Repair Shop
Repair Shop is a scene game in which one performer plays a repair technician and a customer brings in an unusual or abstract item to be fixed. The technician must diagnose the problem and describe the repair process, building an entire reality around an object that may not physically exist or may be deliberately absurd.
Structure
Setup
One performer sits behind a counter or table as the repair technician. Another performer enters as a customer carrying an item that needs repair. The item can be suggested by the audience or assigned by a host. The item is often unusual, abstract, or metaphorical: a broken heart, a shattered dream, a childhood memory, or a more concrete but impractical object like a cloud or a sunset.
Progression
The customer presents the item and describes the problem. The technician examines the item with professional authority, asking diagnostic questions and making observations. The comedy and craft emerge from the technician treating the absurd with complete seriousness and expertise.
The technician describes what has gone wrong in technical language, explains the repair process, quotes a price, and discusses the timeline. The customer reacts emotionally to the diagnosis. The scene builds through the growing specificity of the imaginary repair process.
The game often reaches a climax when the technician reveals something unexpected about the item during the repair, discovers an underlying problem the customer did not know about, or delivers a philosophical observation disguised as a technical assessment.
Variations
A multiple-customer version has several customers visit the shop in sequence, building a world where the technician's expertise spans wildly different domains. A tag-team version rotates technicians, each bringing a different specialty. A competitive version has two technicians in adjacent shops competing for the same customer.
How to Teach It
Objectives
Repair Shop develops object work, commitment to an absurd premise, and the ability to build a detailed reality through specific language. It trains performers in the art of grounding comedy in specificity rather than vagueness.
How to Explain It
"One of you runs a repair shop. The other brings in something that needs fixing. Technician, you are the expert. Examine the item, diagnose the problem, explain the repair. Customer, this item matters to you. Treat it as real."
Scaffolding
Begin with concrete objects (a toaster, a bicycle) to establish the scene structure. Progress to abstract items (a relationship, a sense of wonder) once performers understand the diagnostic framework. The structure remains the same regardless of the object.
Common Pitfalls
Performers sometimes rush to punchlines instead of building the diagnostic process. The comedy is stronger when the technician takes time to examine, question, and deliberate before delivering a diagnosis. Another pitfall is the technician breaking character to acknowledge the absurdity. The entire game depends on treating the repair as completely legitimate.
How to Perform It
Repair Shop rewards performers who commit to the reality of the repair process. The technician should develop a consistent vocabulary and expertise style rather than making disconnected jokes. The customer's emotional investment in the item drives the scene. If the customer treats the object as precious and important, the stakes remain high regardless of how absurd the premise becomes. The strongest performances find genuine emotion within the absurd framework, landing moments where a technical diagnosis reveals something true about the customer's life.
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How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Repair Shop. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/games/repair-shop
The Improv Archive. "Repair Shop." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/games/repair-shop.
The Improv Archive. "Repair Shop." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/games/repair-shop. Accessed September 28, 2026.
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