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Step 1
Select one player to be the guesser ("employee"), one to be the questioner ("boss"), and one or two to be silent co-workers ("helpers").
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Step 2
Send the employee to the lobby, parking lot, or some other place where they cannot hear what happens next. The boss takes up position in the center of the stage while the helpers stand to one side.
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Step 3
Ask the audience for a place of business, an unfortunate occurrence (like getting a flat tire or being attacked by a vampire), and an unusual mode of transportation.
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Step 4
Tell the audience that the first player will try to guess their suggestions but will need their help. Ask them to applaud if the guesser gets close, say "aw" if they get farther away, and cheer if they get it exactly right.
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Step 5
Have someone bring in the employee.
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Step 6
For maximum effect, all players should spring into action at once. The helpers pantomime an activity appropriate to the place of business, the employee dashes onto stage (taking position on the side opposite from where the helpers are "working") while looking panicked, and the boss reprimands them for being late.
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Step 7
The employee should immediately say something like, "I'm sorry, I got here to the _____ as fast as I could," filling in the blank with what they think the business is based on the helpers' activities.
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Step 8
The first guess will usually be wrong, which of course makes the boss angrier, but the helpers will give the employee clues through their mime. If everyone is in the correct position, the helpers will be in full view of the employee and the audience but the boss, facing the late employee, will have their back to the helpers.
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Step 9
The employee continues guessing until hitting the right answer. The guesses should not come out in the form of a list, but in dialogue. ("Did I say circus? I said that because it's so much fun here at the hospital! I call it a hospital because I feel better whenever I'm here at...")
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Step 10
As the guessing continues, the helpers actions become less about doing their jobs and more like charades. For instance, if the setting is Wal-Mart, they may pantomime building a wall. The boss should once or twice acknowledge that the employee is watching the helpers and turn around to "catch" them in the act. This adds another source of comedy as the helpers immediately switch back into "working" mode or try to justify what they were doing. (The helpers can speak when spoken to.)
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Step 11
The questioner can give clues to the employee, but must stay in character as the angry boss. If the employee guesses something that has nothing to do with the correct answer, the boss can say something like "That isn't even close!" If, in the Wal-Mart example, the guesser says Kmart, the boss could say, "We're much bigger than them!"
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Step 12
When the guesser gets the right response
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Step 13
The first clues should be fairly subtle, so the game doesn't end too quickly and the audience has the satisfaction of watching the employee try to piece things together. But if the employee is obviously struggling and not getting any closer, the boss can use more obvious clues to keep the game from dragging. ("Wally, Martin! Get back to work!")
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Step 14
When the employee gives the correct response, the emcee should lead the audience in cheering and the boss should say something like, "Congratulations, you remembered you work at _______. Now can you tell me why you were late?"
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Step 15
Repeat steps 7 through 14 (adapting the dialogue and mime, of course) until the employee has stated the correct reason for being late (the unfortunate occurrence) and how they finally got to work (the unusual mode of transportation).
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Step 16
After the guesser has guessed the final part, they should put it all together: "I was late for my job at ______ because of ______ but I got here by _____!", at which point the game ends to wild cheering.
Comments
puentez said
on 11/5/2009 thank you for this great write up!