Summary
One person sits to the side as “the writer” and narrates a story out loud as if typing it. Actors on stage play out exactly what the writer describes in real-time. Writer controls pacing, can add details, describe internal thoughts, introduce new characters. Writer can pause action, rewind to change something, fast-forward through time. Creates collaborative story where narration and action work together.
Variation: Narrator and Characters
One player stands slightly apart as the narrator of a scene, speaking in third person and past tense — “She walked to the window. He pretended not to notice.” The other players act out exactly what the narrator describes in real time. The narrator can also turn to a character and ask them to speak or react, at which point the character breaks into direct dialogue. The narrator can rewrite the scene — “Actually, she didn’t walk to the window. She sat down instead.” — and the actors must adjust. Teaches the relationship between storytelling and embodiment.
Example: Narrator: “The detective entered the room slowly.” Actor enters slowly. Narrator: “She didn’t trust the man in the corner.” Second actor shifts nervously. Narrator: “He said something she didn’t expect.” To actor: “What did he say?” Actor: “I know where you were that night.” Narrator resumes: “She hadn’t expected that.”
More Detail
Two players are “typed” by a third player who sits to the side and mimes typing. The two actors perform a scene, but every time the typist hits “return” (an exaggerated carriage return gesture), the actors must rewind to a certain point in the scene and repeat the last moment — sometimes the typist is “fixing a typo,” “editing,” or “rewriting” the scene. The typist controls what gets revised and what stays. The actors must play along and find the scene’s new direction each time it’s restarted or rewound. A physical, layered game that plays with the idea of the scene as a written object.
Example: Actors have just reached a dramatic moment — one is about to leave. Typist hits return dramatically. Actors rewind. Typist types furiously and hits return again. Actors play the same moment, but this time the one who was leaving… sits back down. “Actually… never mind.” Scene continues in a new direction.