RESOURCES

http://www.childdrama.com/lessons.html
http://www.michellehenry.fr/theatre.htm#script
http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE.html

What Would You Do?

What Would You Do?
Introduction:

This is a fun game to play all by itself, but it can also be very useful for helping young actors learn to more fully inhabit their characters. It's incredibly simple on the surface, but it's not easy to do well.

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Play the Game:

One actor plays at a time. The others can take turns "narrating."

The player chooses a character. This can be the character he is playing in a current production, or a character from literature or life. (Be careful though--don't let students choose characters they will be tempted to lampoon.)

The "narrator" (it should be the instructor at least at first) begins to narrate in second person simple events in a person's daily life. Start simple. "You get up in the morning, and it's a beautiful day. You make breakfast."

The player simply follows the instructions, but he reacts in character.

The "narrator" may begin to add some surprises. "You're walking down the street when a man bumps into you."

The player must react to whatever happens IN CHARACTER. In most situations Hamlet would react very differently than, say, Benjamin Franklin.

Narrator continues the story, adding more and more extreme details. "You come upon a dead body. It's your mother." "It's floating in midair."

Play stops when the instructor feels it has gone as far as it can or should.

Discussion:

I find this game a great jumping-off point for a discussion of the difference between acting and "indicating." I am frequently asked, when explaining the game, "So, I'm supposed to figure out what my character would do in each situation, and then do it?" I reply, "Not exactly. I don't want you to HAVE to figure anything out. If you are truly inhabiting your character, you will simply react."

It's also a good way of looking at the concept of "playwriting" while acting or improvising. I'm sorry the term "playwriting" is used here, because as a playwright I object to the word's use in a pejorative sense, but in this case "playwriting" is a bad thing. It occurs when an actor consciously tries to push a story in a particular direction that is unnatural, rather than reacting naturally in character. Obviously in many improvisation settings, such as improv comedy, this can be a good thing, but for an actor in role it is dishonest. Because improv games are fun, I often have to remind people not to "try" to be funny when the point is to learn about character.

Circle of Characters

This is a complicated but really fun game I invented with my advanced 7th & 8th grade class. It works with older kids and adults as well, but I wouldn't try it with much younger. It probably also wouldn't work very well with groups of more than eight or ten, unless you split them up and had one group play while the other was "audience." What makes it difficult is that players must maintain a character in an improvisational setting while at the same time carefully observing others' characters.
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How to Play
Each person is given an index card (or any little slip of paper will do, as long as they are all pretty much the same) on which he or she writes the name of a famous person. (Alternatively, you could have them write the name of a literary figure, or the description of a made-up character--you can set any kind of limits or guidelines you like. I generally make them show me before passing each name--not because I think they'll write something "inappropriate," but because I think they'll name someone who won't be recognizable to the whole class. For instance, I have one student who seems to have spent all of his first ten years or so in front of the television, and is always naming obscure TV actors or MTV stars no one else knows.).
The leader collects the cards and redistributes them, so that no one receives his own. (Actually, to make the game work smoothly, it is necessary to do the distribution very carefully, but not to give away the method to the participants. I'll discuss that at the end.)
Each person reads the card given her and thinks about how to "become" that character.
The leader then names a scenario. For example: "A bunch of people are gathered together at a dinner party in honor of someone's birthday. They mingle for a while, and eventually all sit down to dine around this table here, which has precisely the right number of chairs." Or: The world is about to end, and these eight people are the only ones left alive. They have a spaceship which will carry them to another galaxy, but there is no guarantee that they will find a habitable planet there. They argue and go back and forth, but eventually decide to get in this rocket ship here, which has precisely the right number of seats, arranged in a circle, since it is a flying saucer." You can make up any scenario you want, but it must end with everyone sitting or standing in a circle. It works best if there is a prescribed physical place in the acting space for this circle, as in the examples above.
The object of the game is this: As the actors begin playing out the prescribed scenario improvisationally, each is also searching for the person who is playing the character he or she named. The idea is to end up sitting in a circle so that each person is sitting directly behind (or directly to the right of) the person who is doing that person's character. (This is why the cards must be distributed carefully.) The game is over once everyone is seated, and if the order is wrong at that point, then the team loses, so an actor who thinks someone else has made a mistake and is sitting in the wrong place must resist sitting herself until the problem has been resolved—but she must resist in character, and appropriately to the situation.
Once everyone is seated, everyone reveals their characters and it is clear whether the group has won or lost.
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Pointers
Distributing the cards: Clearly this must be done carefully, or you may end up with several small circles instead of one big one. I suppose you could create a scenario that would allow this, but as the circles might be as small as two people (what if Bob gets Betty's character and Betty gets Bob's?) it is probably easier just to cook the distribution so that you ensure one single circle. There are lots of ways to do this. Since I know everyone's handwriting, I can recognize whose card is whose, and I just make sure that whoever gets the first card, it is that person's card I hand out second, and whoever gets that card, I hand their card out third, etc. This works, but of course it won't work if I TELL the class I'm doing it, because then everyone will be able to figure out by watching me who gets their card--it's the person I come to right after them! Probably a better way would be to arrange the order ahead of time and make a list—something like "Bob get's Betty's, Betty gets Allen's, Allen gets Marigold's, Marigold gets Eunice's, Eunice gets Arvide's, Arvide gets Bob's." If you are working from such a list (and you should make a new one for each time you play the game) you can hand the cards out in random order and still be ensured of a circle. It doesn't really matter HOW you do it--the point is to make sure you don't get any closed loops inside the circle. I mention the above two methods of ensuring this for those who (like me) tend to be math-impaired.
Scenarios: Below are some suggested scenarios, in addition to the two above. You will think of others.

