Pillars/columns
Pillars/Columns is a variant of the Pillars game in which two or more performers serve as human columns that deliver random lines when touched by scene players. The scene players must seamlessly integrate each interjected line into the ongoing narrative. The game emphasizes justification skills and the ability to maintain scene coherence despite constant disruption.
Structure
Setup
- Two performers stand at the edges of the playing space, serving as human pillars or columns.
- Each pillar player holds a card or is assigned a short line of text, or improvises lines from within a defined category.
- Two scene players perform a normal improvised scene between the pillars.
How the Pillars Work
- At any moment, a scene player may touch one of the pillars.
- The pillar delivers their assigned or improvised line immediately.
- The scene player must accept the line as real, meaningful dialogue and justify it within the scene.
- The pillar returns to stillness after speaking.
What the Scene Player Must Do
- Every line delivered by a pillar must be integrated into the scene as though it belongs there.
- The scene player cannot reject or ignore the interjection. Acceptance and justification are mandatory.
- The scene continues at pace. The interjection is an offer, not an interruption.
What Makes It Work
- The constraint generates unexpected dialogue that the scene players could not have planned.
- The best scenes are those where a seemingly absurd pillar line becomes the most important thing said in the scene.
- Scene players who are skilled at justification can take any pillar line and make it feel inevitable.
Variations
- Pillar lines are audience suggestions gathered before the game begins.
- Scene players must touch a pillar before they can speak, making every line of dialogue dependent on the pillars.
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"These two performers are pillars. They don't move and they don't play the scene. When you touch one of them, they say something. You must use what they say as part of your scene. Whatever it is. You cannot ignore it. It just became the scene."
Common Notes
- The scene players should touch the pillars with intention, not at random. Touching a pillar when the scene needs a new direction is more dramatically useful than touching when things are already clear.
- Pillar players should deliver their lines with confidence and without apology. An uncertain pillar line is harder to justify.
- Coach scene players to justify before understanding. The scene should receive the pillar line and move forward, even if the connection takes a moment to emerge.
Common Pitfalls
- Scene players pause after a pillar line to work out its meaning before continuing. The scene should absorb and continue without visible calculation.
- Pillar players become passive and lose presence between touches. Pillars should remain physically and energetically available.
- Scene players only touch the pillar when they are stuck, turning the exercise into a lifeline rather than a scene-shaping device.
How to Perform It
Audience Intro
"We have two human pillars on either side of our playing space. When a performer touches a pillar, the pillar says something. Whatever the pillar says, it immediately becomes part of the scene. Give us a suggestion to start."
Cast Size
- Ideal: Two scene players plus two pillar performers.
- A single pillar can work but reduces the structural tension.
Staging
- Pillars stand at the stage edges or upstage corners, visible but clearly outside the scene space.
- Scene players occupy center stage.
Wrap Logic
- The host ends the game when the scene has fully incorporated its most significant pillar moment, or when a clear button lands.
Worth Reading
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Theater Games for Rehearsal
Viola Spolin
Improvisation for the Theater
A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques
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Impro for Storytellers
Keith Johnstone
Drama Games and Improvs
Games for the Classroom and Beyond
Justine Jones; Mary Ann Kelley
The Young Actor's Book of Improvisation
Dramatic Situations
Sandra Caruso; Susan Kosoff
112 Acting Games
Gavin Levy
Related Games
Columns/pillars
Columns/Pillars is a scene game in which two or more simultaneous scenes share the stage, separated by imagined walls or columns. Players switch between scenes, and thematic or verbal connections between them emerge organically. The structure rewards performers who listen across scenes and find resonant parallels.
Pillars
Pillars is a short-form game in which two or more players stand stock-still onstage as human pillars. Scene players perform a two-person scene, and whenever a scene player taps a pillar, that pillar delivers a random line of dialogue. The scene player must immediately accept and incorporate the line into the scene. The unpredictable verbal intrusions test the performer's ability to justify bizarre offers on the spot and maintain scene logic under pressure.
3 Lines
3 Lines is a scene game in which each performer enters with exactly three predetermined or improvised lines that they must use during the scene. Players weave their fixed lines into the emerging narrative, creating unexpected connections. The constraint generates surprising juxtapositions and trains adaptability.
3 Line Scenes
3 Line Scenes is a compact scene drill and short-form game in which two players improvise a scene using only three lines in total. One player starts, the other responds, and the first player answers back. The short limit keeps the round simple, fast, and playable for new improvisers who are getting used to starting scenes in front of a group or audience.
Cards
Cards is a short-form game in which performers draw playing cards that assign them secret emotions, character traits, or scene constraints they must incorporate into the scene. The random assignment prevents pre-planning and forces genuine in-the-moment adaptation. The game rewards the ability to make any given constraint appear natural.
3 Series
3 Series is a short-form game in which three unrelated scenes run simultaneously. The host or caller switches between the scenes, and performers must pick up each thread exactly where it left off. The game tests memory, commitment, and the ability to sustain multiple narratives at once.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Pillars/columns. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/games/pillarscolumns
The Improv Archive. "Pillars/columns." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/games/pillarscolumns.
The Improv Archive. "Pillars/columns." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/games/pillarscolumns. Accessed September 28, 2026.
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