Hands is a short-form game in which one player stands behind another and provides their arms, creating the physical mismatch between one performer's body and another's hands. The front performer speaks while the hidden performer's hands create unpredictable gestures and activities. The game is one of the most recognizable and widely performed short-form games.
Structure
Setup
- One player stands in front with their own arms tucked at their sides, folded, or hidden inside their clothing.
- A second player stands directly behind them and reaches around to provide all hand and arm movement for the front player.
- The front player speaks and reacts while the second player's hands are their only visible physical instrument.
How the Scene Works
- An audience suggestion establishes a situation where hands are central: a cooking demonstration, a job interview, a science class, a magic trick.
- The front player speaks in character throughout the scene. Their hands belong entirely to the player behind them.
- The back player cannot see the front player's face and cannot hear the scene partner clearly. They are reading the scene from behind and choosing hand movements accordingly.
- The comedy emerges from the mismatch between the front player's words and their hands' behavior.
Physical Logistics
- The pair must agree on their physical setup before the scene begins.
- The back player's face should be visible to the audience above the front player's shoulder to add the dual-performer illusion.
- Object work is the engine of the game: scenes that involve actual or mimed objects (food, documents, instruments) give the back player more to work with.
Variations
- Both performers are visible throughout, making the four-arm illusion explicit.
- The front player reacts to their hands as though surprised, troubled, or delighted by what they are doing.
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"You are providing the hands for the scene. You cannot see your partner's face from where you're standing. You don't know exactly what they're saying. You're working from what you can feel and hear. Find the moments where your hands can do the most damage : or the most help : and commit."
Common Notes
- The back player should look for moments when the hands can contradict, undermine, or enthusiastically overshoot what the front player is saying.
- The front player should react to their hands as though genuinely surprised. If the front player is never surprised by what their hands do, the game lacks tension.
- Scenes that rely only on dialogue and have no physical action give the back player nothing to work with.
Common Pitfalls
- The back player becomes passive, only moving the hands when clearly prompted. The hands should have their own agenda.
- The front player cannot maintain the illusion and keeps looking down at their hands, breaking the theatrical conceit.
- The scene has no situation requiring physical action. A scene where characters only talk produces a dull game.
How to Perform It
Audience Intro
"In this game, [front name] is going to handle all the talking, but their hands don't belong to them. [Back name]'s arms are reaching around and providing every gesture. [Front name]'s own arms are completely unavailable. Give us a situation where hands matter."
Cast Size
- Ideal: Two performers.
- A third performer as a scene partner gives the front player someone to react to, which frees them from having to advance the scene alone.
Staging
- Face the pair toward the audience so the hand mismatch is visible.
- The scene partner, if present, stands directly opposite the front player.
Wrap Logic
- The host ends the scene when a clear button lands or when the game has reached a peak moment of hand-based chaos.
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Arms
Arms is a short-form game in which one player stands behind another, extending their arms through the front player's sleeves to serve as their hands. The front player speaks and reacts while the hidden player's arms create unpredictable physical business. It is one of the most recognized and widely performed short-form games.
Arm Game
Arm Game is a short-form performance game in which one player stands behind another, supplying the arms while the front player provides the voice and head movements. The disconnection between speech and gesture creates physical comedy as the front player must justify whatever the arms do. The game is a staple of short-form shows worldwide.
Helping Hands
Helping Hands is a short-form game in which one performer stands in front of another and extends their arms through the front performer's sleeves or from behind, so that the back performer's hands serve as the front performer's arms. The front performer speaks and reacts while the back performer's hands gesture, handle props, and physically enact whatever the scene requires. The dissonance between speech and gesture -- and the unpredictable behavior of the "helping hands" -- generates the game's comedy.
Poison Arms
Poison Arms is a game in which a performer stands with their arms behind their back while another player reaches through from behind and provides the arms. The front performer speaks and acts while the person behind provides all the gestures, creating physical comedy from the disconnect between intention and execution.
Objects
Objects is an ensemble exercise and short-form game in which players use their bodies to form the physical shape of an audience-suggested object. Players enter one at a time, each adding themselves to the growing sculpture until the group collectively represents the object in physical space. The exercise builds spontaneous physicality, spatial awareness, and the ensemble skill of offering and accepting physical contributions without verbal negotiation.
Presents
Presents is a short-form game and warm-up exercise in which players mime giving and receiving wrapped gifts. The recipient opens the imaginary package and enthusiastically identifies what is inside through physical reaction and commitment, while the giver must accept whatever the recipient names. The game trains object work, acceptance, and generous physical commitment to offers.
The Lineage
Explore the schools and structures that influenced or evolved from Hands.
Whose Line Is It Anyway?
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Hands. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/games/hands
The Improv Archive. "Hands." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/games/hands.
The Improv Archive. "Hands." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/games/hands. Accessed September 28, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.