Id is a scene game in which a performer's unfiltered subconscious desires are voiced by a second player, creating a running commentary of primal wants beneath the surface dialogue. The tension between polite conversation and raw impulse generates comedy and dramatic irony. The game highlights the gap between social behavior and inner life.
Structure
Setup
- One performer plays the main character in a scene.
- A second performer stands just behind or beside them and voices that character's unfiltered inner desires, impulses, and wants : the id.
- A third performer (optional) plays the scene partner.
The Two Voices
- The character speaks and behaves with social appropriateness: polite, measured, restrained.
- The id speaks everything the character suppresses: raw want, petty impulse, embarrassing honesty, primal drive.
- The id may speak quietly or loudly; the main character cannot hear it. The audience can.
How the Scene Works
- The scene proceeds as normal dialogue between the character and their scene partner.
- The id interjects in the gaps between the character's lines, in the pauses, and in the moments of transition, naming what the character is actually feeling beneath the social surface.
- The tension between what is said and what is felt generates the comedy and the drama of the game.
- The scene partner reacts only to what the character says and does, not to the id.
Pacing
- The id should speak only when there is something underneath to voice. An id that fills every silence becomes noise.
- The most effective id moments arrive at the points of maximum social restraint: the polite professional conversation, the first date, the family dinner.
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"You are playing the inside of this person's head. Everything they're too polite, too professional, or too scared to say out loud : that's you. You are what they want. You are what they actually think. They can't hear you. We can."
Common Notes
- The id's observations should feel true to the character, not like random statements. The id is the character's actual inner life, not a heckler from outside.
- The id player should find the gap between social appropriateness and genuine desire specific to this character in this scene, not apply generic impulses.
- The scene performer must resist reacting to the id. If they respond to what the id says, the game's premise collapses.
Common Pitfalls
- The id speaks too frequently and the scene performer cannot get through a line. The id should punctuate, not interrupt continuously.
- The id says things that have no connection to what the character is actually doing. The id's observations must be rooted in what the scene is generating.
- The scene has no social stakes. The game needs a situation where social restraint is actually required. An id with nothing to restrain has nothing to play.
How to Perform It
Audience Intro
"We're going to see inside someone's head tonight. [Name] is going to play a character having a perfectly normal conversation : but [partner name] is going to voice exactly what they're really thinking and wanting the whole time. The character can't hear it. We can. Give us a situation."
Cast Size
- Ideal: Three performers: main character, id, and scene partner.
- The game can work with two performers if the same player serves as both scene partner and id, but this requires more technical skill.
Staging
- The id player stands slightly behind or beside the main character, within easy speaking distance but visually separated enough for the audience to track who is speaking.
- The id should not move around the stage; they are anchored to the character.
Wrap Logic
- The scene ends when the main character says or does the thing the id has been voicing all along, or when a clear button lands.
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How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Id. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/games/id
The Improv Archive. "Id." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/games/id.
The Improv Archive. "Id." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/games/id. Accessed September 28, 2026.
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