Rewrite History
Rewrite History is a scene game in which performers improvise alternative versions of famous historical events, exploring what might have happened if key decisions had gone differently. The audience suggests the historical moment to reimagine. The game rewards knowledge of history, confident commitment to absurd premises, and the ability to find comedy in consequential moments.
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Related Games
Historical Replay
Historical Replay is a scene game in which a contemporary scene -- established through audience suggestion -- is replayed as though it occurred in different historical periods. The same events, relationships, and conflicts are recontextualized in ancient Rome, the Victorian era, the 1920s, or any other historical setting that the performers inhabit with specific language, physicality, and social convention. The contrast between the original scene and its historical incarnations generates the game's comedy.
Written Lines
Written Lines is a scene game in which performers hold slips of paper with pre-written lines that they must incorporate naturally into an improvised scene at opportune moments. The challenge lies in finding the right context to deliver each unrelated line without breaking the scene's logic. The game rewards smooth justification and the ability to steer a scene toward unexpected material.
The Re-Run
The Re-Run is a short-form game in which a completed scene is replayed multiple times in rapid succession, each repetition filtered through a different genre, style, or emotional register specified by the audience. The game demonstrates that the same story contains endless possible theatrical interpretations.
Timeline
Timeline is a scene game in which performers play scenes from different moments across a character's or community's history, jumping forward and backward in time to reveal how past events connect to later ones. The game rewards strong narrative tracking and the ability to find surprising causal or thematic links between scenes separated by years or generations.
Déjà Vu
Deja Vu is a scene game in which a specific line or action triggers an exact replay of a previous moment in the scene. The repetition creates a comic loop that intensifies with each recurrence. The game trains precise recall and the ability to recreate physical and vocal choices exactly.
Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda Triangle is a short-form scene game that uses character swapping or rotation to create confusion and comic momentum. Players cycle through roles or positions during a scene, forcing rapid adaptation to new relationships and contexts. The game tests memory and the ability to maintain distinct characters through repeated switches.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Rewrite History. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/games/rewrite-history
The Improv Archive. "Rewrite History." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/games/rewrite-history.
The Improv Archive. "Rewrite History." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/games/rewrite-history. Accessed October 15, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.