Security guards
A status and "stone face" game: two performers play bouncers at a club entrance, while others take turns trying to make them laugh in order to "get inside." Good for training high status, timing, and physical comedy in a fast, competitive round.
Players
3–8
Difficulty
Beginner
Full description
Setup and Launch
Place two performers at the imaginary "door" and give them one task: maximum high status, minimal reactions, no smiling. Mark the entry line, set safety boundaries (no touching, no insults), and a short time limit per attempt. Define a clear success signal — the word "Go ahead" or a hand gesture; otherwise, a neutral "Next."
Flow
1) Opening and mini-demo
Briefly announce the context: the queue to get into a club. Quickly show on one volunteer what is allowed: verbal moves, physical comedy at a distance, status reversals; and what is forbidden: touching, toxic humor.
2) Sequential attempts
Performers come up one at a time and work for 20–40 seconds. If at least one "guard" involuntarily smiles or laughs — the performer gets through the line. If not — the "guards" give a brief, neutral refusal without playing out jokes.
3) Status and safety control
Regularly remind the "guards" to hold their mask and not play along with a joke, and remind participants to keep their distance. If boundaries are violated, gently stop, rephrase the rules, and restart the attempt.
4) Rotation and finish
After several rounds or on time, swap out the "guard" pair. Finale: "the club is open" — a quick collective entry for everyone who didn't make it through, and applause.
Key rules
Watch the guards' "stone face": if they start playing along, the game loses tension. Give them short anchor phrases like "No" and "Next."
Safety first: no touching and no offensive content. Talk through red zones and a stop gesture in advance.
Keep the tempo high: one attempt under a minute. As soon as the joke lands flat — immediately "next."
Rotate guards every 2–3 minutes so they don't burn out and don't get stuck in one style.
The passing criterion is transparent: a smile from either guard counts. In disputed cases, the trainer's decision is final.
Context
What to try next
Similar formats, so you can keep the rehearsal moving without stopping to search.
Office
A comedy scene: one actor with a harmonica must not laugh; any sound immediately summons the boss, who scolds the harmonica player and praises the two loafing colleagues…
Party Quirks
A short-form game where one actor hosts a party while 2–4 guests each hide a secret quirk assigned by the audience. The host mingles, reads the clues, and guesses each o…
Items
A team round of quick gags around a given object: performers take turns stepping to center and delivering a joke or physical image, like in a "Duel." Useful for building…
Bingo
A paired scene in a given location: two people play while the team secretly guesses five specific actions they might naturally perform. In 3 minutes the actors try to "h…
Place, Job, Weapon
A gibberish guessing game, also known as LCD (Location, Career, Death) or Chain Murder. One actor on stage knows a location, occupation, and object from the audience; th…
Parliamentarian
A short three-person scene: two have quarreled, the third — the mediator — carries "punishable" status and tries to reconcile them while the bickering parties give a saf…