Solitaire
Solitaire is a solo performance exercise in which a single performer improvises a complete scene or monologue without any scene partners. The player must populate the world with implied characters, environment, and narrative through their own voice and physicality alone. The exercise develops self-reliance, strong point of view, and the ability to sustain audience engagement independently.
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Related Exercises
Three Line Solo
Three Line Solo is a solo performance exercise in which a single performer delivers a complete mini-scene or character portrait in exactly three lines. The extreme constraint teaches performers to distill a character or situation to its essence. The exercise builds confidence in solo initiation and economy of performance.
Character Monologue
Character Monologue is an exercise in which a performer delivers an extended solo speech in character, speaking directly to the audience or to the ensemble. The sustained solo performance builds stamina, character depth, and the ability to hold attention without scene support from other players. Character Monologue develops the skill of generating detailed, specific character voices and perspectives under the pressure of uninterrupted stage time. The exercise serves as a core training tool for monologue-based long-form formats such as The Armando, where monologues function as the engine that generates scene material for the rest of the ensemble.
Without Sound
Without Sound is a scene exercise in which performers play an entire scene with no vocal output, communicating exclusively through physicality, facial expression, and gesture. The exercise reveals how much of scene work can be conveyed nonverbally and trains performers to make bold, clear physical choices.
Character Study
Character Study is an exercise in which performers spend extended time developing a single character through exploration of physicality, voice, biography, and behavior. The focused work produces richer, more specific characters than the rapid choices of performance typically allow. It provides a foundation that improvisers can draw on in scene work.
Firing Squad
Firing Squad is a scene game in which one performer faces a line of players who rapid-fire questions, challenges, or scene initiations. The solo performer must respond to each without hesitation. The exercise builds resilience under pressure and trains the ability to accept any offer instantly.
Communal Monologue
Communal Monologue is an exercise in which multiple performers deliver a single monologue together, trading off mid-sentence or mid-thought without any performer beginning a new idea. Each speaker must continue seamlessly from where the last one stopped, maintaining the same voice, tone, and thought. The exercise trains verbal listening, agreement, and the construction of a collective voice.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Solitaire. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/solitaire
The Improv Archive. "Solitaire." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/solitaire.
The Improv Archive. "Solitaire." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/solitaire. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.