Endowments-Repair Shop

Synonyms

CSR Hell.

Introduction

One performer will be asked to leave the stage to a place where they cannot hear what is going on. The performer will be a customer bringing in something to be repaired. The object (any noun) is malfunctioning in an unusual way (activity) and it must be shipped to some location for repair. The repair shop owner must get the customer to say all three elements to achieve a value added customer retaining interaction.

Description

Repair Shop is a very common version of the endowment game. It is included here to avoid nasty emails.

The host must execute excellent audience control to set this handle up properly. The host must make sure that the performer cannot hear the audience suggestions and that the audience believes this as well. For newer performers it is important that the host stick handle offers that are concrete and understandable. For example, subway car versus a black hole or juggling versus writhing with angst. For experienced improvisers zany offers are fair game.

The next step in audience education varies from house to house. They are encouraged to make collective “oohs and aahs” when the performer is close but not correct. They are encouraged to make game buzzer fail noises (“zzzzzzz”) when the performer is drifting away from the goal. And success is met with cries of joy. Depending on how experienced your audience is this may require some practice.

After this seemingly endless set up the customer walks into the repair shop looking to exercise the warranty on  a recent purchase. There is NO reason to ditch narrative with this handle. In fact, the thing works best if the customer strikes up a detailed narrative of something going wrong with something. 

While the primary contact person will be the repair shop owner other performers can drop in as customers or other staff

Shipping Location: back of a taxi. Object: bucket. Malfunction: it is made of kryptonite

• Repair Shop Owner, “I am sorry we can’t fix a kryptonite bucket here. You have to take is somewhere else.”
• Customer, “I used my bicycle to get here.”
• Audience, “oooh.”
• Repair Shop, “Riding in this city is too dangerous I don’t recommend it.”
• Customer, “Good point I will use an Uber.
• Audience, “OOOOOH!”
• Customer, “My Uber driver was a Kryptonian and my bucket would make ‘em sick so I hailed a cab.”
• Audience. “woot woot woot”
• Repair Shop, “Super people drive Ubers around here but humans don’t drive cabs. They drive…”
• Customer, “I meant a taxi. I’ll sit in the front and fix my bucket with the taxi driver.”
• Audience. “incomprehensible noise laughter”
• Repair Shop. “Can’t have Kryptonite near a windshield.”
• Audience interrupts with sniggering realising how exactly the Customer must say the endowment.
• Customer, “Correct. I’ll put my kryptonite bucket in the trunk.”
• Audience laughter.
• Host intercedes. Asking audience if that is close enough, they clearly say No.
• Repair Shop, “Good idea to put the kryptonite bucket all the way at the BACK of the taxi”
• Customer, “Okay so I will ship this to the back of a taxi?”
• Audience “woot woot”

This process continues until the show ends or the customer is satisfied with the repair of their product. If the performer is just not getting it more and more obvious hints should be given. Failing with grace and laughter is a key element of this handle. Performers should not show anxiety or stress by playing the game to win. Bewilderment, confusion, and wild risk-taking guesses should be employed, but fear and frustration will negatively impact the audience.

Gimmicks

• Do you really need anything gimmickier?

Variations

• Home Late – Performer is interrogated by parents coming home late doing something (benign activity), somewhere with someone.
• Epic Quest – Performer is on a quest for something, something to complete some activity. Hints given by characters met on the quest.
• Santa Clues – Performer is greedy child trying to get Santa to guess what the child wants, where and how delivered. Elves may help.
• Santa Clause – Reverse of Santa Clues where Santa and elves get the child to guess what they want, where and how delivered.
• Job Interview. – Performer must determine who they are, what the job and what the tool is. Job interview and helpers give clues.
• Confessional – Performer has committed a sin (not a real sin), somewhere with something.
• Technical Support – Performer does not know what is wrong, with their what or how to fix it.
• Impatient Patient – Patient does not know what they were doing with what or how they got to the clinic.
• Getting the idea. There are an endless supply of endowment games.

Credits

Too many to mention.