Interloper
Interloper is a scene game in which an uninvited character inserts themselves into a situation where they do not belong. The tension between the interloper's presence and the other characters' reactions drives the scene. The game rewards bold initiation and the ability to justify an outrageous entrance.
Worth Reading
See all books →
The Second City Unscripted
Revolution and Revelation at the World-Famous Comedy Theater
Mike Thomas
Business Unscripted
Business is Improv
Ben Winter; Tara Hedberg
Improv Nation
How We Made a Great American Art
Sam Wasson
Pirate Robot Ninja
An Improv Fable
Billy Merritt; Will Hines
Improvising Real Life
Personal Story in Playback Theatre
Jo Salas
Whose Improv Is It Anyway?
Beyond Second City
Amy E. Seham
Related Games
Behind Closed Doors
Behind Closed Doors is a scene game in which the audience sees only the moments before characters enter and after they exit a room, never what happens inside. Players must convey dramatic events through their changed demeanor, dialogue, and physical state upon emerging. The game trains performers to communicate offstage action through behavior.
The Gerbil
The Gerbil is a scene game in which one performer plays a character whose behavior is secretly being controlled or influenced by another performer through hidden signals. The controlled player must justify their involuntary actions within the scene's logic. The game creates comedy through the visible struggle between intention and compulsion.
Rendez-Vous
Rendez-Vous is a scene game in which characters arrive at a prearranged meeting point, each with a different assumption about why they are there. The comedy arises from the collision of incompatible expectations as the characters try to make sense of one another's behavior. The game rewards strong commitment to individual character objectives.
Doors
Doors is a scene game in which performers enter and exit through imagined doors, with each entrance bringing a new character, revelation, or complication. The physical act of entering through a door heightens the theatrical convention and gives each new addition a clear punctuation. The game rewards strong entrance choices and the ability to build on what has already been established.
Ding Dong
Ding Dong is a doorbell-based scene game in which the scene is repeatedly interrupted by visitors arriving at the door. Each new arrival brings a different energy, character, or complication. The game builds a layered ensemble scene from a simple mechanic and rewards performers who heighten the accumulating chaos.
Exit Game
Exit Game is a short-form scene game in which the last performer to leave the stage at the end of the round wins. The game creates a comedic standoff: performers must find any justification within the scene -- narrative, emotional, physical -- for staying onstage after their scene partners have exited. The longer they remain, the more the justification must escalate. The game rewards commitment to character logic and inventive scene construction.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Interloper. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/games/interloper
The Improv Archive. "Interloper." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/games/interloper.
The Improv Archive. "Interloper." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/games/interloper. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.