Canadian Who What Where
Canadian Who What Where is a variation on the classic Who What Where scene-building exercise, typically played with an apologetic or overly polite Canadian sensibility. Players establish character, activity, and location within the opening moments of a scene. The exercise reinforces the foundational skill of grounding scenes quickly with specific information.
Structure
Setup
Two performers. A scene suggestion is given by the audience or facilitator.
The Mechanic
Performers establish three pieces of information in the scene's opening moments:
- Who: the relationship between the characters
- What: what they are doing in this moment
- Where: the specific physical location of the scene
The "Canadian" element: all of this exposition is offered and received with excessive politeness, apology, and self-deprecation. Characters don't simply establish the world - they apologize for doing so, thank each other for clarifying it, and express gratitude for obvious information.
Example: "I'm sorry to interrupt your work, but I do wonder if perhaps you might have a moment, since we are, after all, at the dentist's office?" / "Oh, that's terribly kind of you to mention where we are! I had been so caught up in cleaning your teeth that I'd nearly forgotten!"
Training vs. Performance
In pure training use, performers can run the mechanic straight (without the Canadian element) to practice grounding scenes quickly. The Canadian overlay adds comedic texture to what is otherwise a technical exposition drill.
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"Establish Who, What, and Where in the first few lines - but be extremely Canadian about it. Polite, apologetic, grateful. The audience needs to know where they are, who you are, and what's happening - and you're going to be very sorry about telling them."
Why It Matters
Who What Where is a foundational scene-building skill: audiences need to know who is in the scene, what the characters are doing, and where they are before they can invest in the scene's drama. Most improv students either over-explain this information (breaking the fourth wall to announce "I am a doctor") or under-establish it (leaving the scene in a void of unknown context). This exercise trains the middle path: weaving exposition naturally into character behavior and dialogue.
Common Coaching Notes
- The exposition should feel like natural scene action. Characters establish who they are through what they do, not through announcements.
- Use the Canadian element strategically. The polite over-explanation is a crutch that makes exposition forgivable in training. In performance, the exposition should be invisible.
- Three specific pieces. Hold performers to all three: Who, What, and Where must be established before the scene develops.
Debrief Questions
- How quickly did the audience know where they were?
- Which element was hardest to establish naturally?
- What's the difference between exposition that feels like acting and exposition that feels like announcement?
Worth Reading
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Related Exercises
Lcd
LCD (Lowest Common Denominator) is a scene exercise in which performers practice finding the simplest, most universal emotional truth in a scene rather than reaching for clever or complicated choices. The exercise trains the instinct to ground scenes in recognizable human experience. It rewards simplicity over sophistication.
Who What Where
Who What Where is a foundational scene exercise in which performers must establish the who (characters and relationship), what (activity), and where (location) within the first few lines of a scene. The exercise trains the habit of front-loading essential scene information and ensures every scene begins with a clear foundation.
Who Where Why Am I
Who Where Why Am I is a solo and ensemble scene-starting exercise in which performers establish the full context of a scene through action and environment rather than dialogue, committing to a specific who, where, and why before the first word is spoken, training physical specificity, environmental grounding, and intentional entry.
Move On
Move On is a scene exercise in which a facilitator calls out the directive to prompt performers to abandon their current scene beat and transition immediately to a new choice. The call forces performers to leave comfortable territory and advance the scene rather than circling the same material. The exercise builds editorial instincts about when a moment has been fully explored and trains the habit of moving forward rather than sideways. It develops the internal sense of pacing that distinguishes dynamic scene work from repetitive scene work.
Blind Line Offers
Blind Line Offers is a scene exercise in which performers receive random written lines from slips of paper and must incorporate each one seamlessly into the scene as it unfolds. The unexpected text forces players to justify and connect disparate material in real time. The exercise trains adaptability and the skill of making any offer work.
In-Out
In-Out is a scene exercise in which performers practice entering and leaving scenes with purpose and clarity. Each entrance must contribute something specific and each exit must feel earned. The exercise trains awareness of when a scene needs a new element and when a character has served their function.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Canadian Who What Where. Retrieved March 19, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/canadian-who-what-where
The Improv Archive. "Canadian Who What Where." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/canadian-who-what-where.
The Improv Archive. "Canadian Who What Where." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/canadian-who-what-where. Accessed March 19, 2026.
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