🧿What did the author forget to say?

"What did the author forget to say?" is a format where improvisers fill in the gaps in an audience member's memory of their favorite book.

A person is chosen from the audience who begins to retell their favorite book. Ideally this is a book they read long ago and remember poorly — in that case there are more "blank spots" for improvisation.

Actors actively ask clarifying questions:

• What was the main character's name?
• What happened next?
• And why did he do that?
• Where did it take place?
• Who were the supporting characters?

The audience member tries to remember, but often says "I don't remember", "I forgot", "there was something there". Actors collect everything the audience member does remember — fragments of the plot, pieces of characters, hazy recollections of key events.

Then the actors perform a series of scenes with edits, based on what they heard. But instead of an exact retelling of the book, they fill in the gaps with their own imagination — showing what the author "forgot" to include in the book, or what the audience member doesn't remember.

This creates a mix of the book's original plot and absurd, unexpected additions from the improvisers. The worse the audience member remembers the book, the more creative freedom there is.