One-minute Wanders
One-minute Wanders is an exercise in which performers spend one minute exploring a given topic, character, or emotion through continuous improvised monologue or movement. The strict time limit encourages players to commit quickly and follow their instincts rather than planning. The exercise is useful for generating raw material that can be developed into scenes.
Worth Reading
See all books →
112 Acting Games
Gavin Levy
Improvisation for the Theater
A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques
Viola Spolin
Theater Games for the Lone Actor
Viola Spolin
The Improvisation Game
Discovering the Secrets of Spontaneous Performance
Chris Johnston
Improvisation On the Edge
Notes from On and Off Stage
Ruth Zaporah
Theater Games for Rehearsal
Viola Spolin
Related Exercises
One Minute Life Story
One Minute Life Story is a hybrid game and exercise in which a performer condenses an entire fictional character's life -- from birth to death -- into a one-minute monologue delivered at high speed. The exercise trains rapid narrative construction, emotional range, commitment to characters across their full arc, and the ability to find the essential beats of a story under extreme time pressure.
Character Study
Character Study is an exercise in which performers spend extended time developing a single character through exploration of physicality, voice, biography, and behavior. The focused work produces richer, more specific characters than the rapid choices of performance typically allow. It provides a foundation that improvisers can draw on in scene work.
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.
Timed Scenes
Timed Scenes is an exercise in which performers play scenes to a specified time limit, typically ranging from thirty seconds to five minutes, developing the skill of pacing, escalation, and resolution within defined temporal structures. The exercise trains awareness of scene time as a compositional element.
Follow the Leaver
Follow the Leaver is a group movement exercise in which players move freely through the space and, when one player decides to leave the room or move to a specific location, all other players notice and follow -- without verbal communication or explicit announcement. The exercise develops peripheral awareness, ensemble attunement, and the ability to read and respond to a subtle behavioral cue rather than waiting for an explicit instruction.
Scene / Character Walkabout
Scene/Character Walkabout is an exercise in which performers walk around the space embodying a character, then engage in brief scene interactions with other walking characters. The exercise develops character physicality, the ability to initiate scenes organically, and the skill of maintaining a character while simultaneously navigating an unstructured environment.
The Lineage
Explore the schools and structures that influenced or evolved from One-minute Wanders.
112 Acting Games (Levy)
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). One-minute Wanders. Retrieved September 29, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/one-minute-wanders
The Improv Archive. "One-minute Wanders." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/one-minute-wanders.
The Improv Archive. "One-minute Wanders." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/one-minute-wanders. Accessed September 29, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.