Leave Me Alone
Leave Alone is a scene exercise in which one character attempts to disengage from a conversation or situation while the other refuses to let them go. The exercise explores the dynamics of pursuit and withdrawal, training performers to play both sides of the power struggle with equal commitment. The pursuing character must find increasingly compelling reasons to stay engaged. The withdrawing character must maintain a strong, specific reason for wanting to leave. The exercise builds the ability to sustain a clear objective in the face of resistance and demonstrates how conflicting wants drive scenes forward.
Structure
Two performers take the stage. The facilitator assigns roles: one performer wants to leave (the withdrawer), and the other wants to keep them in the conversation (the pursuer). Both performers receive a specific reason for their objective: the withdrawer needs to catch a flight, the pursuer needs to deliver important news.
The scene begins with the pursuer engaging the withdrawer. The withdrawer makes increasingly direct attempts to end the conversation and leave. The pursuer finds increasingly creative reasons to keep the withdrawer present. The scene builds through the escalation of tactics on both sides.
The exercise's dramatic engine is the specificity of each character's want. A withdrawer who wants to leave "because" is less compelling than one who needs to reach the hospital before visiting hours end. A pursuer who wants to talk is less compelling than one who must confess something before the withdrawer walks out the door.
The scene reaches its peak when one objective finally overwhelms the other: the withdrawer breaks free, or the pursuer's reason to stay proves irresistible. The resolution reveals which objective carried more weight.
Variations include switching roles mid-scene (the pursuer suddenly wants to leave and the withdrawer suddenly needs to stay), group pursuit (multiple performers try to keep one person from leaving), and silent version (the pursuit and withdrawal are communicated entirely through physical positioning and movement).
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"One player wants to leave. The other player is preventing it, not necessarily with malice, just with need. The scene is about that tension: the person who wants to go and the person who cannot let them. Play it honestly."
The exercise teaches the principle that scenes are driven by what characters want. Two characters with clear, opposing objectives create instant dramatic tension without the need for clever premises or unusual situations. A person who wants to leave and a person who wants them to stay is enough to sustain a compelling scene.
Coach both performers to escalate their tactics rather than repeating them. A withdrawer who says "let go of the topic" five times in different tones is not escalating. A withdrawer who first tries to change the subject, then physically moves toward the door, then reveals why leaving is urgent has escalated through increasingly desperate tactics. The same principle applies to the pursuer.
The most common failure is performers losing specificity in their objectives. A withdrawer who forgets their reason for leaving becomes passive rather than active. A pursuer who forgets their reason for staying becomes annoying rather than compelling. Coach performers to keep their objective in mind at every moment.
The exercise connects to the fundamental scene work principle that characters should want something. Scenes in which neither character has a clear objective drift. Scenes in which both characters want something specific move.
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Related Exercises
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.
Annoyance Scenes
Annoyance Scenes is an exercise rooted in the Annoyance Theatre tradition of finding the truth in aggressive, high-energy play. Performers practice scenes in which characters pursue strong wants with unapologetic directness. The exercise builds confidence in making bold choices and playing at the top of one's intelligence.
Premise Lawyer
Premise Lawyer is a scene exercise in which one performer acts as an advocate for the scene's central premise, arguing for its logic and defending its reality whenever it is challenged or abandoned. The exercise teaches players to commit fully to established premises and resist the temptation to bail out when an idea feels risky.
Character / Scene Walkabout
Character/Scene Walkabout is an exercise in which performers walk through the space and, on a signal, immediately enter a scene with whoever is nearest. The random pairing and instant commitment prevent over-planning. The exercise builds comfort with initiating scenes with any partner and develops quick character choices.
Play With
Play With is a scene exercise in which performers are directed to explore and heighten whatever elements have already emerged in a scene rather than driving toward a predetermined outcome. The coaching directive -- "play with it" -- asks players to treat each established detail, character behavior, or game pattern as material to revisit, expand, and discover rather than move past. The exercise trains the improv muscle of finding satisfaction in the present moment of a scene.
Lets Not
Let's Not is a scene-work exercise in which performers practice recognizing and resisting the impulsive move -- the immediate next step that seems obvious after an offer is made -- and instead exploring what already exists in the scene before building further. The exercise counters the improv tendency to pile offer onto offer and trains performers to dwell productively in established scene reality.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Leave Me Alone. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/leave-me-alone
The Improv Archive. "Leave Me Alone." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/leave-me-alone.
The Improv Archive. "Leave Me Alone." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/leave-me-alone. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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