Endowments
Endowments is a foundational improv exercise in which scene partners assign each other characteristics, traits, relationships, or histories through behavior and dialogue rather than stating them directly. One performer treats the other as though they possess a specific quality (expertise, nervousness, authority, beauty), and the endowed performer discovers and adopts that quality through the way they are treated. The exercise trains the skill of giving and receiving information through implication rather than exposition. Endowment technique is fundamental to nearly all improvised scene work, forming the basis of how characters discover their identities, relationships, and circumstances in real time.
Structure
Two performers take the stage with no predetermined information. One performer (the endower) has been given a secret quality, trait, or identity for their scene partner by the facilitator or audience. The endower does not tell the scene partner what the endowment is.
The scene begins. The endower treats the scene partner as though the endowment is established fact, communicating it entirely through behavior: physical distance, tone of voice, word choice, body language, and the way the endower reacts to the scene partner's actions. If the endowment is "genius," the endower defers to the partner's opinions, asks for advice, and expresses awe.
The endowed performer picks up on these behavioral cues and gradually adopts the endowed quality. The discovery is the exercise's core dynamic: the endowed performer figures out who they are through how they are treated rather than through what they are told.
The exercise concludes when the endowed performer has clearly adopted the endowment and the scene has reached a natural resting point. The facilitator then reveals the intended endowment and debriefs on how effectively it was communicated and received.
Variations include mutual endowment (both performers endow each other simultaneously), group endowment (the ensemble endows a single performer), and Keith Johnstone's Party Endowments, in which each guest at a party discovers their assigned quirk through the reactions of the other guests.
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"You are going to give your partner qualities they do not know they have. How you treat them tells the audience who they are. If you talk up to them, they are high status. If you treat them like a child, they are young. Show us your partner without telling your partner."
Begin with simple, physical endowments: height (the endower looks up or down at the partner), age (the endower speaks slowly and loudly or offers physical assistance), or beauty (the endower stares, fidgets, and loses coherence). Physical endowments are easier to communicate and read than abstract ones.
The most common failure mode is the endower stating the endowment directly rather than showing it through behavior. Statements like "since you are the smartest person in the room" violate the exercise's premise. Coach the endower to communicate exclusively through treatment: how they stand relative to the partner, how they respond to the partner's words, and what they ask the partner to do.
Another pitfall is the endowed performer ignoring the cues. This usually results from the endowed performer focusing on their own ideas rather than paying attention to how they are being treated. Coach for receptivity: the endowed performer's job is to listen, watch, and adopt.
Endowments teach a principle that extends far beyond the exercise: in improv, identity is created through interaction. Characters do not exist in isolation; they are defined by how other characters relate to them.
Worth Reading
See all books →
The Improv Handbook
The Ultimate Guide to Improvising in Comedy, Theatre, and Beyond
Tom Salinsky; Deborah Frances-White
Acting Through Improv
Improv Through Theatresports
Lynda Belt; Rebecca Stockley
Improve
How I Discovered Improv Comedy and Conquered Social Anxiety
Alex Graudins
Applied Improvisation
Leading, Collaborating, and Creating Beyond the Theatre
Theresa Robbins Dudeck; Caitlin McClure
The Applied Improvisation Mindset
Tools for Transforming Individuals, Organizations, and Communities
Theresa Robbins Dudeck; Caitlin McClure
Improv Ideas
A Book of Games and Lists
Mary Ann Kelley; Justine Jones
Related Exercises
Love You
Love You is a scene exercise in which performers practice expressing love in all its forms: romantic, familial, platonic, competitive, reluctant, and unexpected. The exercise builds emotional courage and the ability to play genuine affection onstage without ironic distance. Most improv defaults to conflict, sarcasm, or comedic hostility because these emotions feel safer to perform. Love You confronts this tendency directly, requiring performers to invest scenes with authentic warmth, vulnerability, and care. The exercise develops the emotional range that produces the most affecting and memorable scene work.
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.
Gibberish
Gibberish is a foundational improv exercise in which performers communicate using invented nonsense language while relying on vocal tone, facial expression, gesture, and physical action to convey meaning. The exercise demonstrates that communication transcends words and that audiences read emotional truth through nonverbal channels. Gibberish builds confidence in physical and vocal expression, frees performers from dependence on clever dialogue, and reveals how much information the body communicates before language enters the picture. It is one of the most widely used exercises across all improv traditions and appears in the training curricula of Viola Spolin, Keith Johnstone, and nearly every major improv school.
Actor Switch
## Actor Switch: Content Actor Switch is a foundational improv structure, frequently utilized as both a game and an exercise. It centers on the rapid and unexpected exchange of character traits or roles between performers. The core mechanic involves one player initiating a switch by verbally or physically signaling another player to adopt a specific characteristic, emotion, or even a complete persona from the initiating player. This creates a dynamic shift in the scene, demanding adaptability and responsiveness from all involved. The origins of Actor Switch, like many early improv games, are challenging to definitively trace. It likely evolves organically within the burgeoning Chicago improv scene of the 1960s and 70s, drawing from techniques explored by Second City and Del Close. No single individual receives credit for its invention, but its consistent presence in improv training materials suggests early adoption and subsequent refinement by numerous practitioners. It serves as a crucial tool for developing active listening and quick thinking. To execute Actor Switch, a scene begins as usual, with performers establishing a baseline scenario. At any point, a player can declare "Actor Switch!" and then specify the element to be transferred, for example, "Actor Switch: Your frustration!" The targeted player immediately embodies that element, integrating it into their existing character or behavior. This process repeats, with players continually switching elements, creating a layered and unpredictable performance. The goal is not necessarily to create a coherent narrative, but to explore the possibilities of character and reaction. Actor Switch offers several benefits. It encourages performers to observe and react to their scene partners, fostering a heightened sense of ensemble awareness. The rapid shifts challenge performers to abandon preconceived notions and embrace spontaneity. Ultimately, Actor Switch cultivates a playful and dynamic approach to improvisational storytelling.
Yes And
Yes And is the foundational improv exercise and philosophical principle in which performers practice accepting a partner's offer (the "yes") and adding new information that builds on it (the "and"). One player makes a statement; the partner responds by first affirming the reality of that statement and then contributing something new. The exercise trains the most essential skill in improvisation and has become the defining principle of the entire art form.
Three Rules
Three Rules is a scene exercise in which the facilitator establishes three specific constraints that performers must maintain throughout their scene. The constraints can be physical (always touching the wall, never letting your hands go below your waist), verbal (never using the letter S, only asking questions), or behavioral (treat your partner as royalty, move as if underwater). The exercise demonstrates that limitations generate rather than restrict creative choices, and trains performers to divide attention between scene work and rule compliance.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Endowments. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/endowments
The Improv Archive. "Endowments." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/endowments.
The Improv Archive. "Endowments." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/endowments. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.