Quick Improv Games: Press Conference

Good morning on this dreary, drizzly day!

Want to shake these gray-day doldrums? Try a fun improv game that has quickly become a favorite of the class I'm currently teaching--Press Conference!

This is a fun guessing game that where everyone can get a turn. As with all of the games in our Quick Improv series, the premise is simple: one person leaves the room (or if you're on a car trip, covers their ears) and everyone else decides who they are. The person returns to the room (or uncovers their ears) and is immediately the star of a press conference. Everyone else is a reporter--and it's their job to help the guesser figure out who they are through the questions asked.

Now this seems easy, but if you want to have maximum fun, the reporters have to be very clever. They must use our favorite improv technique: escalating tactics! This means starting off with clues that may not be obvious right away and working up to the more revealing ones.

Let's do an example. Say the reporters decide the speaker is Mickey Mouse...

Bad first question: "How do you like being the mascot of Disney?" (This gives it away far too quickly.)

Good first question: "Do your big ears help you hear?" (This tells the guesser a little bit about who they are, but it could still go in many different directions!)

Bad question: "Tell us about your friends." (This puts the guesser in a terrible position! They don't know who they are yet and can't get any information out of this. They would also have to make up an answer that will throw everyone off track.)

Good question: "Why do you like hanging out with a duck and a dog?" (This gives them information while letting them answer in a way that will make sure the game keeps going in a good way!)

The guesser also has a lot to keep track of. They need to answer the questions while not knowing who they are! If our guesser is still Mickey Mouse and the question is "Why do you like hanging out with a duck and a dog?"....

Bad answer: "Ummmmmmmmmmmmm....'cuz."

Good answer: "Well, they make for good company. I can count on them to catch flies and chase cats."

If you're the guesser, try working your guess into an answer! Instead of "Am I Mickey Mouse?", try "I love cheese because I'm Mickey Mouse!"

Have lots of fun! If you want an extra challenge, add an extra step: the guesser has to figure out who they are AND what they did! Whether you're Peter Pan or Voldemort, this game is lots of fun.

-Allie