RUEN

Mister yes

A short stage game: one participant takes on the role of the 'yes-person' who accepts all offers from their partners; the others create tasks for them in a location named by the audience. Good for training 'yes-and', support, and status in a dynamic setting.

Players

2–8

Difficulty

Beginner

Full description

Setup and Launch

Ask the audience to name a setting (a shop, a car wash, a planetarium, etc.). Designate one actor who will accept and develop any offers from their partners. The other participants — the 'initiators' — take turns formulating tasks, conditions, and impulses for the scene's protagonist.

Agree on safety: no dangerous, humiliating, or technically impossible demands. Clarify that acceptance includes adding a detail or action ('and…'), not bare agreement. The coach sets the pace (a short, energetic scene of 2–3 minutes) and orders the initiators' entries.

Play

  1. Start and frame: briefly repeat the setting and invite the first initiator to give a clear, achievable impulse through action or request.

  2. Offering impulses: keep initiatives specific (a verb in present tense, a clear goal) and one at a time. Rotate initiators every 10–20 seconds to avoid an 'interrogation' from a single voice.

  3. Accepting and developing: the actor confirms aloud and immediately acts, adding a detail of the world, the relationship, or the next logical step. If an offer is vague, the coach can briefly side-coach for clarity.

  4. Escalation and status: guide the growing difficulty in steps (from simple to complex), play the contrast in status (sometimes the protagonist is led, sometimes they find an unexpected lever of influence). Watch that acceptance does not become a mechanical 'yes' without changing the situation.

  5. Pace and safety: maintain a high pace and physical readability. Filter out dangerous or humiliating contributions; when in doubt, rephrase them into safe equivalents. End at the peak — a clear 'button' and then a blackout.

Key rules

  • Make impulses specific and achievable: one clear verb and a visible goal. Vague requests slow the pace.

  • Avoid trick questions and impossible tasks — the game breaks down into refusals or excuses. Rephrase into safe equivalents.

  • Rotate the initiators: one voice in a row turns the scene into an interrogation and narrows the play.

  • Make sure acceptance comes with 'and...': add an action, a detail of the world, or a relationship — otherwise you get an empty 'yes'.

  • Keep the scene short (2–3 minutes) and find a vivid button; the worst outcome is dragging it until everyone is exhausted.

Context

🧺 Cart