Box Full of Hats
Box Full of Hats is a character exercise in which players draw hats or costume pieces from a container and immediately adopt a character suggested by the item. The physical prop provides an instant external stimulus for character creation. The exercise trains rapid character commitment and the ability to build a persona from a single detail.
Worth Reading
See all books →
Improvisation for the Theater
A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques
Viola Spolin
112 Acting Games
Gavin Levy
Group Improvisation
The Manual of Ensemble Improv Games
Peter Campbell Gwinn; Charna Halpern
Improv Ideas
A Book of Games and Lists
Mary Ann Kelley; Justine Jones
The Young Actor's Book of Improvisation
Dramatic Situations
Sandra Caruso; Susan Kosoff
Action Theater
The Improvisation of Presence
Ruth Zaporah
Related Exercises
Hats
Hats is a character exercise in which performers draw hats or headpieces from a collection and build a character inspired by the item. The physical prop provides an instant external stimulus and anchor for character choices. The exercise trains rapid character commitment and the ability to find a persona from a single visual cue.
Piece of Cheese
Piece of Cheese is a scene exercise in which a performer endows a simple object with extraordinary emotional significance, treating it as though it carries deep personal meaning. The exercise teaches players that strong scene work comes not from extraordinary premises but from the emotional weight characters assign to ordinary things.
Character Walk
Character Walk is an exercise in which players move through the space while gradually adjusting their physicality to build a character from the feet up. Changes in gait, posture, tempo, and weight distribution produce distinct personas. The exercise demonstrates how physical choices generate character without any need for backstory or dialogue.
Great, Next Character
Great, Next Character is a rapid character-switching exercise in which a facilitator prompts a performer to create a new character every few seconds. The performer barely has time to establish one persona before being pushed to the next. The exercise trains the ability to make instant character choices, build characters from body and voice rather than concept, and prevent the overthinking that causes character hesitation in performance.
What Would She Be If
What Would She Be If is a character-building exercise in which the group describes what a character would be if they were a color, an animal, a type of weather, a piece of music, or other metaphorical categories. The associations build a rich, multidimensional character portrait through lateral thinking. The exercise teaches players to develop characters through sense and metaphor rather than biography.
Point of View Post-It Notes
Point of View Post-It Notes is a scene exercise in which performers receive sticky notes with written perspectives, attitudes, or emotional states that they must adopt during a scene. The external assignment frees players from habitual choices and forces them to commit to a viewpoint they might not naturally select. The exercise expands character range and teaches the value of strong point of view.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Box Full of Hats. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/box-full-of-hats
The Improv Archive. "Box Full of Hats." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/box-full-of-hats.
The Improv Archive. "Box Full of Hats." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/box-full-of-hats. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.