Alter Ego is a short-form scene game in which each main character has a second performer standing directly behind them who voices the character's inner thoughts. Two players perform a scene with dialogue and action while their respective alter egos narrate the unspoken subtext: desires, fears, judgments, and contradictions that the characters would never say aloud. The contrast between what a character says publicly and what they actually think generates natural comedy and dramatic irony. The game highlights the role of subtext in scene work and rewards performers who create clear, exploitable gaps between surface behavior and true feelings. Alter Ego appears across multiple improv traditions and is documented in Andy Goldberg's Improv Comedy among other sources.
Structure
Four performers take the stage, arranged in two pairs. Each pair consists of one player standing downstage as the main character and another standing directly behind as the alter ego. The host or players establish a scene premise, typically a relationship or situation with inherent social tension: a first date, a job interview, a confrontation between friends, or a family gathering.
The downstage players perform the scene through normal dialogue and behavior. At any point, either alter ego can step forward or tap the shoulder of their character to interject the inner monologue. When an alter ego speaks, the main characters freeze. The alter ego delivers the character's true thoughts, then steps back, and the scene resumes.
The comedy escalates as the gap between spoken dialogue and inner thoughts widens. A character who outwardly agrees to a plan while their alter ego reveals seething resentment creates a running tension the audience tracks throughout the scene.
The game can also be played with a host or caller who signals when the alter egos speak, alternating between public dialogue and private thoughts at dramatically effective moments. The scene concludes with a blackout, often timed to land on a particularly revealing alter ego moment.
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"Two players per character: the person out front and the person directly behind them. The person out front speaks the character's words. The person behind speaks the character's real thoughts. You can hear what they say and what they think at the same time."
Alter Ego is an excellent exercise for teaching subtext, a skill that many beginning improvisers struggle to access. The game externalizes the inner monologue, making the concept of subtext visible and audible rather than abstract.
Start by having students identify scenes where characters think differently from what they say: social situations with stakes, politeness conventions, or power imbalances. These scenarios produce the richest material for the game.
Coach alter ego players to avoid simply narrating what the character does. The alter ego should reveal what the character wants, fears, or judges. The most useful coaching prompt is: "What does this character want that they would never admit?"
A common failure mode occurs when alter egos become stand-up comedians, cracking jokes to the audience rather than voicing genuine inner thoughts. Redirect these players toward emotional truth. The comedy should emerge from the contrast between the two voices, not from the alter ego trying to be funny independently.
For beginning groups, start with just one character having an alter ego. This simplifies the game and allows the class to focus on the technique before adding the complexity of two simultaneous inner monologues.
The exercise translates well to actor training beyond improv. The alter ego technique helps actors identify and articulate the subtext of scripted scenes, making it a useful bridge between improv training and text-based performance.
How to Perform It
The game requires four performers: two scene players and two alter egos. Each alter ego must closely track their character's emotional state and behavioral choices to provide inner thoughts that feel authentic rather than random.
The most effective alter ego contributions contradict the surface behavior of the character. When the character appears calm and agreeable, the alter ego should reveal anxiety, irritation, or scheming beneath the surface. Simple agreement between character and alter ego wastes the game's potential.
Timing matters. Alter ego interjections work best at moments of social tension: after a compliment that might be backhanded, during an awkward pause, or immediately following a lie. The pause created by the alter ego interjection heightens the audience's awareness of the subtext.
The downstage players must listen to what their alter egos say and allow it to subtly influence their subsequent behavior. When an alter ego reveals jealousy, the character's next line should carry a trace of that jealousy, creating a layered performance that rewards attentive audience members.
Physical staging matters. Alter egos should remain still and neutral when not speaking to avoid distracting from the scene. When they step forward to speak, a slight physical shift, such as leaning in conspiratorially toward the audience, signals the transition clearly.
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Little Voice is a scene game in which one performer provides a running internal monologue for another performer's character, speaking the private thoughts aloud while the character plays the scene with a different outward presentation. The technique adds psychological depth by externalizing what the character would never say. The gap between the inner voice and the outer behavior creates comedy, dramatic irony, and character complexity. The game trains performers to play with subtext and demonstrates how much scene work depends on the difference between what characters think and what they reveal.
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Dubbing
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Evil Twin
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How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Alter Ego. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/games/alter-ego
The Improv Archive. "Alter Ego." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/games/alter-ego.
The Improv Archive. "Alter Ego." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/games/alter-ego. Accessed September 28, 2026.
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