A group of people are at an amusement park, chatting while they wait for the carousel to stop. When it does, they each select an animal to ride and get on.
A group of people has just discovered a huge treasure chest filled with gold. They may quarrel over it. As it grows dark, they decide they must guard it against theft, and the only sure way is to sleep in a circle around the chest.
A group of people are on a jury together. They have just been sent into the jury room to deliberate. They discuss the case in a haphazard way until the foreman persuades them that they should all sit down at the table.

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Variations
As mentioned above, you can set any guidelines you like on the characters people may choose to write down. For example, in an English class you could have everyone write down a character from the current reading. In a History class you could have them choose historical figures you have been studying. An advanced acting class might be asked to write a single adjective or adverb--demented, loudly, frequently, etc.--which might generate some very interesting results, as well as pointing out how vague such words really are.

If you can trust your group not to be unnecessarily cruel, try this one: Have everyone write THEIR OWN NAME on their card. This way, you're looking for the person who is you! This can be extremely telling and fun for a group with the maturity to handle it!

Gibberish Sentences

Preparation
Before class, prepare some index cards--at least twice as many as there are students in your group--each with one simple sentence written on it.  These should be sentences that are fairly elementary and important--basic communications.  A complete list of the sentences in one of my decks of cards is at the bottom of this lesson.
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Play the Game
Students sit in a semi-circle.  One student volunteers to go to the front, and glances at the top card in the pile.  (Sometimes I manipulate the deck so that the most advanced students get the hardest sentences.)  The student's job is to communicate the precise meaning of the sentence as efficiently as possible without the use of spoken language.  (Sometimes I say without making any sound, but usually I allow sounds as long as they are not words.  The title of the game comes from the fact that I sometimes allow the students to speak "gibberish" as they gesture.)  The student must imagine that he or she is a stranger in a new country and does not speak a word of the language.
Students raise their hands and try to guess the meaning of the sentence.  I do not, of course, insist on exact words, but I am fairly picky about precise shades of meaning.  (For example, if the card says, "I like your new haircut," I do not allow "Is that a new haircut?"  but I do allow "Nice haircut!")  Depending on the success of the class and the sophistication of the particular sentence, I may coach and hint--"you're close!" etc.  After a minute or two if no one has guessed the student tells the class what his sentence was.  If this happens I always ask the class for suggestions for how the student could have made the meaning clear.
I play the game until everyone has had a turn, or until time up.
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Discussion
I don't ordinarily set aside time at the end of class for discussion, but I am constantly alert for the opportunity for analysis, discussion and critical thinking during the game.  If a student is successful only after a long time, or with a lot of elaborate pantomiming, I open up a discussion about what might have been a more efficient way to convey the meaning.  When someone comes up with a gesture that is a cliche--like the "check mark" in the air for "check, please!"--I applaud its efficiency but then discuss the way that gestures become universal clichés.  This game allows for lots of connections and thought.
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Sentences
Below are all the sentences from my deck of sentence cards  (in no particular order):
I have a toothache.
I like your new haircut.
Where is the exit?
That is a very beautiful hat.
I've missed my bus.
Please don't shout.
Are you my mother?
Is this your hat?
Who's in charge here?
May I take your order?
My feet hurt.
I can't find my shoes.
Does the train stop here?
Stop, in the name of the law.
I'm thirsty.
It looks like rain.
What a beautiful day!
We're going to be late.
This food is spoiled.
Get off my lawn!
My head hurts.
Where is the telephone?
Do you have a pen?
Leave me alone!
I'm cold.
I'm hungry.
My leg is broken.
Have you seen my dog?
You mustn't smoke in here!

