Props
Props is a short-form game in which teams of performers are given unusual objects and must quickly create as many comedic uses for them as possible. Each use is presented as a brief sketch or visual gag. The game was a signature element of Whose Line Is It Anyway and rewards speed, creativity, and physical commitment to absurd transformations.
Structure
Setup
- Two teams of two performers each are given identical unusual objects: items chosen for their non-obvious use potential.
- Teams alternate presenting brief sketches or visual gags in which they use the object as something other than what it is.
- The host signals when each team's time is up and the other team presents.
How the Game Works
- Each use of the prop is a brief scene or visual gag, typically thirty seconds to two minutes.
- Performers must commit physically to each use, treating the object as what they claim it to be.
- The humor comes from the creativity and speed of the transformations, not from lengthy performances.
- Props rewards high volume: teams that generate many uses in the time available tend to produce more memorable moments.
Prop Selection
- The best props are large enough to be visible but ambiguous in shape: they could be many different things.
- Common effective props: giant inflatable items, odd-shaped foam objects, unusual tools, oversized accessories.
- Props that have only one or two obvious uses tend to exhaust their possibilities quickly.
Scoring and Competition
- Teams may be scored by audience applause after each round, with the higher-applause team winning the round.
- Alternatively, the game runs without competitive scoring, with both teams simply presenting uses in alternation.
How to Teach It
How to Explain It
"You have this object. It can be used as anything except what it actually is. Every time you present a use, commit to it completely: if it's a lawnmower, run it like a lawnmower. Speed matters. You want as many distinct uses as you can produce."
Common Notes
- Commitment is the single most important element. A performer who tentatively suggests what an object might be while holding it awkwardly is not playing Props.
- Speed of transition between uses matters as much as creativity. Teams that dwell on a single mediocre use fall behind teams that cycle quickly through many attempts.
- Encourage physical transformation, not just verbal declaration. Showing the object as a megaphone is more effective than saying "this is a megaphone."
Common Pitfalls
- Teams produce long scenes instead of quick gags. Props is a rapid-fire game, not a scene game.
- Performers choose uses that are too obvious or too similar to each other. The game rewards range: domestic objects, weapons, musical instruments, vehicles.
- Teams use the object as itself and just give it a different name. The physical transformation must be real.
How to Perform It
Audience Intro
"Each team gets one of these [unusual objects]. Their job is to use it as anything except what it is. We're going to alternate back and forth, and you get to decide who's more creative. [Team A], you're up first."
Cast Size
- Ideal: Two teams of two performers each, with a host running the competition.
Staging
- Teams stand on opposite sides of the stage.
- The host stands center with a clear signal to end each team's turn.
Wrap Logic
- The game ends after an agreed number of rounds or when the host calls a final round and the audience votes a winner.
Worth Reading
See all books →
The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual
Matt Besser; Ian Roberts; Matt Walsh
Acting Through Improv
Improv Through Theatresports
Lynda Belt; Rebecca Stockley
Pirate Robot Ninja
An Improv Fable
Billy Merritt; Will Hines
Group Improvisation
The Manual of Ensemble Improv Games
Peter Campbell Gwinn; Charna Halpern
Creating Improvised Theatre
Tools, Techniques, and Theories
Mark Jane
The Playbook
Improv Games for Performers
William Hall
Related Games
The Bag
The Bag is a short-form game in which performers draw random objects from a bag and must immediately incorporate each item into an ongoing scene, finding justification for the object's presence within the established narrative. The objects are typically collected from audience members' pockets and belongings before the show, giving the game an element of authentic surprise. The game trains rapid object integration and the improvisational habit of treating unexpected material as an offer.
Human Props
Human Props is a short-form game in which audience volunteers are used as physical props within a scene, shaped and positioned by the performers to serve as furniture, doors, vehicles, or other objects. The game creates comedy through the awkwardness and absurdity of using real people as inanimate objects. It is a staple of audience-participation shows.
Household Olympics
Household Olympics is a short-form game in which performers compete in improvised sporting events using ordinary household objects -- a spatula javelin, a sponge shot put, a toilet plunger hammer throw. A commentator narrates the action in the style of a sports broadcast, providing color commentary on technique, history, and drama. The juxtaposition of athletic gravitas with mundane domestic objects creates the game's comedy. The game rewards committed physicality and the commentator's verbal creativity and commitment to the sport's reality.
Game-O-Matic
Game-O-Matic is a meta-improv game in which the audience suggests rules, constraints, or elements that are combined to create a brand-new game on the spot. The performers must figure out and play the invented game in real time. The game rewards adaptability and the ability to find playable structure in arbitrary constraints.
Bucket
Bucket is a short-form game in which scene suggestions, character traits, or constraints are written on slips of paper and placed in a bucket before the show. During scenes, performers draw slips at designated moments and must immediately incorporate whatever is written into the ongoing action. The random elements inject controlled unpredictability, forcing performers to accept and justify offers that could not be anticipated. The game rewards flexibility, quick thinking, and the ability to absorb any suggestion without hesitation. Bucket demonstrates the core improv principle that accepting external offers, no matter how disruptive, produces stronger and more surprising scene work than relying solely on performer-generated choices.
Mix and Match
Mix and Match is a character and scene game in which performers combine disparate audience-suggested traits, occupations, scenarios, or styles into a single scene. The game takes two or more elements that do not naturally belong together and challenges the performers to find coherent logic within the absurd combination. A brain surgeon with a fear of blood, a cowboy at a ballet class, or a romantic comedy set in a submarine: the game rewards specificity, commitment, and the ability to ground heightened premises in recognizable human behavior.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Props. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/games/props
The Improv Archive. "Props." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/games/props.
The Improv Archive. "Props." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/games/props. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.