Lawyer and prosecutor
Comedy debate: a prosecutor and defense attorney take turns building a case and defense, pulling random objects from a bag as "evidence." Good for training quick thinking, status, and thematic connections in the middle of a session or as a show short-form game.
Players
3–8
Difficulty
Beginner
Props
Yes
Full description
Setup and Launch
Seat the defendant in a chair at center stage. Formulate a ridiculous crime in advance or ask the audience to suggest one. Two actors will stand to the right and left of the defendant — the prosecutor and the defense attorney.
Place an opaque bag with various objects in front of them. The actors cannot see the contents and use each extracted object as "evidence" in favor of the prosecution or defense. Agree on a clear alternation of turns and remind them that objects are drawn without peeking.
Play
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Opening statements. Briefly clarify what the character is "charged with" and set the tone for the roles: the prosecutor accuses, the defense attorney justifies. The defendant remains the focus as the subject of the dispute.
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First pieces of evidence. One side presents and at the right moment draws an object from the bag, instantly incorporating it into the argument as proof of their position.
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Alternating arguments. Actors take turns making short presentations, periodically drawing new objects and logically connecting them to the prosecution or defense version.
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Accumulation and coherence. As objects appear, strengthen the line of reasoning and return to already-stated facts, maintaining the theme and roles.
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Conclusion. Stop the scene when the "case" has become sufficiently rich with evidence and arguments, or when a vivid comedic resolution is found.
Key rules
Don't let actors peek in the bag: drawing must be genuinely random, otherwise the comedic risk is lost.
Watch the pace: each "piece of evidence" needs to be quickly re-framed and the argument moved forward, not repeating what's already been said.
Keep the status roles stable — the prosecutor presses and accuses, the defense attorney protects and reframes facts; mixing roles blurs the game.
The defendant doesn't steal focus: reactions are enough, but speech and logic belong to the attorney and prosecutor.
Choose safe, clean objects and remind actors to be careful — dropped objects and noisy props break the scene.
Context
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