Mr. HIT

Stand in a circle.  One person announces, "I am Mr. Hit!"  Mr. Hit begins walking directly (but slowly, at first) towards another person in the circle, with his hands out in front of him like a zombie.  If he touches (hits) the person, they are "out" and must leave the circle.  The only way the intended victim can stop Mr. Hit is to call out the name of another person in the circle before any contact is made.  No fair running away.
Once a name is called out, that person instantly becomes Mr. Hit and begins advancing on a victim.  (He doesn't have to announce that he is Mr. Hit after the first time.)  Again, the only way the victim can save himself is by calling out a name.
Continue play until all but two people have been eliminated.  It gets harder and harder, because as people are "out" the fund of names grows smaller.  You can't say the name of a person who is out--it must be someone who is still in the circle.  It sounds easy, but it isn't.  It is very difficult to think with Mr. Hit bearing down on you.
This is great, if frustrating, fun, and although, as I've said, I think it is great for any group, it is also hands down the most effective "name game" I know.  Something about the sheer panic you feel when Mr. Hit is coming at you and you can't think of a name to say really makes those names stick in your head.  Doesn't work with little kids.
Pointers Gradually move faster, but never really fast.  It's quite scary enough without that.
Some groups find that they have to change the name of the game to "Mr. Tap" to avoid injury.  You know your group best.  There's really no reason to do more than lightly touch the victim.

HITCHHIKER

This game combines improvisation with careful observation, and so makes a great rehearsal tool for serious improv performers who need to be able to see and imitate easily.  Plus it's lots of fun.

Set up four chairs to resemble the front and back seats of a car.

The first three people get in the car, leaving the rear passenger-side seat empty.

The three people in the car invent a scenario to explain their traveling together, and mime driving along, improvising a conversation, etc.

The next person in line enters the scene as a hitchhiker.  The hitchhiker must have a fairly clearly defined character.

The people in the car must stop to pick up the hitchhiker, but they improvise how politely they do it, etc., based on their characters.

Once the hitchhiker is in the car and a four-way conversation begun, everyone in the car begins to pick up the hitchhiker's personality and mannerisms.  (For instance, if the hitchhiker is paranoid, soon everyone is paranoid.  If the hitchhiker is drunk, soon everyone is drunk.  If the hitchhiker is excessively cheerful, soon everyone is, etc.)

Once everyone has fully taken on the new personality, the driver leaves the scene and everyone moves over one seat, so that the front passenger becomes the driver, the driver's-side rear passenger becomes the front passenger, etc.

Repeat with a new hitchhiker, who has a different personality.  (Until they have picked up the new person, the three in the car continue to play the first hitchhiker's personality.)

Pointers

If you feel the game has gone on long enough, just enter the scene yourself as a hitchhiker who is blind, or a small child, or something else guaranteed to cause a fatal accident once the driver catches it.

