Annoyance Scenes
Annoyance Scenes is an exercise rooted in the Annoyance Theatre tradition of finding the truth in aggressive, high-energy play. Performers practice scenes in which characters pursue strong wants with unapologetic directness. The exercise builds confidence in making bold choices and playing at the top of one's intelligence.
Structure
Setup
- Two or more performers play a scene with one constraint: characters pursue their wants with full, direct intensity.
- The scene is not required to be pleasant, polished, or conflict-averse.
- Characters may be abrasive, demanding, or relentlessly persistent in service of what they genuinely want.
The Annoyance Theatre Tradition
- The exercise draws from the Annoyance Theatre's philosophy that improv is most alive when performers stop managing their energy and commit fully.
- Characters do not modulate their behavior to be likable or socially appropriate. They want what they want and they pursue it.
- This does not mean aggression or cruelty: it means unmediated desire and unapologetic directness.
What the Exercise Addresses
- The tendency of trained improvisers to sand down their characters' edges to smooth the scene.
- The instinct to compromise one's character's genuine want in service of agreement.
- The habit of performing rather than being.
How It Runs
- The scene plays normally, but the director coaches performers to increase their character's directness and want.
- When a character compromises too readily or becomes vague, the director intervenes: "What do you actually want? Go get it."
Progression
- After the exercise, run a scene without the constraint and note what changes. What did the characters retain from the Annoyance work?
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"Your character wants something. Get it. Don't wait for permission. Don't soften it. Don't be polite when polite would slow you down. Play at the top of your want. If you're annoyed, be annoyed. If you want something desperately, be desperate. No management."
Common Notes
- The exercise is not permission for aggression or hostility. Direct and aggressive are different things. Direct means clear and unapologetic.
- Players who confuse Annoyance work with being mean or rude have misunderstood the exercise. The energy is toward what the character wants, not against the scene partner.
- Debrief is important: what felt different when performers let their characters be fully direct? What shifted in the scene dynamic?
Common Pitfalls
- Performers interpret the exercise as permission to be combative or dismissive of their scene partner.
- Characters' directness produces scenes that escalate into shouting matches with no genuine want beneath them.
- Performers become physically large and loud but remain emotionally vague. Annoyance is about specificity of want, not volume.
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How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Annoyance Scenes. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/annoyance-scenes
The Improv Archive. "Annoyance Scenes." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/annoyance-scenes.
The Improv Archive. "Annoyance Scenes." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/annoyance-scenes. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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