The Onion
Layer-by-layer building and collapsing of scenes: the group goes through a 1→N→1 sequence, each entrance creating a new world and new characters. Trains character and world retention, attention-switching, and ensemble work in crowded scenes.
Players
2–4
Full description
Setup and Launch
Work in small groups (optimally up to 4 people). The stage space is open; the others wait in the wings. Explain: every new entrance is a completely new world with new characters; use object work to quickly establish the environment and the character's activity. The sequence will move from one participant to the full group, then reverse.
How It Works
1) Unfolding worlds (1 → N)
The first improviser enters and establishes a character's world through action and object work. By the second entrance, everyone switches to a completely new world with two new characters. With each subsequent entrance the scene resets again and a third, fourth, etc. world is born — always with as many characters as there are people on stage. The peak often looks like a "party," "airport," or "rally."
2) Reverse pass (N → 1)
Then participants exit one by one in reverse order of entry. Each exit is a signal for those remaining to instantly return to the previous world and its increasingly faded characters. The impression is like "channel switching": with each "click" fewer scenes and fewer characters on stage, until only one remains.
3) Focus in a crowded scene
To avoid chaos and noise when there are many actors, allow the scene to naturally break into pairs and "zones of influence." Shift the audience's focus from one active pair to another — keeping the action readable. Similar principles are practiced in "Cocktail Party."
Key rules
Change characters with each new world — no carrying over previous roles.
Enter the scene immediately with a line or action, don't stand in silence.
Establish a clear reason for transitioning to the next scene and for leaving.
Keep track of the entry order so you know when to exit in the reverse pass.
Context
What to try next
Similar formats, so you can keep the rehearsal moving without stopping to search.
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