presents
200 Acting Improvisation
Scenarios for Drama Class
created by Lisa Frase
2021 Lisa Frase
All Rights Reserved.
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Terms of Use: This teaching resource is for classroom and
homeschool use only by the purchaser. You may make
copies for your students to use in your classroom, including
online classes. Do not share print or digital copies of this
resource with other teachers without express written
permission from Lisa Frase.
Do not store online electronically for public access. This
includes school and district servers. Do not upload to any
website, including your own site, school or district website,
or a third-party site that is public or unsecure privately.
Please respect copyright laws by referring interested
colleagues to www.insightliteracy.com (TPT) to purchase
their own copies of this resource to use in their classroom.
Clipart & Image Credits: SCRAPPINDOODLES, DIGI WEB STUDIOS, FOTOLIA, GRAPHIC STOCK & GRAPHICS
FACTORY
Acting improvisations helps student actors think and act on their feet, try out
different emotions and characters, and improve their off the cuff acting
abilities. Improv acting can often be hilarious and fun, but it’s perfectly
acceptable to encourage dramatic, tense scenes as well; after all, not all
productions or scenes are humorous in nature. Actors should also try to find
ways to give their scenes a twist at the end.
How to Use this Resource: Copy the prompts onto cardstock, cut them out,
and place the scenarios into a box. Let students draw their improvisation
scenario card for a fun theatre arts session. Give students one minute to read
and discuss their scene before acting out the scenario. Students must act out
their scene by reacting to each other's words, actions, and emotions. The
scenarios in this packet are written for partner improvisation.
Bonus: At the end of this resource is a printable label for your theater
improvisation box or bag. Print on cardstock, cut out the label, laminate, and
attach with double-sided tape; or print on sticker paper and cut. Three sizes:
3 x 5, 4 x 6, and 5 x 7.
Acting is
behaving truthfully
under imaginary
circumstances.
~Sanford Meisner
Insight Literacy.com ©2021 Lisa Frase
A teenager is
confronted by their
parent after they
return home past
curfew.
One friend is
moving. They are
saying goodbye.
A teacher catches a
student cheating on
a test.
A kid’s doll comes
to life and gets into
mischief.
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Two siblings argue
over borrowed
something one
borrowed without
asking.
One kid tries to
convince another
kid to skip school.
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One person
constantly shadows
another person (to
their annoyance).
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Two strangers are
stuck on an elevator
together.
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A student tells
their teacher a wild
story about how
they lost their
homework.
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A driver tries to
convince a police
officer to not give
them a speeding
ticket.
A store clerk
accuses an innocent
person of
shoplifting.
A child tries to
convince their
parent to buy an
expensive toy.
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A shopper
confronts another
shopper for cutting
in line.
One neighbor
confronts another
neighbor about
their barking dog.
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A friend discovers
that their best
friend lied to them.
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Two friends split a
winning lottery ticket,
but one holds out the
other’s share of
money.
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A friend comforts
another friend after
hearing bad news.
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Two shoppers try
to buy the last hot
item on sale in a
store.
Two people
confront their past
history on a
national TV talk
show.
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Two friends
who’ve been
fighting show up
at the same party.
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A burglar is
caught in the act
by the
homeowner.
A victim tries to
convince a thief to
give back their
phone.
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A robber holds up
a cashier at a gas
station.
A waiter (or
waitress) gets mad
at a rude customer
in a restaurant.
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A customer
complains about
poor service to a
manager.
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A kid gets caught
trying to sneak into
the movies by the
manager of the
theatre.
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A bad singer
auditions for a talent
show, but the judge
can’t get the singer to
leave the stage.
One teacher
confronts another
teacher in the
hallway.
A bully tries to get
a kid to hand over
their lunch money,
but the kid refuses.
An editor gives a
writer a bad
critique of their
writing.
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A salesperson tries
to convince a
customer to buy a
useless widget.
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Two scouts get lost
in the woods after
they leave the main
hiking trail.
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A doctor with a
bad bedside
manner gives a
patient bad news.
A parent confronts
their kid for
stealing.
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A person buys the
next person in
line a cup of
coffee.
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Two people find a
magical talking
toy.
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One person tries
to get the other
person to talk.
One person tries
to convince the
other that Santa
Claus is real.
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One person won’t
stop talking and let
the other person get
in a word.
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A sports player
gets into an
argument with a
referee.
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One person tries
to talk another
person into
leaving.
One person tries
to talk another
person into
staying.
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Two people find
themselves trapped
in a time warp
during Medieval
Times.
Two people who
can’t agree on
anything are stuck
in a car together on
a road trip.
Two old friends
run into each other
after years of being
separated.
Two strangers
meet when they are
locked out of their
apartment building.
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A customer is
annoyed when a
checker is extremely
slow ringing up their
sale.
