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Interrogation with Boris

Two-player short-form scene: a detective interrogates a suspect and, when answers fall short, commands invisible enforcer Boris to apply pressure. The crime is never established beforehand — the suspect invents it in real time under interrogation.

Players

2

Difficulty

Beginner

Full description

Setup and Launch

Two performers: an interrogator and a suspect. Boris is an invisible, menacing thug who exists only through the interrogator's commands and the suspect's mimed reactions. The crime is never established beforehand — the whole point is that the suspect discovers and confesses it in real time.

The interrogator throws questions and sometimes completely unrelated elements at the suspect, who must incorporate everything and dig themselves deeper into trouble. When answers are too vague or not self-incriminating enough, the interrogator calls on Boris to apply pressure.

Safety agreement upfront: zero physical contact, all torture is played through mime, sound effects, and physical reaction only. No self-harm, no actual touching.

Flow

  1. Start the interrogation. The interrogator asks pointed questions — who, what, where, when, prove it. The suspect yes-ands every detail and builds the crime story on the fly, getting progressively more tangled in their own confession.

  2. Boris as pressure. When an answer is weak or evasive, the interrogator summons Boris and issues a command ("break their leg", "dunk them in ice water"). The suspect immediately mimes the effect and, crucially, adds new incriminating facts while reacting — the pain loosens the tongue. A strong move: let the suspect choose the torture themselves. When the suspect picks what Boris does to them, it's often funnier and keeps them in control of the physicality.

  3. Igor escalation. If tension sags, the interrogator calls in Boris's evil twin brother Igor (also invisible) for a second layer. Commands stay clear and safe. The coach watches the scene's breathing: after each hit, leave a beat for the suspect to verbalize new evidence before the next round.

  4. Closing. Drive toward a clear, definitive confession or a strong punchline where all the fabricated facts lock together. As a comic device, the suspect can also incriminate Boris himself — turning the enforcer into a witness or accomplice. The coach side-coaches on pacing and specificity ("shorter question", "name a fact", "connect it to the evidence") and edits the scene at peak laughter or after a full confession.

Key rules

  • Safety first: zero physical contact, all torture played through mime and reaction only; the coach stops any risky movement immediately.

  • The interrogator asks short, concrete questions and uses Boris as a pressure tool, not a story replacement; after each "hit", leave space for the suspect to verbalize new incriminating facts.

  • The suspect accepts everything and weaves each torture effect into self-incriminating statements; when stuck, lean on previously established details and escalate them into evidence.

  • Call Igor only to heighten when stakes have clearly dropped; don't stack endless commands — maintain the rhythm of hit, justification, fact.

  • End on a clear confession or a strong button; if the scene stalls, the coach prompts for specificity or calls the scene at its peak.

Context

🧺 Cart