#1 Free Improv Prompts, Topics & Scene Generator 

You found our list of the best improv prompts and topics to act out.

Improv prompts are random scenarios for improvisation activities. For example, "holiday mascots on criminal trial" or "a family booking a vacation to space." The purpose of these topics is to give actors a starting point for unscripted sketches. These ideas are also known as "acting prompts", "improv starters" and "improv suggestions."

You can use these starter questions during large group improv exercises, fun theater games, or Zoom improv activities.

This list includes:

• funny improv scenarios to act out
• improv ideas
• improv topics
• improv scene ideas
• drama scenarios to act out
• improv situations
• improv examples
• improv character ideas
• improv ideas for two

Here we go!

Random improv scene generator

We made this handy improv prompt generator to come up with scene ideas for improvisational activities. You can also ask for audience suggestions to come up with scenarios for sketches.

Funny improv prompts

1. You suspect that your new boss is secretly a vampire
2. Chaperoning a school trip to an amusement park
3. Holiday mascots on criminal trial
4. A writing team trying to think up new fortunes for fortune cookies
5. A family booking a vacation to space
6. Staff meeting at a zoo for mythical creatures
7. The first meeting of an unlikely fan club
8. An award ceremony with bizarre awards
9. Grand opening of a restaurant gone wrong
10. Halloween store employees packing up bizarre and unsold costumes
11. Surprise birthday party where the guest of honor is late
12. Birthday party for a 300 year old
13. An open house at a clearly haunted house
14. College orientation for unlikely majors
15. Fairytale characters at a speed dating event
16. Guide leading a tour through the weirdest museum ever
17. Career day full of made-up jobs
18. Interviews for a poison-food taste tester
19. A group of time travelers from the past in a grocery store
20. Paparazzi hired to take wedding photos giving instructions to the bridal party
21. Wedding where all audience members object for ridiculous reasons
22. If Willy Wonka ran a factory full of healthy foods
23. An exercise class for action movie stars
24. If history books were written like tabloid magazines
25. Celebrity secret Santa
26. A time traveler from the past is a contestant on "The Price is Right"

Random improv prompts

1. Support group for evil henchmen
2. Band of thieves planning an unlikely heist
3. Genie who can only grant wishes that the whole group agrees on
4. Pitching movie ideas to an executive
5. A passenger suddenly realizes they are on the wrong flight as the plane takes off
6. Attending a funeral for a rich person's pet
7. Future archeologists trying to explain everyday objects from present day
8. PR team trying to rebrand a misbehaving celebrity
9. Meeting a significant other's family for the first time
10. Family reunion
11. Pirates hunting for buried treasure
12. Driving class
13. Group of superfans camping out in line
14. Parents watching kids play on the playground
15. The unlikeliest music festival ever
16. If social media existed during important moments in history
17. Auditions for a talent competition
18. The waiting room at a plastic surgery clinic
19. A haunted office
20. A group of boy scouts or girl scouts trying to earn modern-day merit badges

Serious improv prompts

1. A family reunites after a long time apart
2. Saying goodbye to loved one at the airport
3. A group of older folks share the lessons they wished they had learned sooner
4. A group support group shares their biggest life regrets
5. An employee made a major mistake and must tell their boss and team
6. A group of executives negotiates a business deal
7. A customer service team tries to solve a problem for a disgruntled customer
8. A sales team tries to win back an unhappy client
9. A team of detectives tries to solve a murder
10. A group of patients waits in an ER waiting room
11. A team of negotiators strategize how to solve a hostage situation
12. A jury debates whether or not a defendant is guilty
13. A group of strangers stranded at the airport talk about their destinations
14. A group participates in a mediation
15. A group strategizes how to survive a natural disaster
16. A group stranded on a deserted island sets up camp
17. A team confronts a team member who was caught lying or stealing
18. A boss responds to employees who are upset and panicking over rumors
19. A group says goodbye to and thanks a retiring employee
20. Group has to deliver difficult news
21. Group diffusing a bomb

Improv scene ideas

1. A person auditions actors to pretend to be their family members
2. Famous movie couples go to couples counselling
3. A group of literary characters wonder into a bookstore and discover their own stories
4. A group of contractors arrive to renovate a gingerbread house
5. A family moves into a furniture store display
6. Filming how-to videos for simple tasks
7. An evil villain transforms world leaders into toddlers
8. A team suddenly speaks different languages
9. Superheros adjust to retirement
10. A broken teleporter transports a group to random locations
11. Tryouts for new cereal mascots
12. A realtor tries to sell famous fairytale character homes
13. A genie grants wishes to pets
14. Snow White gets an office job
15. White House staff briefs a new president on the country's biggest secrets
16. Cave parents confront their children about drawing on the walls
17. Astronauts explore a new planet
18. If pessimists wrote horoscopes