MURDER MYSTERY

Murder Mystery This one's complicated, but it can be really fun for an advanced group. I don't do this with my elementary students, but when I get a chance to play it with the folks in the performing troupe to which I belong, I just love it.   It's a little like a cross between the board game "Clue," the kids' game "Whisper Down the Lane," and the parlor game "Charades."  Central to the game is the idea that there has been a murder, and the task is to discover Who was murdered, Where they were murdered, and How they were killed.  (Think, "A noun is a person, place, or thing.")  The order is important, as you will see.
The group divides into two teams.  Team A leaves the room, and Team B brainstorms a person, place and thing.  (For example, Shirley Temple, in Burger King, with a butter churn.)
The first person from Team A enters, and Team B tells her the three things.
The second person from Team A enters.
The first person must communicate all three items without speaking.  The twist is that the second person can't speak either, so there is no way for the first person to be sure she has communicated successfully.  The second person may indicate through sounds, humming or gestures that he does or does not understand--he may even try to "restate" an item in a different way to be sure he has it, but no language of any kind is permitted.
When the second person thinks he has all three items, the next person enters, and the message is passed on in the same way.
When the last person in Group A thinks she has figured out the three items, she announces her conclusion--which is almost never identical to the original information.
The teams switch roles and the process is repeated.
Pointers It is a good idea to establish at least a little bit of "Charades Code" to start with.  For example, holding up one, two, or three fingers can indicate which of the items--person, place or thing--is being performed at a given time.  Usually the three items are enacted one at a time.  It is not necessary to act out the actual crime.  (In the example, you might hum "The Good Ship Lollipop" and mime curly hair for Shirley Temple, eat a pretend hamburger after indicating a crown for Burger King, and then mime churning butter.  It is not necessary to mime clubbing poor Shirley with the churn--and in fact it will probably confuse the issue by making the "churn" look less like a churn.)
Music (hummed but not, of course, sung) can be extremely useful here.  I once saw a person act "Tinkerbell" by  three bars of the opening music from The Wonderful World of Disney and tapping an imaginary wand.  The person receiving understood instantly.  Commercial themes, television show themes, pop music--all are easily recognized and convey much.
If a group is good at the game, they will start deliberately choosing combinations of items that will be hard to guess, but at first a leader might want to veto items that are too obscure.  (Of course, half the fun of the game is that people get off on the wrong track, and since half of the group is always "audience" they are able to watch as the train comes derailed.)
It is very difficult for players familiar with charades to understand that not only the "giver" but the "receiver" as well must not speak.  Be sure to stress this.  You cannot, as in charades, verbalize your guesses so as to help the actor know how he's doing.

PINOCCHIO

Pinocchio This is a really great way to start a rehearsal on a physical high.  It is a physical warmup/stretching exercise with dramatic content to keep it focused.  It is named after the wooden puppet.  (Sometimes at Christmas I do this with my young students and call it The Nutcracker.  I suppose Pygmalion would work too.)  It consists basically of a narrative pantomime of the wooden puppet SLOWLY coming to life.   What follows is approximately what I say.  (This one I did create.)

Right now you're made completely of wood.  Your arms and legs are carved from a single piece of wood.  You can't move any part of yourself at all.
Now the magic spell has begun.  It begins at the top of your head.  The spell moves down slowly until your head down to your eyebrows is flesh and blood.  Try and move your eyebrows.
The spell keeps moving down.  Now you can move your eyes!  All your life you've been staring straight ahead, and now you can look to the sides.
The spell gets to your ears and your nose.  See if you can wiggle them.
The spell gets to your mouth.  You can smile.  It feels strange at first, and probably looks pretty strange too, but you grow more comfortable with it.  Try some other facial expressions as well.
Slowly you discover that you can turn your head.  Careful!  You can look up and down carefully as well.  Look!  You have feet!  This is the first time you were ever sure.
The spell reaches your shoulders.  But remember, your arms and hands are still attached to your torso, since you are carved from a single piece of wood, so you can move ONLY your shoulders.  Try some circles.  Do you feel a tingle up and down your spine?  That's the magic working.
The spell reaches your chest.  You can puff it out like a soldier.
Your elbows can move now, but still not your hands.  As the spell goes lower, see if you can pull your left hand away from your body.  Ooofff!  You did it.
Bring your hand up to your face and study it.  See if you can move the fingers.  Wow!  You've never seen anything so beautiful!
See if you can get your right hand free as well.  Does it move too?
The spell has reached your waist.  Carefully bend forward, to the side.  See if you bend backwards.  See if you can make a circle.
The spell reaches your hips, but your knees are still locked together and your feet are still attached to your pedestal.
The spell gets to your knees.  See if they bend!
Reach down and see if you can pull your left foot free.  Ooofff!  Point the toe.  Flex the foot.  Make little circles.
Now see if you can get your right foot free.
You're all real now!  See how you can move.  Careful at first--these are your first steps!  Let's find all the ways our new bodies move!

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