sentence to avoid dragging out the game or confusing your partner.
For a challenging twist, impose a time limit (90 seconds seems about right).
Don't start too many sentences with words that don't add meaning, like "And," "But," "Gosh," "Wow," etc. The audience expects you to be more clever than that.

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