Summary
Before the scene starts, slips of paper with audience-suggested lines of dialogue are scattered across the playing area. During the scene, players pick them up at will, read the line aloud, and must immediately incorporate it into the scene as if they’d said it naturally. The line cannot be acknowledged as random or strange — it must be justified. Players should pick lines at dramatically interesting moments, not just when they run out of things to say. Teaches in-the-moment justification and the ability to pivot without breaking scene logic.
Example
Mid-scene between two estranged siblings, a player picks up a slip and reads: “I never said I liked the penguins.” They must immediately justify it. “I never said I liked the penguins, Mom. That was you. You were the one who insisted on the zoo every single birthday.” Scene continues.
Variation: Paper Chase
Before the scene, lines of dialogue are written on slips of paper by audience members and scattered across the playing area. During the scene, players pick up slips at will, read the line aloud as their character’s line, and must immediately justify it and continue the scene. The line cannot be acknowledged as random. Players should pick them up at interesting moments — when they need something to say, or when they want to introduce a complication. Teaches in-the-moment justification and acceptance of the unexpected.
Example: Scene is two astronauts doing routine maintenance. Player picks up a slip: “The bees are already inside the ship.” They must treat this as information their character has known and is now choosing to share. “Yeah, the bees are already inside the ship. I’ve been meaning to bring that up.” Scene adapts.
Variation: Pick-Up Line
Best with 2-4 players. Before the scene, everyone writes random lines on slips: dialogue, lyrics, movie quotes, proverbs. Players keep the slips in a pocket. Two or three players start a scene from a suggestion and periodically draw a slip, work the line in naturally, and justify it. Draw often: the goal is to land as many wacky lines as possible.
Tip: Set up a line with a lead-in like “As my mother always said…”