My Fault
The exercise named for its title phrase trains performers to take full responsibility for everything that happens in a scene, regardless of who caused the problem. After any mistake, miscommunication, dropped offer, or scene failure, the responding performer says the title phrase rather than blaming a scene partner. The exercise breaks the habit of externalizing responsibility and builds a supportive ensemble culture in which every member treats the group's work as their own. It reinforces the principle that strong improvisers own their contributions unconditionally and approach failures as shared rather than individual.
Structure
The facilitator explains the exercise's principle: in this work, every problem belongs to everyone. There is no such thing as a mistake that is someone else's fault.
Performers play scenes as usual. Whenever something goes wrong (a missed cue, a confusing initiation, a dropped object, a scene that stalls), the first performer to notice says the title phrase and takes ownership of the moment. The scene continues without pause.
The phrase applies regardless of actual responsibility. If a performer makes a confusing offer and the scene partner cannot parse it, the scene partner says the phrase rather than saying "that did not make sense." If both performers reach for the same initiation and collide, both say the phrase simultaneously.
The exercise extends beyond scene work into the full session. During notes, warm-ups, and transitions, the same principle applies. Any friction, confusion, or dropped ball is met with the phrase and immediate ownership.
Variations include group fault (after any scene problem, the entire ensemble says the phrase in unison, reinforcing collective responsibility), silent fault (performers take ownership through physical behavior rather than words: a nod, a hand on the heart, a brief bow), and positive fault (performers claim responsibility not just for mistakes but for successes: "the reason that scene worked is because of what my partner did").
The exercise runs for a full session or becomes a permanent ensemble practice.
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"In this exercise, whenever anything goes wrong in the scene, no matter who caused it or why, you say 'my fault.' Own it completely. The exercise is about taking responsibility without negotiation. Whatever happened: your fault."
The exercise addresses one of improv's most destructive habits: blame. Performers who externalize responsibility ("the scene died because my partner did not listen") create a culture of defensiveness that undermines risk-taking and trust. The exercise replaces blame with ownership, and the shift in language produces a shift in ensemble dynamics.
Coach for genuine ownership rather than performative apology. Saying the phrase with a shrug and an eye roll misses the point. The exercise requires sincere acknowledgment that the performer is part of everything that happens onstage, including the moments that do not work.
The exercise reveals how often performers unconsciously blame their partners. Students who track how many times they catch themselves thinking "that was not my problem" discover how deeply the blame habit runs. The exercise makes the internal habit visible and provides a concrete alternative.
The exercise connects to the foundational improv principle that scenes are collaborative creations. No single performer is responsible for a scene's success or failure. The ensemble shares both credit and responsibility equally. Groups that internalize this principle produce bolder, more supportive work.
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Related Exercises
I Love You
This exercise takes its name from the three-word declaration at the heart of every scene it generates. Performers say the title phrase to each other in as many contexts, relationships, and emotional registers as possible, discovering the vast range of meaning the words carry depending on delivery, history, and circumstance. The same phrase spoken between parent and child, between rivals, between strangers, or between lifelong partners produces entirely different scenes. The exercise builds emotional range, comfort with vulnerability onstage, and the ability to invest familiar words with specific, truthful feeling.
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.
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.
Three Rules
Three Rules is a scene exercise in which the facilitator establishes three specific constraints that performers must maintain throughout their scene. The constraints can be physical (always touching the wall, never letting your hands go below your waist), verbal (never using the letter S, only asking questions), or behavioral (treat your partner as royalty, move as if underwater). The exercise demonstrates that limitations generate rather than restrict creative choices, and trains performers to divide attention between scene work and rule compliance.
It’s Tuesday
This exercise, attributed to Keith Johnstone, trains the skill of overaccepting: treating any mundane statement as if it carries enormous emotional significance. A simple declaration about the day of the week becomes the catalyst for an entire scene when performers invest it with meaning through their reactions. The exercise demonstrates that the emotional weight of any line depends entirely on how the performers receive it and that ordinary language can generate extraordinary scenes when played with full commitment.
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.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). My Fault. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/my-fault
The Improv Archive. "My Fault." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/my-fault.
The Improv Archive. "My Fault." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/my-fault. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.