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An angry customer
cannot get a store
clerk to respond or
help.
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A customer drives
a store clerk crazy.
Two employees
argue over who
should get employee
of the month.
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A salesperson tries
to sell a customer
everything except
what the customer
wants.
A parent confronts
a teacher about a
bad grade given to
their child.
A dance teacher
tries to teach a
terrible dancer the
choreography.
Two siblings argue
over where they
should go for their
family vacation.
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A customer and a
salesperson haggle
over the price of a
used car.
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A telemarketer
keeps calling
someone repeatedly.
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A credit collector
harasses a person
who owes a debt.
A police officer
questions a kid who
is running the
streets late at night.
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Two people argue
over whether a
teenager should be
allowed to date or
not.
Two people try to
sit down in the
same seat on the
bus.
A passenger gives
a flight attendant
on a plane a hard
time.
Two tourists fight
over a spot for
taking the best
pictures.
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Two children in a
daycare fight over a
toy.
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A magician turns a
person into a dog
by accident.
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A student tries to
get a teacher’s
attention on the first
day of school by
acting bad.
An army recruiter
tries to convince a
young person to
join the service.
A manager
interviews a strange
person for a job.
A protester tries to
stop a shopper from
going into their
favorite store.
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Two marionette
puppets come to life
after a toy store
closes at night.
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A patient tries to
convince a nurse to
let him sneak out of
the hospital.
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A lawyer tries to
convince a judge to
let him introduce
evidence in a
criminal case.
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Two old friends
who had a falling
out face each other
for the first time in
years.
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One person can’t
stop crying and the
other person can’t
stop laughing.
Two former
classmates reunite
years later.
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An actor tries to
convince a casting
director to give
them a role in an
upcoming movie.
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A movie star is
interviewed by a
tough reporter.
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A politician is
caught off guard by
an upset citizen.
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Two people who
dislike each other
are trapped together
in a cave in the
middle of nowhere.
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A clerk recognizes
a famous movie star
who is trying to
secretly shop in a
store.
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A politician is
caught lying by a
reporter on live
TV.
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A parent and
child argue over a
messy bedroom.
Two strangers
meet on a park
bench.
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A heckler keeps
interrupting a
politician’s speech.
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A boss tries to fire
an employee who
refuses to accept
being fired.
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Two people are
supposed to meet
strangers at a
restaurant but meet
each other instead.
A teenager tries to
convince a parent
to let them stay the
weekend alone.
A parent comes
home to find their
teenager throwing a
wild party.
A student
magically controls
the actions of a
teacher.
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One kid teases
another kid about
their clothes.
Two strangers
sitting next to each
on a plane annoy
each other.
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Two people argue
without speaking to
one another.
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One person tries to
convince another
person to do
something stupid.
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Two campers try to
sneak out of their
cabin late at night.
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A new employee
spills punch on
their boss at the
office party.
A pair of twins meet
each other for the
first time, except
they don’t know that
their related.
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Two people with
different ideas try
to plan a birthday
party for a friend.
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One movie goer
won’t stop
interrupting
the movie to the
annoyance of another.
A nurse deals
with a patient
terrified of
needles.
A person tries to
convince their boss
to give them a raise.
Two strangers
keep meeting in
unexpected
places.
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Two store
employees figure
out the manager is
a shoplifter.
A suspected thief
must convince a
police officer that
they are innocent.
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A manager
accuses a store
employee of
shoplifting.
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Two people write
letters to each other
over time going back
and forth telling
their story.
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One person is a
happy morning
person and the
other is a grump.
Two people have
the same dream
and tell each other
about it.
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A customer is
extremely unhappy
with their haircut at
a beauty salon.
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Two cooks in a
restaurant kitchen
collide while
competing for a job.
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A principal
confronts a teacher
in front of the class.
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A wedding planner
tries to convince a
nervous (bride or
groom) to go down
the aisle.
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Two astronauts
are launched into
space by accident
during a test
launch.
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Two siblings face
each other on
opposite sides of a
war.
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Two friends run
for the same
student council
office.
A bumbling
(waiter or
waitress)
frustrates a diner.
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Two politicians
debate over a key
campaign issue.
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Two lawyers
debate over a
criminal case.
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Two FBI agents
must defuse a bomb
before it goes off.
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Two salespeople
compete for the
same customer.
Two people are
trapped on a
sinking ship.
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Two runners cross
the finish line at the
exact same
moment.
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Two people get
into a car wreck
and argue about
who is at fault.
The sun and the
moon argue over
whether it’s day or
night.
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A subject must
convince the king
(or queen) to spare
their life.
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A good Samaritan
tries to help a
homeless person.
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One famous
musician interrupts
another famous
musician on stage.
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Two criminals meet
in secret to discuss
how they are going
to keep from getting
caught.
