Drama Sensory Series: Storytelling Inspired by Taste and Smell
This month, we’re going to be using the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch) as the basis for exercises and theatre games. This week, we’re looking at exercises inspired by taste and smell. Bringing actual food and scents into the drama classroom may not be feasible due to safe food handling concerns, food and scent allergies and sensitivities, cultural and religious food restrictions, and potential mess. But you can use taste and smell as prompts for creating monologues, stories, and scenes both scripted and improvised.
Here are five exercises to try with your students that use scent and taste to inspire them, with five additional games and exercises in the giveaway below.
1. Food Characters – Have students brainstorm examples of foods with a distinct flavour descriptor, such as spicy curry, sour lemon sorbet, or plain oatmeal. Create a character description from this prompt, using the traits of the taste to form personality traits. For example, spicy curry might be an outspoken character, while plain oatmeal might be personified as steady and dependable but not particularly memorable. Students could also create a costume sketch, using the food as inspiration for costume elements. A cheeseburger character might have a bun for a hat, while a Christmas cookie character might wear a gingerbread-coloured dress with gumdrop buttons.
2. Scentscapes – Have students close their eyes and then talk them through a “scent tour” of a specific location. What does the scene smell like? For example, if your scene is set at a carnival, describe the scent of crisp fall air, the pungent odor of gasoline from the rides, and the various yummy smells of the food vendors such as cotton candy, candy apples, popcorn, and French fries. For a scene set at a beach, you might smell salty seawater, sunscreen, and various scents from picnics and barbeques. Have students then write their own scentscape for a scene set in a new location, for example, a school cafeteria, a space station, a Renaissance faire, or deep in the jungle. What would those places smell like? What descriptive words or phrases would evoke those scents?
3. Food Memories – Food often evokes strong feelings and memories. For example, a student might have fond memories of baking cookies with their grandmother, eating popcorn with their best friend while watching a movie, or laughing so hard that they sprayed Dr. Pepper out their nose. Have students think of a food and experience that they have a strong association with and write a descriptive monologue describing the situation, with a strong beginning, middle, and end. It can be from the perspective of the student, or they can create their own fictional scenario. This can remain a written assignment if the student feels that the monologue is very personal to them, or if time allows, have the students who wish to share read their monologues aloud.
4. World’s Worst Restaurant – For this improv game, you’ll need three student volunteers. Two students will act as restaurant patrons, and the third student will be the server. Give students a variety of prompts to demonstrate the world’s worst restaurant. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- The server really thinks the patrons should try the fish tacos and will stop at nothing until they order them.
- The restaurant has just run out of their signature meal (which the restaurant is named after).
- One of the restaurant patrons is allergic to everything on the menu.
- The patrons speak a different language from the server, and try to order their meals.
- One of the patrons discovers something in their soup.
- One of the patrons keeps changing their mind about the meal they ordered.
- One of the patrons asks to make many substitutions to their order.
- There is a weird smell coming from the kitchen.
- There is a weird smell, but it isn’t coming from the kitchen.
5. Murder Mystery Meal – In small groups, students will write a murder mystery or betrayal scene focused on a meal. One dish has been tampered with. Who poisoned it, why did they do it, and who will eat it? Present the scene to the rest of the class and see if they can guess whodunit.
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