Airport

How to Explain It

"You are in an airport. You know which airport, you know why you are here, you know where you are going. Everyone else in this airport has their own story. Find someone. Have a moment."

Airport is valuable for teaching environment work, character specificity, and trust depending on the version used.

For the scene game version, coach players to choose characters with strong emotional stakes rather than generic travelers. A passenger who just received bad news on the phone creates richer scene potential than a passenger who is simply waiting. Emphasize that the airport provides the where, but the players must bring the who and the why.

For the obstacle course version, as described by Levy, the exercise teaches trust and specificity of communication. Coach the signalmen to give precise, measurable directions ("slide your foot forward six inches") rather than vague instructions ("take a step forward"). The pilots must surrender control and trust their guides completely.

A common failure mode in the scene game occurs when players ignore each other and perform solo character pieces. Coach the ensemble to seek connections: overhear conversations, share reactions, ask questions. The comedy and drama emerge from characters affecting each other, not from individual performances.

In the obstacle course version, a common pitfall is signalmen speaking simultaneously or giving contradictory directions. Use this as a teaching moment about clear communication and collaborative leadership.

The scene game version works best with four to six performers. Each player should enter with a clearly differentiated character and a specific emotional stake tied to their travel. Vague characters who are simply "at the airport" lack the specificity to drive scenes.

The fixed setting eliminates the need to establish location, freeing performers to focus on character and relationship. Players should use object work to ground the environment: handling luggage, checking departure screens, buying coffee, or searching for a power outlet.

Pacing benefits from staggered entrances. Rather than populating the terminal all at once, performers enter at intervals, allowing the audience to track each new character and observe the emerging dynamic.

The game escalates most effectively through an external event that affects all characters simultaneously. A weather delay, a gate change, or a security announcement creates a shared circumstance that forces characters into new configurations and reveals how each responds under pressure.

Gavin Levy documents a trust-based version of Airport in 112 Acting Games, framing it as an exercise in which blindfolded players are guided through an obstacle course by verbal-only "signalmen." This version emphasizes trust, specificity of direction, and collaborative leadership.

Seraphin Eldredge describes an airport terminal improvisation in Mask Improvisation for Actor Training and Performance, where masked characters occupy a waiting area and interact based on their individual reasons for being at the airport. This version uses the airport as a rich environment for character exploration and relationship discovery.

The airport setting remains one of the most commonly suggested locations in improv, appearing across books by Bernardi, Kelley, and others as a reliable source for scene suggestions.