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A musician and
producer conflict
over the recording
of a song.
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A king (or queen)
commands their
princess (or prince)
to marry someone
they despise.
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A good magician
and an evil
magician must
work together to
stop a common foe.
A person confronts
an author who used
their likeness and
life in a fiction
book.
A writer pitches
an editor with a
bizarre book idea.
Two runners cross
the finish line at
the exact same
moment.
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An art dealer tries
to cheat a seller out
of a piece of
expensive artwork.
A news reporter
interviews a very
strange person on
live TV.
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A used car
salesperson and a
buyer conflict over
the price.
Two retail sales
clerks argue over
who gets the sale.
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A bus driver must
deal with a
misbehaving
student on the bus.
A coach and
ballplayer argue
over the coaching
directions.
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A nurse disagrees
with a doctor over a
diagnosis.
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Two of Santa’s
elves accidentally
break Santa’s
workshop.
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A cat won’t leave
its’ owner alone.
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Two roommates
cannot get along.
One employee
discovers that
another employees
is cooking the
books.
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Two siblings who
share a room
cannot get along.
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A contractor and
an architect do not
agree over the
building plans.
A kid tries to
convince their
parent to keep a
stray dog.
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Two friends enter
a haunted house
and see a ghost.
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A babysitter tries
to convince their
charge to go to bed,
but the child is
afraid of monsters.
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A movie star can’t
shake a fanatic fan.
A talk show host
must deal with a
nutty guest on live
TV.
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A movie star
can’t shake a
member of the
paparazzi.
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Two strangers
meet at their
father’s funeral and
discover that they
are siblings.
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An employer
interviews an
extremely unqualified
but determined
candidate.
A sergeant must
talk a soldier into
battle.
Two students are
taking a test. One is
making annoying
noises.
One test taker is
trying to cheat
from another test
taker.
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A teacher bothers
a student while
they concentrate
on their test.
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Two people
rivaling for the
affections of
another are locked
in a room together.
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Two advertising
agents must
produce an ad
campaign but can’t
agree on any ideas.
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One competitor on
a reality TV show
must convince the
other to give them
their vote.
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A waiter (or
waitress) must train
an incompetent
new employee.
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Two friends
reveal life
changing secrets
to one another.
Two salespersons
must convince each
other that they have
the superior
product.
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A friend breaks
off an old
friendship.
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Two people meet
at a party and
become instant
best friends.
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A student playing
hooky from school
runs into the
school’s truant
officer.
Two people win the
same prize but
must choose
between themselves
which one gets it.
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A ghost visits a
person and shows
them their future.
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Two ghosts fight
over which one has
the right to haunt a
house.
A person confronts
a friend who told
their personal
secrets to everyone.
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Two old friends
who had a falling
out must work
together to save
another friend.
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Two actors are on
stage. One keeps
flubbing their lines.
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An airline passenger
who is running late
for their flight can’t
get past a security
agent.
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Two judges must
agree on the final
contestants for a
beauty pageant.
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Two people are
stranded on a
deserted island after
their boat crashes
onto the shore.
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A passenger gets in
the car with a crazy
and dangerous Taxi
driver.
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Two people who
don’t get along
must escape from a
kidnapper.
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Two dancers on
stage keep getting
in each others way
trying to steal the
spotlight.
Two old childhood
friends meet for the
first time in years,
but now they are
both grandparents.
Two senior
citizens behave
like children in
public.
A person visits a
fortune teller at a
carnival.
A podcaster can’t
keep their
interviewee on
topic.
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A manager tries to
convince a stubborn
musician that they
must perform at a
booked concert.
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Two roommates
argue over a messy
apartment.
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Two people are
stuck at the top of a
Ferris wheel for
hours.
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Two market sellers
selling the same
goods try to outsell
each other.
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A director loses
their temper with a
self-absorbed actor.
Two people
commiserate over
which one had the
worse breakup
experience.
A person must
convince a dragon to
not eat them after they
accidentally fell into
the dragon’s lair.
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A writer and editor
argue over a change
in the writer’s
manuscript.
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A townsperson
argues with the
mayor over a
proposed change in
a local law.
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A librarian is
unhappy with a
noisy visitor.
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An audience
member
continuously
disrupts the speaker.
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A grocery store
clerk is super slow
checking out a
customer who’s in a
hurry.
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A customer is
unhappy with their
haircut and demands
a refund from the
hairdresser.
A screenwriter
relentlessly pitches
a director with a
terrible movie idea.
One person tries
to convince a
skeptic that they
were abducted by
aliens.
A movie star
confronts a critic
who gave a bad
review.
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A chef confronts a
customer who sent
their plate back to
the kitchen.
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A firefighter tries
to rescue a victim
who refuses to leave
a burning building.
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3X5
4X6
5X7