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.
Structure
Setup
- A collection of hats, headpieces, or other headwear is prepared in advance, with as much variety as possible.
- Each performer draws a hat at random from the collection.
- The hat becomes the starting point, the external anchor, and the first constraint for building a character.
Building from the Hat
- The performer puts on the hat and allows its physical quality to generate a character: How does this hat sit? What does it suggest about the person who wears it? What does it say about their job, their status, their self-image?
- The character emerges through physical engagement with the hat before any verbal choices are made.
- The performer may then speak as the character, move as the character, and interact with others from within the character.
Using Hats in a Scene
- Performers wearing different hats are placed together in a scene, creating an ensemble of characters each anchored to a distinct physical starting point.
- The hats can create natural status differentials, historical or genre contrasts, and unexpected pairings.
Variations
- Performers swap hats mid-scene on a signal, requiring immediate character transformation.
- A hat is drawn and the performer must become a specific named character suggested by the audience, finding how the hat fits that character.
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"Take a hat. Put it on. Don't decide what the character is. Let the hat tell you. Feel how it sits on your head. What does someone who wears this hat do? How do they walk? What do they want? Start moving before you start talking."
Common Notes
- The physical approach first is essential. Performers who decide intellectually what the hat represents before putting it on miss the generative quality of the exercise.
- Encourage performers to notice what the hat does to their posture and movement, not just what it suggests as a symbol.
- Transformation exercises with hat swaps work best after the initial character has been established. Swapping too early prevents the first character from landing.
Common Pitfalls
- Performers treat the hat as a costume element rather than a character generator. Putting on a top hat and announcing "I am a Victorian gentleman" is a decision, not a discovery.
- Characters built from hats remain at the level of stereotype rather than specificity. Coach performers toward more particular choices.
- The hat is ignored once the scene is underway and the character drifts away from its physical origin.
How to Perform It
Audience Intro
"Each performer is going to draw a hat from this collection. Whatever they draw, that's their character for this scene. They have no idea what they'll get. Let's see what comes out of the hat."
Cast Size
- Ideal: Two to four performers.
- Larger ensembles can work for a party or ensemble scene format.
Staging
- Hat drawing can be done in front of the audience for participation and anticipation.
- Allow performers a moment to establish the character before the scene begins.
Wrap Logic
- The scene ends when the characters have arrived at a natural conclusion.
- Hat-swap variations end when each performer has worn two or three hats and completed one moment each.
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Making Faces
Making Faces is a warm-up exercise in which players practice exaggerated facial expressions, cycling through emotions, mirroring a partner, or responding to facilitator prompts. The exercise loosens inhibition around physical expressiveness and helps performers discover how facial choices communicate character and emotion instantly. Many performers rely primarily on voice and words; Making Faces redirects attention to the face as a primary communication instrument. The exercise serves as an accessible entry point for physical comedy work and character creation.
John Cremer Characters and Scenes
John Cremer Characters and Scenes is a character-building and scene initiation exercise developed by UK improviser and educator John Cremer, in which participants develop distinct physicalized characters and then bring those characters into spontaneous scenes with one another. The exercise trains the connection between physical specificity and character logic, building confidence in initiating scenes from a grounded physical starting point rather than from dialogue or concept.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Hats. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/hats
The Improv Archive. "Hats." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/hats.
The Improv Archive. "Hats." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/hats. Accessed September 28, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.