Short-form games

Sit, Stand, Lie Down

Three players perform a scene in which one must always be sitting, one standing and one lying down.

Short-form games · 3 players · 6–8 minutes

Also known as: Sit Stand Bend, Sit Stand Kneel

How to run it

1. Three players begin a scene, each in one of the three positions.
2. At every moment, exactly one player must be in each position.
3. When any player changes position, the others must adjust immediately to restore the arrangement.
4. Every change must be justified by the scene rather than by the rule.
5. Run for a few minutes and end on a change that resolves the story.

What it teaches

Physical awareness and justification under a mechanical constraint.

Coaching notes

The variant using "bend" or "kneel" instead of lying down works better on stages without much floor. Insist on justification — unmotivated position changes are the tell of a group serving the rule rather than the scene.

Related reading: short form, base reality.

See it played

We do not link individual videos we have not watched end to end, so this is a search rather than a recommendation: Sit, Stand, Lie Down on YouTube. Quality varies enormously — prefer recordings from working theatres over tutorial channels.