Intermediate3-4 players~8 min

Entrances and Exits

Each player is given a trigger word by the audience. Whenever that word is spoken on stage, they must enter — or exit — and justify it within the scene.

Scene WorkListeningFocusGroup DynamicsShort-Form

About

Before the scene begins, the audience assigns each player a personal trigger word. The rule is simple: if your trigger word is spoken while you are off stage, you must enter; if it is spoken while you are on stage, you must exit. Entrances and exits must be justified within the fiction of the scene — the mechanic is invisible to the characters. The scene itself starts from a single audience suggestion (a location or a relationship) and is otherwise improvised normally. The comedy builds as players simultaneously try to track their own trigger, listen for everyone else's, and steer — or resist steering — the dialogue toward whichever word serves them best in the moment. The best moments come when a trigger fires at exactly the wrong time: mid-declaration, mid-argument, or right as the scene reaches a peak. The player who just had to exit must find a reason to leave that honours the scene rather than abandoning it.

How to Play

1
Ask the audience for one trigger word per player — common, everyday words work best (e.g. 'door', 'really', 'never', 'sorry'). All trigger words are said aloud so the audience knows them.
2
Assign one trigger word to each player. Players must remember their own word.
3
Ask the audience for a scene suggestion: either a location or a relationship between the characters. The MC chooses which type to ask for.
4
Decide how many players start on stage — typically two. The rest wait in the wings.
5
Begin the scene. Players improvise normally.
6
Whenever a trigger word is spoken on stage, the player it belongs to must react immediately: enter if off stage, exit if on stage.
7
Entrances and exits must be justified within the fiction — players do not acknowledge the mechanic directly.
8
The MC ends the scene when the energy peaks or the time is up.

Variations

-Shared Trigger: two players share the same trigger word. When spoken, both must enter or exit simultaneously, forcing them to justify a joint arrival or departure.
-Escalating Words: the MC introduces a new trigger word mid-scene — replacing one of the original ones — supplied by the audience on the spot, raising the difficulty as the game progresses.
-Blind Triggers: players are not told each other's trigger words, only their own. They must infer the others' words from watching who enters and exits.

At a glance

Players3-4 players

Duration~8 min

DifficultyIntermediate

Equipment

No equipment

Audience suggestions

PlaceRelationship

Coach's Tips

+Trigger words land best when they are common enough to arise naturally in conversation but specific enough to surprise — 'door', 'actually', 'never', 'fine', 'right'.
+Players on stage must keep half an ear on every word spoken. Missing your own trigger is a mistake the audience will notice immediately.
+The urge to steer conversation toward your own trigger word is real and often very funny — let players indulge it.
+Strategically using someone else's trigger word to force an inconvenient entrance or exit is a legitimate and crowd-pleasing move.
+If a player misses their trigger, the audience reaction usually signals it. Let the player self-correct rather than stopping the scene — a belated exit is funnier than a pause.
+Coaches: watch for players who go silent to avoid accidentally triggering someone. Remind them the scene must keep moving.

Related games

Yes, And

The foundational principle of improv, practiced as an exercise.

Zip Zap Zop

A fast-paced energy and focus warm-up to get a group connected.

Freeze Tag

Side-coaching game where anyone can tap in and transform the scene.