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.
Structure
Setup
Participants move through the space. The facilitator guides a structured physical exploration that progresses from neutral walking toward increasingly specific physical choices: shifts in posture, weight, pace, and held tension that suggest a distinct person.
Progression
As each participant develops a physicalized character through movement, the facilitator prompts them to fix the character's key physical qualities: how they hold their body, how they walk, what they lead with. Participants are instructed to notice what the body is telling them about this person's inner life -- their attitude, their status, their relationship to the world.
Once characters are established, the facilitator calls out pairs. Partners meet in a brief spontaneous scene, each bringing their physicalized character into contact with the other. The scene is short -- the focus is on the meeting of two specific physical beings, not on narrative completion.
Conclusion
After several pairings, participants are brought back to neutral and the facilitator leads a group reflection on what they discovered about their characters through contact with others.
How to Teach It
Objectives
John Cremer Characters and Scenes targets physical specificity as the foundation of character and the ability to initiate scenes from a fully inhabited body rather than from a line of dialogue or a comic premise. It trains the connection between physical commitment and character logic.
How to Explain It
"Let your body find someone. Not a type, not a joke -- an actual person. Pay attention to where the tension is in your body, how you carry your head, how your feet connect to the floor. When you've found them, bring them to the scene and let them have their own logic."
Scaffolding
Allow substantial time for the physical exploration phase before introducing scenes. The quality of the scenes depends entirely on the depth of character exploration that precedes them. For groups new to physicalizing character, guide the exploration more actively with specific prompts before allowing free discovery.
Common Pitfalls
Participants sometimes arrive at scenes with a physical character but abandon it within the first few lines of dialogue, retreating to a neutral or default physical register. Coach performers to check back in with their body -- to notice when the character's physicality has dissolved and to restore it from the inside out.
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How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). John Cremer Characters and Scenes. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/john-cremer-characters-and-scenes
The Improv Archive. "John Cremer Characters and Scenes." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/john-cremer-characters-and-scenes.
The Improv Archive. "John Cremer Characters and Scenes." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/john-cremer-characters-and-scenes. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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