https://improwiki.com/en/wiki/improv/status
In improvisational theater, "status" refers to the power difference in the relationship between two characters. A character in a high status behaves dominantly towards a character in a lower status. A character of low status is subordinate to the higher-status character, accommodating his or her actions to the other's cues. The current status the characters have between one another is recognizable in the body language, actions, and manner of speaking of the actors.
Keith Johnstone understands status as something one does, independent of the social status one has. Social status represents one's rank in a social order. At the upper end are secular and spiritual leaders (kings, priests), at the bottom end, dependents and outcasts. Social rank is approximately demonstrated through offices, titles, awards, and status symbols. Johnstone's "status", on the other hand, comes from the behavior of the characters in a specific encounter. He stresses that there is no neutral status; rather, some sort of difference is always present. A good actor is always conscious of the relative status of the portrayed characters and can playfully vary it.
Generally, it is sensible to play characters with different statuses, because this enlivens the action and also offers the chance for changes. Some games place status in the foreground; for example, the classic "status swap", the "status chain", and the "guess the status".