What Is The Soapstone News Show?
The Soapstone News Show is our take on the classic press conference game. One player gets brought on stage for a breaking news interview — but they have no idea what they're being interviewed about. The reporters (other players or the one of the hosts) ask increasingly specific questions, dropping hints without giving the answer away, and the interviewee has to piece together what they supposedly did based on the clues. They can guess at any time, and the game ends when they figure it out or the host puts them out of their misery.
It's part guessing game, part character work, and part watching someone try to confidently answer questions about something they know absolutely nothing about — which, come to think of it, is just a regular press conference.
How It Works at Sunday Improv
- One player is chosen as the interviewee — they mute the host or turn off their volume while the host tells everyone else the scenario
- The interviewee comes back on stage and the interview begins — treated like a cable news segment where they need to "answer for themselves"
- The reporters ask hint-filled questions — starting vague and getting more specific as the game goes on
- The interviewee answers as best they can, playing along with whatever they think is happening
- The interviewee can guess at any time — if they're stuck, the host can drop bigger hints or call it and reveal the answer
The funniest part is watching someone confidently defend something they haven't figured out yet. "They think I'm awesome" hits different when you don't know what you're awesome for.
Tips for Reporters
- Start vague, then narrow in. Your first questions should be broad enough that the interviewee can't guess right away — "How do you think your friends feel about what you did?" gives them almost nothing to work with, and that's the point.
- Hint through reactions, not facts. Instead of asking a question that basically contains the answer, react to what the interviewee says and steer them with follow-ups. If they say something that accidentally lines up with the scenario, lean into it.
- Don't give it away. The temptation to ask an obvious question grows as the game goes on. Resist it. The comedy lives in the gap between what the reporters know and what the interviewee is guessing.
- Play your character. You're a reporter on a news show. Be dramatic. Be outraged. Be sympathetic. The more you commit to the journalist bit, the funnier the interview gets.
Tips for the Interviewee
- Commit to your answers. You don't know what you did, but you did it and you're not sorry. Confidence is everything — own whatever version of events you're building in your head. Or maybe you are really sorry, it's up to you!
- Listen for patterns. The reporters are giving you clues whether they mean to or not. If multiple questions reference the same thing — candles, crying guests, frosting — start connecting the dots.
- Don't guess too early. Let the clues build. A wrong guess early can make it harder to recover, and the game is funnier the longer you're confidently wrong.
- Roll with whatever lands. If you say something that gets a huge reaction from the reporters, you're probably close to something. Follow that thread. Since everyone (but you) is in on the joke, the reactions can be telling.
Example Scenarios
The host picks a scenario before the game starts and shares it with the reporters while the interviewee can't here them. Here are some that we've done before: a vegan influencer caught running an underground steakhouse, Gordon Ramsay declaring he's running for president on a platform of mandatory cooking classes, the Pope launching a line of streetwear and sneakers, or a child who ate an entire birthday cake — candles and all — at someone else's party.
The best scenarios have lots of angles for the reporters to hint at without giving the whole thing away in one question.
Why It's Worth the Challenge
The Soapstone News Show is probably the trickiest game in the rotation — it asks a lot from both sides. The reporters have to be clever enough to hint without revealing, and the interviewee has to stay engaged and confident while essentially flying blind. But when it clicks, it's magic. The slow build from total confusion to sudden realization is one of the most satisfying moments in any improv game, and the audience gets to watch the whole journey knowing the answer the entire time.
Want to try it live? Join us every Sunday at 3 PM EST at Soapstone NYC in Meta Horizon Worlds. It's free, it's 18+, and The Soapstone News Show makes an appearance when the hosts are feeling bold.