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.
Worth Reading
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Improvisation for Actors and Writers
A Guidebook for Improv Lessons in Comedy
Bill Lynn
The Playbook
Improv Games for Performers
William Hall
Improv Ideas
A Book of Games and Lists
Mary Ann Kelley; Justine Jones
Theater Games for Rehearsal
Viola Spolin
Improvisation for the Theater
A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques
Viola Spolin
Drama Games and Improvs
Games for the Classroom and Beyond
Justine Jones; Mary Ann Kelley
Related Games
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.
Don't Mess with Textus
Don't Mess with Textus is a scene game in which performers incorporate pre-written text -- lines from a play, a manual, a newspaper article, or any fixed document -- into an improvised scene. The challenge lies in making the fixed text feel natural, motivated, and contextually appropriate within the scene's reality rather than inserted or forced. The game trains adaptability, contextual responsiveness, and the ability to find the meaning in given language.
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.
Script Tease
Script Tease is a short-form game in which performers hold actual scripts or random text and must incorporate the written lines into their improvised scene, reading from the page at key moments while making the pre-written text fit naturally within the context of the scene.
First Line Last Line
First Line Last Line is a scene game in which the audience provides both the first and last lines of a scene, and performers must build a coherent narrative between the two endpoints. The fixed destination changes how performers construct the scene, requiring backward-thinking and strategic steering. The game rewards narrative architecture.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Written Lines. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/games/written-lines
The Improv Archive. "Written Lines." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/games/written-lines.
The Improv Archive. "Written Lines." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/games/written-lines. Accessed September 28, 2026.
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