Create Obstacles
Create Obstacles is a scene exercise in which performers deliberately introduce complications and barriers to their characters' goals. The exercise teaches that obstacles are the engine of dramatic interest: characters who get what they want without resistance produce flat, unengaging scenes. By practicing the creation of obstacles, performers develop the instinct to generate tension and problem-solving pressure from within the scene rather than waiting for obstacles to arrive from outside.
Structure
Setup
Two performers establish a scene with a clear want or goal for each character. The coach frames the exercise: both performers actively introduce obstacles to their own and each other's goals as the scene progresses.
Types of Obstacles
Obstacles can be external (an object fails, a third party intervenes, the environment changes), internal (the character's own conflicting wants, fears, or memories complicate their pursuit), or relational (the other character's goals conflict with one's own, or the relationship itself creates complications). Performers practice all three types.
Progression
The scene runs with performers consciously generating obstacles. After five to eight minutes, the coach pauses the scene and identifies which obstacles were most dramatically effective and why. A second round allows performers to apply the feedback.
Conclusion
The exercise concludes with a brief coaching discussion on how the scenes felt different from scenes where performers waited for obstacles rather than creating them.
How to Teach It
Objectives
Create Obstacles targets dramatic construction, the understanding of want-and-obstacle as the basic unit of scene energy, and the development of the performer's instinct to complicate rather than resolve. It addresses the very common pattern of improvisers who clear each other's obstacles too quickly, producing scenes that have nothing to push against.
How to Explain It
"In this scene, your character wants something. Other things keep getting in the way. Your job is to make those things appear -- not to stop the other person from wanting what they want, but to make the path to it more interesting. Create the complications from inside the scene."
Common Sidocoaching
- "What just got in the way?"
- "What does your character want that conflicts with that?"
- "The obstacle doesn't have to be dramatic -- even small friction counts."
Common Pitfalls
Performers sometimes interpret obstacle creation as blocking: refusing to let the other character advance, which collapses scenes into impasse. Distinguish between obstacles that complicate pursuit (which generates energy) and blocks that prevent it (which stop scenes). A second pitfall is performers who create only external obstacles and miss the richness of internal and relational ones.
Worth Reading
See all books →
Pirate Robot Ninja
An Improv Fable
Billy Merritt; Will Hines
Improvisation
Use What You Know, Make Up What You Don't
Brad Newton
Acting Through Improv
Improv Through Theatresports
Lynda Belt; Rebecca Stockley
Spontaneous Performance
Acting Through Improv
Marsh Cassady
The Improv Illusionist
Using Object Work, Environment, and Physicality in Performance
David Raitt
Improvising Now
A Practical Guide to Modern Improv
Rob Norman
Related Exercises
Simple Continuation
Simple Continuation is a scene exercise in which a facilitator starts a scene with a basic premise and the performers must continue it without adding unnecessary complications, practicing the discipline of building on what exists rather than introducing new elements. The exercise teaches restraint and the value of following an idea to its natural conclusion.
Surprise Movement
Surprise Movement is an exercise in which performers interrupt their own scenes or monologues with sudden, unexpected physical choices and must justify them within the scene. The exercise breaks habitual movement patterns and teaches players that physical surprises can open new scene directions.
Premise Lawyer
Premise Lawyer is a scene exercise in which one performer acts as an advocate for the scene's central premise, arguing for its logic and defending its reality whenever it is challenged or abandoned. The exercise teaches players to commit fully to established premises and resist the temptation to bail out when an idea feels risky.
Who Where Why Am I
Who Where Why Am I is a scene exercise in which a performer enters a space and must quickly establish their character, location, and purpose through physical behavior before any dialogue begins. The exercise prioritizes physical storytelling and teaches performers to communicate essential scene information through action rather than exposition.
Scenes That Bring You Joy
Scenes That Bring You Joy is a scene exercise in which performers are invited to play only scenes that genuinely delight them, prioritizing personal enjoyment over audience-pleasing instincts. The exercise reconnects players with the pleasure of performing and often produces unexpectedly authentic, engaging work. It counters the tendency to default to conflict-driven or joke-heavy scenes.
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.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Create Obstacles. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/create-obstacles
The Improv Archive. "Create Obstacles." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/create-obstacles.
The Improv Archive. "Create Obstacles." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/create-obstacles. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.