Improv scene opening lines

1. "You got the stuff?"
2. "I told you that was a bad idea."
3. "Are you sure about this?"
4. "You will never believe who I ran into."
5. "You gotta help me!"
6. "Follow that car!"
7. "What did you do?"
8. "I have never been so offended in all my life!"
9. "Of all the people in the world, why does she have to date him?"
10. "This is a stickup!"
11. "Good morning class, I am your substitute teacher."
12. "Do you have the time?"
13. "What year is it?"
14. "Where am I?"
15. "You disgust me."
16. "You have a lot of nerve!"
17. "You must be the new guy."
18. "Is this your first time?"
19. "I can explain everything."
20. "I would like to file a police report."
21. "What are you doing here?"
22. "Where were you last night?"
23. "You must think I am pretty stupid."
24. "This is the best day of my life!"
25. "Tell me you have good news."
26. "The results of the presidential election are in."
27. "Reporting to you live from the scene…"
28. "This is not what it looks like."
29. "Can you do me a favor?"
30. "Hold this for a second."
31. "Did you see which way he went?"
32. "How do you know the bride and groom?"
33. "I need a refund."
34. "Are you going to answer the phone?"
35. "He proposed to you where?!"
36. "Did you hear that?"
37. "You look ridiculous."
38. "Why the hurry?"
39. "Fire!"
40. "How much is this going to cost me?"
41. "What is the diagnosis, doctor?"
42. "I didn't do it, I swear!"
43. "Let me show you how it is done."
44. "I never thought I would find you again!"
45. "Thought you tricked me, did you?"
46. "Do you have any idea how expensive this is going to be?"
47. "There will be grave consequences if you choose incorrectly."
48. "Are you really going to wear that?"
49. "Why do you want to work here?"
50. "I did it! I solved the mystery!"
51. "Can you keep a secret?"
52. "I knew you would be back."
53. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Improv setting ideas

1. Space station
2. Meeting room
3. Hotel
4. Hospital
5. Art gallery
6. Amusement park
7. Mall
8. Aquarium
9. Zoo
10. Haunted house
11. Mansion
12. Field trip
13. Sports stadium
14. Family reunion
15. Job interview
16. Reality show
17. Orientation
18. Party
19. Cruise
20. Fashion show
21. Restaurant
22. Park
23. Beach
24. Bus
25. Airplane
26. Airport
27. The DMV
28. High school
29. Nightclub
30. Open house
31. Library
32. Audition
33. Movie theatre
34. Escape room
35. Museum
36. Racetrack
37. Dressing room
38. Wedding
39. Grocery store
40. Doctors office
41. Lawyers office
42. Elevator
43. Graduation
44. Submarine
45. Factory
46. Police station
47. Ice cream shop
48. Parking lot
49. Middle of the ocean
50. Desert
51. Highway
52. Farm
53. Subway
54. A foreign country
55. A fictional universe
56. Battlefield
57. Coffee shop
58. Fast food restaurant
59. Drive-thru window
60. Middle school dance
61. The Olympics
62. Laboratory
63. Bathroom
64. Garden
65. Balcony
66. Cab

Improv character ideas

1. A detective with amnesia
2. A parent who has misplaced their baby
3. Lottery winner
4. Game show host switching careers
5. An alien trying to blend in with humans
6. A dog that can suddenly speak English
7. A clown who gets mad when people laugh at him
8. Window cleaner who is afraid of heights
9. Character from a musical who does not understand why no one breaks out into random song and dance with them
10. Survivor of a horror movie
11. Translator
12. Historian who makes up fake stories
13. Statistician who cannot stop quoting statistics
14. Person who mistakenly thinks they are on a hidden camera prank show
15. Dancer who denies that they are currently dancing
16. Clumsy bartender
17. Person who misquotes famous sayings
18. Old-timey detective
19. Rom com protagonist who falls in love with everyone she talks to
20. Person who only gives one word answers
21. Fortune teller making predictions
22. A preschool teacher
23. Aging rockstar
24. Narrator who does not know other characters can hear them
25. Superhero with strange superpower
26. Person possessed by a series of different ghosts
27. Child genius
28. A preteen that makes innuendos out of everything
29. Person who brags about being able to do completely normal things
30. Video game character in the real world
31. The worst advice columnist in the world
32. Mad scientist
33. Salesman who cannot stop selling things
34. Person who is allergic to strange things
35. An interior designer for supervillain lairs
36. Sleepwalker
37. Mermaid in disguise

Final thoughts

Improv activities can loosen up a group, sharpen quick-thinking and reaction skills, and speed-up team building. However, it can be difficult to think up unique and interesting scene ideas. Using pre-made improv prompts can save time and help actors jump into the scene. Once you act out a few ready-made situations, the audience may even feel comfortable shouting out scenarios. However, you are welcome to use the improvisation generator any time your teammates have a brain block.

Next, check out this list of icebreaker games, this truth or dare generator.