Hard Sentences
Sixteen scene partners, each playing a different kind of listener. Read a card, or jump to the sentence board and start with the line you cannot say.
Order the cast
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Keisha, 46Bar manager
The sentence: 'I have a bad opener ready and a better one if you want it.'
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Tova, 39Improv troupe owner
The sentence: 'You looked like you were having a better evening than the room, so I came over.'
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Ines, 38Acting coach
The sentence: 'I want you to stay.'
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Delfina, 42Hospice volunteer coordinator
The sentence: 'I have been quiet because I do not know how to say this.'
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Fatuma, 25Workplace-skills trainer
The sentence: 'No, thank you. I had a lovely time, and no.'
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Odette, 50HR veteran
The sentence: 'I want this to stay private, and I want it to be fun.'
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Amparo, 48Crisis-line trainer
The sentence: 'I am hiding, and I would like to stop.'
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Eleni, 27Sommelier
The sentence: 'I like it when you take your time with me.'
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Sunita, 36Divorce lawyer
The sentence: 'I am not looking for what you are looking for, and I would rather you heard that now.'
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Nkechi, 29Stand-up comedian
The sentence: 'I rehearsed this in the mirror and the mirror left.'
Hard Sentences
Sixteen sentences people find hard, each with a tip from the woman who plays the other side. Filter by the kind of moment and by the sort of listener, then take one: her chat opens with the sentence as your first move. It is all written, and nothing on this board is medical.
Hearing no · FirmThe sentence: 'Thank you for telling me. I will not ask again tonight.'Her tip: Say the second half slower than the first. It is the half that proves you heard.Her cue: I am going to say no. Take it, breathe twice, then answer.Marguerite Dube Rehearse it
Starting a conversation · FunnyThe sentence: 'You looked like you were having a better evening than the room, so I came over.'Her tip: Say yes to whatever she says next, and add one thing of your own.Her cue: Go. I am someone at a party who has not decided about you.Tova Rosen Rehearse it
Opening line · FunnyThe sentence: 'I have a bad opener ready and a better one if you want it.'Her tip: Offer her a choice. People relax when the first sentence has a door in it.Her cue: I have heard the bad one. Try the better one.Keisha Banfield Rehearse it
Saying what you want · FirmThe sentence: 'I would like to kiss you, if you would like that too.'Her tip: Say it to her face and stop talking when the question lands.Her cue: Again. This time mean it, and wait.Linnea Berg Rehearse it
Saying what you want · DryThe sentence: 'I want this to stay private, and I want it to be fun.'Her tip: Name the rule and the want in one breath. They will not argue.Her cue: Nothing said in this room goes anywhere. Begin.Odette Gagnon Rehearse it
Hard honesty · FirmThe sentence: 'I am not looking for what you are looking for, and I would rather you heard that now.'Her tip: Say it before dinner, not after. Honesty is cheaper early.Her cue: Pretend I have already ordered. Say it anyway.Sunita Castellano Rehearse it
Saying what you want · DryThe sentence: 'I like it when you take your time with me.'Her tip: Be specific. 'Slowly' is a better word than 'nice'.Her cue: Vague is for the label. Say it again, with one detail.Eleni Karras Rehearse it
Hard honesty · KindThe sentence: 'I have been quiet because I do not know how to say this.'Her tip: You may begin with the difficulty. A pause is easier to hear than a performance.Her cue: I will not rush you. Take as long as the silence needs.Delfina Arroyo Rehearse it
Opening line · DryThe sentence: 'I would like to take you out on Friday. Yes or no is fine.'Her tip: Give them a clear route and a clear exit. Mirror, signal, then say it.Her cue: I am at the junction. You may proceed.Jo Pellegrino Rehearse it
Asking again · KindThe sentence: 'I said no last time. I have changed my mind, and I wanted you to hear it first.'Her tip: Own the earlier answer. Do not rewrite it.Her cue: I have seen everyone at their hopeful best. Go on.Truus Voorhees Rehearse it
Flirting · FunnyThe sentence: 'I rehearsed this in the mirror and the mirror left.'Her tip: Say the joke, then say the true thing straight after. The laugh is the runway.Her cue: Land it. If it dies, we do it again.Nkechi Obi Rehearse it
Hard honesty · FunnyThe sentence: 'The question I keep asking is not the question I mean.'Her tip: Write the real question first, then say it aloud. It is shorter than you fear.Her cue: Dear you: say what is underneath that sentence.Margo Ellison Rehearse it
Saying what you want · KindThe sentence: 'I want you to stay.'Her tip: Say it smaller. The smaller it is, the truer it lands.Her cue: Again, but smaller.Ines Duarte Rehearse it
Hearing no · KindThe sentence: 'No, thank you. I had a lovely time, and no.'Her tip: Practise the refusal until it takes a breath instead of an apology.Her cue: Ten times, out loud. The tenth is the easy one.Fatuma Hassan Rehearse it
Reading a room · KindThe sentence: 'You said you were fine, but your hands did not.'Her tip: Say what you noticed, not what you decided it means.Her cue: Describe me. Show me what you saw before I spoke.Rhiannon Hatanaka Rehearse it
Hard honesty · FirmThe sentence: 'I am hiding, and I would like to stop.'Her tip: Say the hiding out loud and the room gets bigger.Her cue: I will tell you if you are hiding. Go on.Amparo Hurtado Rehearse it
