The Joy of alcohol in the house....

Background:  Many improv games require getting one or more suggestions from the audience.  Some troupes refers to these as "ask-fors" rather than "suggestions".  In the game "Emotional Option" (also called Emo Spot by many troupes), the basic plotline continues as a "caller" on the side yells out suggested emotions to the players.  The new emotion overtakes their characters and thus the plot.

Never underestimate the power of alcohol.  

During a round of "Emotional Option", we were going full guns.  The audience was shouting out great emotions, the players were nailing the scene dead on and all was well.  That is, until there was a small silence during the 5^th request for an emotion.  

A gentleman who had imbided more than the legal limit shouted out 'Chair!' as his suggestion for an emotion.  After a quick, "Close, but no cigar, how about another emotion." we continued on with the game.  

The next week as the emcee for the show was explaining how ask-fors work: 

"I might ask for a location and you can shout one out."  He recounted the story of the previous week.  "Or I could ask you for an emotion, and in case your wondering, 'chair' is not an emotion.  Don't laugh it happened last week!"  

To start the crowd out, he asked for a noun.  The crowd in unison responded with a bellowed "CHAIR."  That was in 1996.  Ever since then the first thing we ask for is a noun and enough regulars have trained new comers so that the answer is always "CHAIR".

Paul Simmons, Einstein Simplified

Knoxville, TN USA