#1 Free Improv Prompts, Topics & Scene Generator 

By: | Updated: March 12, 2024

You found our list of the best improv prompts and topics to act out.

Improv prompts are random scenarios for improvisation activities. For example, “holiday mascots on criminal trial” or “a family booking a vacation to space.” The purpose of these topics is to give actors a starting point for unscripted sketches. These ideas are also known as “acting prompts”, “improv starters” and “improv suggestions.”

You can use these starter questions during large group improv exercises, fun theater games, or Zoom improv activities.

improv-prompts

This list includes:

  • funny improv scenarios to act out
  • improv ideas
  • improv topics
  • improv scene ideas
  • drama scenarios to act out
  • improv situations
  • improv examples
  • improv character ideas
  • improv ideas for two

Here we go!

Random improv scene generator

We made this handy improv prompt generator to come up with scene ideas for improvisational activities. You can also ask for audience suggestions to come up with scenarios for sketches.

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Funny improv prompts

  1. You suspect that your new boss is secretly a vampire
  2. Chaperoning a school trip to an amusement park
  3. Holiday mascots on criminal trial
  4. A writing team trying to think up new fortunes for fortune cookies
  5. A family booking a vacation to space
  6. Staff meeting at a zoo for mythical creatures
  7. The first meeting of an unlikely fan club
  8. An award ceremony with bizarre awards
  9. Grand opening of a restaurant gone wrong
  10. Halloween store employees packing up bizarre and unsold costumes
  11. Surprise birthday party where the guest of honor is late
  12. Birthday party for a 300 year old
  13. An open house at a clearly haunted house
  14. College orientation for unlikely majors
  15. Fairytale characters at a speed dating event
  16. Guide leading a tour through the weirdest museum ever
  17. Career day full of made-up jobs
  18. Interviews for a poison-food taste tester
  19. A group of time travelers from the past in a grocery store
  20. Paparazzi hired to take wedding photos giving instructions to the bridal party
  21. Wedding where all audience members object for ridiculous reasons
  22. If Willy Wonka ran a factory full of healthy foods
  23. An exercise class for action movie stars
  24. If history books were written like tabloid magazines
  25. Celebrity secret Santa
  26. A time traveler from the past is a contestant on “The Price is Right”

Random improv prompts

  1. Support group for evil henchmen
  2. Band of thieves planning an unlikely heist
  3. Genie who can only grant wishes that the whole group agrees on
  4. Pitching movie ideas to an executive
  5. A passenger suddenly realizes they are on the wrong flight as the plane takes off
  6. Attending a funeral for a rich person’s pet
  7. Future archeologists trying to explain everyday objects from present day
  8. PR team trying to rebrand a misbehaving celebrity
  9. Meeting a significant other’s family for the first time
  10. Family reunion
  11. Pirates hunting for buried treasure
  12. Driving class
  13. Group of superfans camping out in line
  14. Parents watching kids play on the playground
  15. The unlikeliest music festival ever
  16. If social media existed during important moments in history
  17. Auditions for a talent competition
  18. The waiting room at a plastic surgery clinic
  19. A haunted office
  20. A group of boy scouts or girl scouts trying to earn modern-day merit badges

Serious improv prompts

  1. A family reunites after a long time apart
  2. Saying goodbye to loved one at the airport
  3. A group of older folks share the lessons they wished they had learned sooner
  4. A group support group shares their biggest life regrets
  5. An employee made a major mistake and must tell their boss and team
  6. A group of executives negotiates a business deal
  7. A customer service team tries to solve a problem for a disgruntled customer
  8. A sales team tries to win back an unhappy client
  9. A team of detectives tries to solve a murder
  10. A group of patients waits in an ER waiting room
  11. A team of negotiators strategize how to solve a hostage situation
  12. A jury debates whether or not a defendant is guilty
  13. A group of strangers stranded at the airport talk about their destinations
  14. A group participates in a mediation
  15. A group strategizes how to survive a natural disaster
  16. A group stranded on a deserted island sets up camp
  17. A team confronts a team member who was caught lying or stealing
  18. A boss responds to employees who are upset and panicking over rumors
  19. A group says goodbye to and thanks a retiring employee
  20. Group has to deliver difficult news
  21. Group diffusing a bomb

Improv scene ideas

  1. A person auditions actors to pretend to be their family members
  2. Famous movie couples go to couples counselling
  3. A group of literary characters wonder into a bookstore and discover their own stories
  4. A group of contractors arrive to renovate a gingerbread house
  5. A family moves into a furniture store display
  6. Filming how-to videos for simple tasks
  7. An evil villain transforms world leaders into toddlers
  8. A team suddenly speaks different languages
  9. Superheros adjust to retirement
  10. A broken teleporter transports a group to random locations
  11. Tryouts for new cereal mascots
  12. A realtor tries to sell famous fairytale character homes
  13. A genie grants wishes to pets
  14. Snow White gets an office job
  15. White House staff briefs a new president on the country’s biggest secrets
  16. Cave parents confront their children about drawing on the walls
  17. Astronauts explore a new planet
  18. If pessimists wrote horoscopes

