He Said – She Said

In this game, one player speaks a line of dialogue. The other then says, “He said…” and adds some actions for the player to perform. It’s a good way of bringing actions into a scene.

ERIC: Sorry, lady. The transmission is shot. You’re looking at a three thousand dollar repair.

CHRISTINE: …he said, wiping his dirty hands on his overalls and moving over to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Eric performs these actions as Christine describes them. Christine now delivers a line of her own.

CHRISTINE: Three thousand dollars? Isn’t there any way you could do it for less?

ERIC: …she said, grabbing his jacket and waving her fist in his face.

The “He-said” sections should be brief and should consist of physical actions, so the other actor has something to do. Avoid instructions that are about mental states – thinking, wondering, doubting, deciding. Don’t describe thing we’ve already seen (“I hate you!” “She said angrily.”). Avoid explanation and backstory (“he said, remembering that his boss was coming for dinner at 7 pm and that his future with the company depended on making a good impression…”). Make things happen.

It shouldn’t be necessary to say it, but the usual improv etiquette applies here – don’t put another player in a position you know is awkward for them. This game allows you to control another player’s actions, and some performers get drunk with the power they imagine they have, giving instructions that cross a a line into humiliating or creepy territory – “she said, running her hands over his body and kissing him on the lips.” The purpose of the game is to add action, not to outdo each other in degradation.

This game is more challenging that it sounds, and often has a halting quality, as players try to process what to do next. You can take some pressure off by giving the “he said/she said” lines to two offstage players.

The idea of this game (which comes from Johnstone and is described in Impro for Storytellers) is excellent, but I’ve never liked the way this game places the action after the dialogue – it feels countintuitive. I came up with a variation that reverses the order, called And Then He Said.