Supporting Moves/ Edits

In short, supporting moves:

• Heighten the game

• Save or reframe a struggling scene

• Spotlight and clarify what’s funny

Think of them as gifts from the wings: small nudges that keep the engine of play humming.

Types of Supporting Moves

Sweeping

A clear walk across the stage that wipes the scene away and signals the start of a new one. Big and bold is better than subtle — the audience needs to know the scene has ended.

Tags

A player taps out one or more players to leave the scene, they then start a new scene with any remaining characters. Any remaining players stay as the same characters they were before. This is used to maintain certain characters but seeing them in a new context or with new characters.

Walk-ons

A character enters briefly to drop a line, action, or detail, then exits. The best walk-ons are short, purposeful, and don’t steal focus. E.g. a nurse rushing in with “You’ve got five minutes before surgery,” then gone.

Phone Calls

A voice or side character rings in. Useful for injecting outside pressure (the landlord, the boss, the angry pizza guy) or for naming the unusual out loud.

Scene Painting

Players offstage describe environment, sensory details, or mood to help the world come alive. Pro tip: don’t make eye contact with the performers — you’re painting, not entering.

Cut-tos

Quick edits that shift time, space, or perspective. Common flavours:

• Time jump: “Twenty years later…”

• Meanwhile: “Meanwhile, back at the palace…”

Keeps pacing sharp and stories playful rather than linear. Often said from a player off stage.

Sound Effects

From offstage or live foley. They can heighten absurdity, create atmosphere, or land a punchline. A squeaky door, a gunshot, or heavenly choir can transform a scene’s meaning instantly.

Canadian Cross

A walk across the stage while delivering a single line before disappearing. A sharp, efficient way to underline the game without derailing the scene.

Blackout / Line Edits

Cutting the lights or delivering a clear “button line” to end a scene on a high. Common in short-form formats.

Supporting moves are the unsung heroes of improv. Done well, they feel invisible — the audience remembers the funny scene, not the edit. Done poorly, they can trip everyone up. Mastery lies in timing, clarity, and generosity: edit for the scene, not yourself.