Location

A long-form where every scene takes place in a single location. Performers shift characters and time periods, revealing the space from different angles.

Players

4–8

Duration

20-30 min

Difficulty

Intermediate

Full description

Setup and Launch

Get a single location from the audience β€” say, the Post Office. That place is your entire world for the show. Make it clear to all performers: no matter what happens, every scene takes place right here.

Flow

1. Establish the Location

Open by grounding the space physically. Use gestures, mime objects, react to sounds β€” a creaky door, a bell above the entrance, the hum of fluorescent lights. The audience and your fellow performers need to see and feel the place before any story begins.

2. Play Scenes in the Same Location

Different characters wander in and out of the space. A postal clerk on a Monday morning, a couple mailing wedding invitations, a teenager picking up a package years later. You can jump forward or backward in time, replay a moment from a different character's perspective, or shift relationships entirely. The location stays fixed; everything else moves.

Key rules

  • One location only β€” Every scene takes place in the same space. A post office stays a post office. This sharpens focus on physical detail and forces discovery instead of invention.

  • Shift characters and time β€” Each scene can feature different characters or jump to a different era. A morning crowd, a night janitor, a flashback to the grand opening β€” the location connects them all.

Format structure

Context