This exercise requires a group of at least three or more improvisers. A suggestion will be thrown out by one of the improvisers. Someone else in the group will be inspired to step out and tell a monologue inspired by this suggestion. After the monologue, discuss all of the comedic ideas you heard as a group. One way to recognize interesting or comedic ideas is to listen to what made your group laugh. You should also be listening for what was the essential “point” or “reason” for the story. (This can often be described as the “one-line” version of this monologue.) In addition to this central, core idea, there will often be many great details that are interesting in and of themselves, which will also be great fodder for scenes. Next, go through the comedic ideas one by one and take turns offering scene initiations that attempt to frame the idea in the context of a scene. Use this process: Take the comedic idea and imagine a scene that could come from this idea. Then, try to imagine what the first line of this scene would be. Offer this as your initiation.
As a group, discuss which initiations were most successful in clearly communicating the comedic idea you want to explore and an implied base reality.
You can add another layer to this exercise by pairing up after discussing the comedic ideas as a group. One improviser will initiate using a comedic idea from the monologue identified by the group. The second improviser will then attempt to respond to this initiation in a way that takes the scene in the direction intended by the initiator.