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Contacts

Game show: the host asks questions to a guest-historical figure and "calls" their acquaintances for hints, voiced by performers from offstage. Good for training quick association, holding a character, and team support by voice from offstage.

Players

4–8

Difficulty

Beginner

Full description

Setup and launch

Distribute roles: a show host, a guest (a historical figure), and one or two performers as "contacts" offstage. Ask the audience to name a well-known historical figure for the guest. Establish the phone convention (gesture, microphone) and agree on short calls and a lively pace.

Explain role tasks: the host comes up with witty, vivid questions, the guest answers as the character, and the "contacts" give short hints by voice from offstage. Agree to keep lines clear and not stretch the calls.

Flow

  1. Announcement and first question. The host introduces the guest and immediately formulates the first question in free form, avoiding a "trivia quiz" and provoking imagination.

  2. Finding the "contact." The host decides out loud who to call from the character's circle, briefly motivates the choice (connecting it to the question), then "dials" the number.

  3. The call and hints. The performer(s) offstage answer in the voice of the chosen "contact"; they give 1–2 vivid hints without directly giving away the answer. The coach watches diction and volume, and if necessary cuts a call that's dragging on.

  4. Guest's response. The guest, staying in character, uses the hints and formulates an answer. The host confirms, makes a joke within the show's frame, and moves to the next question.

  5. Escalation and closing. Repeat the cycle with new questions and different "contacts," building the unexpectedness of connections. Wrap up when the dynamic reaches its peak, and switch roles in the next round.

Key rules

  • Don't turn this into a factual trivia: formulate questions so the character can show a point of view and world, not recall a date.

  • "Contacts" speak briefly and to the point. If an answer drags, give the signal to wrap up and cut the call.

  • Watch for recognizability of the character's world: connections and names should be familiar to the audience, without testing performers' erudition.

  • The host connects the hints and gently nudges the guest, but doesn't steal the focus or answer for them.

  • If the scene stalls, change the "contact" or angle of the question, rather than repeating the same hints.

Context

🧺 Cart