Support
Activities focused on demonstrating and receiving support within a team, emphasizing that all members succeed or fail together.
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Related Exercises
Positive Chair Exercise
Positive Chair Exercise is a supportive exercise in which each player sits in a designated chair while the rest of the group shares genuine compliments or positive observations about that person. The exercise builds ensemble trust, counters the vulnerability of performance, and establishes a culture of mutual support within the group.
Group Stare
Group Stare is a focus and connection exercise in which the entire group attempts to make and hold eye contact with every other member, one at a time. The exercise builds a sense of collective presence and mutual acknowledgment. It establishes the foundation of ensemble trust through the simple act of truly seeing each other.
I’m Great, You’re Great, We’re Great
I'm Great, You're Great, We're Great is an energizing group affirmation exercise in which participants affirm themselves, their partners, and the ensemble as a whole through eye contact, physical commitment, and full-voiced declaration. The exercise generates collective momentum and group warmth rapidly, and it trains performers to inhabit positive energy physically rather than performing positivity from a detached or self-conscious position.
Collaboration
Collaboration is a category of applied improvisation exercises in which group tasks are designed so that individual success is structurally impossible: the design requires coordinated effort, shared information, and mutual accountability to complete. The exercises are used to surface how groups actually function under cooperative pressure, revealing patterns of self-organization, communication, and shared decision-making.
Circle Sitting
Circle Sitting is a trust exercise in which players stand in a tight circle, turn to face the same direction, and simultaneously sit on the knees of the person behind them. When successful, the entire group supports each other in a freestanding circle of seated bodies. The exercise demonstrates the power of collective trust and cooperation.
Zulu
Zulu (1) is an energetic warm-up exercise in which players perform a series of synchronized group movements and chants, building collective rhythm and physical energy. The call-and-response format creates strong group cohesion and raises the energy level quickly. The exercise is commonly used as a pre-show warm-up to unite the ensemble.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Support. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/support
The Improv Archive. "Support." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/support.
The Improv Archive. "Support." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/support. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.