Improv Prototyping

Depth · what it can open●●○○2 — reflective

Holding · facilitation2 — facilitator

Trust · group readiness★★some

Disclosure · what is sharednone

Groups act out a chronic challenge scene three ways — the dysfunctional version, an improved version, and wild variants — with player groups performing while observer groups harvest what works. Serious fun that lets people rehearse better behaviour before they need it, and lets a group laugh at patterns nobody could name in a meeting.

Hold with care

Performing in front of colleagues is exposure — recruit volunteers, never conscript, and keep scenes about roles, not impressions of real people

Practical

Time: 20-60 min
Group: 9–∞ · small-group, large-group
Settings: in-person, online
Materials: Open stage area; clustered chairs; optional props
Mechanisms: behavioral-rehearsal, creative-expression, perspective-taking
Change scope: state → skill · repeatable

Origin & where it lives

Henri Lipmanowicz & Keith McCandless — Liberating Structures; applied-improvisation lineage

Instructions: open online · CC BY-SA 4.0

In this directory via Liberating Structures

status: checked · added 2026-08-25