Improv scene opening lines

  1. “You got the stuff?”
  2. “I told you that was a bad idea.”
  3. “Are you sure about this?”
  4. “You will never believe who I ran into.”
  5. “You gotta help me!”
  6. “Follow that car!”
  7. “What did you do?”
  8. “I have never been so offended in all my life!”
  9. “Of all the people in the world, why does she have to date him?”
  10. “This is a stickup!”
  11. “Good morning class, I am your substitute teacher.”
  12. “Do you have the time?”
  13. “What year is it?”
  14. “Where am I?”
  15. “You disgust me.”
  16. “You have a lot of nerve!”
  17. “You must be the new guy.”
  18. “Is this your first time?”
  19. “I can explain everything.”
  20. “I would like to file a police report.”
  21. “What are you doing here?”
  22. “Where were you last night?”
  23. “You must think I am pretty stupid.”
  24. “This is the best day of my life!”
  25. “Tell me you have good news.”
  26. “The results of the presidential election are in.”
  27. “Reporting to you live from the scene…”
  28. “This is not what it looks like.”
  29. “Can you do me a favor?”
  30. “Hold this for a second.”
  31. “Did you see which way he went?”
  32. “How do you know the bride and groom?”
  33. “I need a refund.”
  34. “Are you going to answer the phone?”
  35. “He proposed to you where?!”
  36. “Did you hear that?”
  37. “You look ridiculous.”
  38. “Why the hurry?”
  39. “Fire!”
  40. “How much is this going to cost me?”
  41. “What is the diagnosis, doctor?”
  42. “I didn’t do it, I swear!”
  43. “Let me show you how it is done.”
  44. “I never thought I would find you again!”
  45. “Thought you tricked me, did you?”
  46. “Do you have any idea how expensive this is going to be?”
  47. “There will be grave consequences if you choose incorrectly.”
  48. “Are you really going to wear that?”
  49. “Why do you want to work here?”
  50. “I did it! I solved the mystery!”
  51. “Can you keep a secret?”
  52. “I knew you would be back.”
  53. “Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

Improv setting ideas

  1. Space station
  2. Meeting room
  3. Hotel
  4. Hospital
  5. Art gallery
  6. Amusement park
  7. Mall
  8. Aquarium
  9. Zoo
  10. Haunted house
  11. Mansion
  12. Field trip
  13. Sports stadium
  14. Family reunion
  15. Job interview
  16. Reality show
  17. Orientation
  18. Party
  19. Cruise
  20. Fashion show
  21. Restaurant
  22. Park
  23. Beach
  24. Bus
  25. Airplane
  26. Airport
  27. The DMV
  28. High school
  29. Nightclub
  30. Open house
  31. Library
  32. Audition
  33. Movie theatre
  34. Escape room
  35. Museum
  36. Racetrack
  37. Dressing room
  38. Wedding
  39. Grocery store
  40. Doctors office
  41. Lawyers office
  42. Elevator
  43. Graduation
  44. Submarine
  45. Factory
  46. Police station
  47. Ice cream shop
  48. Parking lot
  49. Middle of the ocean
  50. Desert
  51. Highway
  52. Farm
  53. Subway
  54. A foreign country
  55. A fictional universe
  56. Battlefield
  57. Coffee shop
  58. Fast food restaurant
  59. Drive-thru window
  60. Middle school dance
  61. The Olympics
  62. Laboratory
  63. Bathroom
  64. Garden
  65. Balcony
  66. Cab

Improv character ideas

  1. A detective with amnesia
  2. A parent who has misplaced their baby
  3. Lottery winner
  4. Game show host switching careers
  5. An alien trying to blend in with humans
  6. A dog that can suddenly speak English
  7. A clown who gets mad when people laugh at him
  8. Window cleaner who is afraid of heights
  9. Character from a musical who does not understand why no one breaks out into random song and dance with them
  10. Survivor of a horror movie
  11. Translator
  12. Historian who makes up fake stories
  13. Statistician who cannot stop quoting statistics
  14. Person who mistakenly thinks they are on a hidden camera prank show
  15. Dancer who denies that they are currently dancing
  16. Clumsy bartender
  17. Person who misquotes famous sayings
  18. Old-timey detective
  19. Rom com protagonist who falls in love with everyone she talks to
  20. Person who only gives one word answers
  21. Fortune teller making predictions
  22. A preschool teacher
  23. Aging rockstar
  24. Narrator who does not know other characters can hear them
  25. Superhero with strange superpower
  26. Person possessed by a series of different ghosts
  27. Child genius
  28. A preteen that makes innuendos out of everything
  29. Person who brags about being able to do completely normal things
  30. Video game character in the real world
  31. The worst advice columnist in the world
  32. Mad scientist
  33. Salesman who cannot stop selling things
  34. Person who is allergic to strange things
  35. An interior designer for supervillain lairs
  36. Sleepwalker
  37. Mermaid in disguise

Final thoughts

Improv activities can loosen up a group, sharpen quick-thinking and reaction skills, and speed-up team building. However, it can be difficult to think up unique and interesting scene ideas. Using pre-made improv prompts can save time and help actors jump into the scene. Once you act out a few ready-made situations, the audience may even feel comfortable shouting out scenarios. However, you are welcome to use the improvisation generator any time your teammates have a brain block.

Next, check out this list of icebreaker games, this truth or dare generator, and this list of the best improv books.

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FAQ: Improv prompts

Here are answers to common questions about improv prompts.

What are some good improv prompts for team building?

Some good improv prompts for team building include a writing team trying to think up new fortunes for fortune cookies, game show host switching careers, group diffusing a bomb, and superheroes adjusting to retirement.

How do you think of opening lines for improv activities?

To think up opening lines for improv activities, ask audience members for ideas or use an improvisation prompt generator.

Author avatar

Author:

Marketing Coordinator at teambuilding.com.
Angela has a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a community manager with Yelp to plan events for businesses.

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