What Has Changed
What Has Changed is an observation exercise in which partners face each other, study each other carefully, then turn away while one partner makes a subtle change to their appearance. When both turn back, the observer must identify what is different. The exercise sharpens visual attention to detail and the habit of specific, active observation of scene partners.
Structure
Setup
Participants stand in two lines facing each other, partners across from one another with enough space to observe clearly.
Exercise
Boal describes the exercise as follows: actors in two lines face each other and observe their partner carefully. On the facilitator's signal, all actors turn their backs simultaneously. Each actor makes one subtle change to their appearance: shifting a piece of clothing, altering their posture, changing the position of a hand, adjusting hair or accessories. On the second signal, all actors turn back to face their partner.
Observers must identify what their partner has changed. The exercise is then repeated with the other partner making a change.
Variation
The exercise can be run with multiple changes per round, increasing difficulty. Levy uses the exercise as a memorization drill, asking students to notice what their partner looked like to begin with before attempting to identify changes.
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"Study your partner. Take a long look. Now turn away. Your partner changes three things about their appearance, something subtle. Turn back. Find what changed. Look carefully. You have thirty seconds."
Objectives
What Has Changed develops specific, active visual observation of other people. The exercise trains performers to see their partners as they actually are, rather than as they expect them to be, a skill that directly underlies the ability to notice and respond to what a scene partner actually offers rather than what the performer anticipated. Performers who are genuinely looking at their partners respond more specifically to them.
Levy on Memorization
Levy frames the exercise as a memorization drill, noting that "observation forces them to pay attention to detail" and that noticing what has changed requires remembering what the partner looked like to begin with. The exercise thus trains two skills simultaneously: active initial observation and reliable recall. Both translate to scene work: a performer who observes their partner specifically and remembers what was established earlier in the scene is doing more sophisticated ensemble work than one who observes generally.
Increasing Difficulty
Begin with obvious changes before progressing to subtle ones. The progression from large to small changes calibrates the exercise's difficulty and gives participants a sense of growing observational precision over the session.
History
Augusto Boal documents "What Has Changed" as a specific exercise in Games for Actors and Non-Actors (1992), describing two lines of actors who observe each other, turn their backs, change one detail of appearance, then turn back for the observer to identify the change. The exercise belongs to Boal's arsenal of sensory and observational games developed for Theatre of the Oppressed training.
Brian Levy documents a version of the same exercise in 112 Acting Games (2005), framing it specifically as a memorization drill: students must first remember their partner's full appearance before they can identify what has changed.
Worth Reading
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Creating Improvised Theatre
Tools, Techniques, and Theories
Mark Jane
Theatre of the Oppressed
Augusto Boal
112 Acting Games
Gavin Levy
Group Improvisation
The Manual of Ensemble Improv Games
Peter Campbell Gwinn; Charna Halpern
Theater Games for Rehearsal
Viola Spolin
Action Theater
The Improvisation of Presence
Ruth Zaporah
Related Exercises
Three Changes
Three Changes is an observation exercise in which partners face each other, study their appearance, turn away, and each make three small changes. They then turn back and attempt to identify what the other altered. The exercise sharpens observational detail and teaches performers to notice the subtle specifics that bring characters and environments to life.
Describe Me If You Can
Describe Me If You Can is an observation exercise in which players study a partner's appearance, then turn away and attempt to describe them in precise detail from memory. The exercise sharpens visual attention and reveals how much we overlook in familiar faces. It builds the observational skills that feed specific, grounded scene work.
Imitate
Imitate is an observation exercise in which players study and reproduce the specific physical mannerisms, vocal patterns, and behavioral habits of another person in the group. The exercise sharpens observational detail and builds the ability to embody external characteristics with precision. Close observation reveals how much personality is communicated through small, habitual movements: the way someone shifts weight, the rhythm of their speech, the angle of their head when listening. Imitate develops the skill set needed for character work grounded in real-world observation rather than invention.
Acting Natural
Acting Natural is an observation exercise that reveals what performers do with their bodies when they think the room is listening to content instead of watching behavior. Players enter one at a time, share simple facts about themselves, and are then confronted with detailed observations about their body language. The exercise builds body awareness and helps actors notice habits that can quietly drain clarity onstage.
Camera Game
Camera Game is an observation exercise in which one player acts as a "camera," closing their eyes while a partner physically guides them through the space, briefly opening their eyes to capture mental snapshots of what they see. The exercise develops visual memory, trust, and sensory awareness. It reframes everyday environments as material worth noticing.
Mirroring
Common alternate title for the same partner-copying listening exercise.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). What Has Changed. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/what-has-changed
The Improv Archive. "What Has Changed." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/what-has-changed.
The Improv Archive. "What Has Changed." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/what-has-changed. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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