Resolutions in the Drama Classroom

The start of a new year holds many promises. I will make a resolution! I will change my life! I will….do something for two weeks and then go back to my old way of doing things.

Because there’s so much emotion behind resolutions – both positive and negative – they are excellent prompts:

Journal Prompts

• Will you make a resolution this year? Why or why not?
• How do New Year’s resolutions make you feel?
• What’s the last resolution you made? Did it stick? Why or why not?
• Why do people make resolutions?
• Why do people break them?

Improv Prompts

• Write the most bizarre resolutions on slips of paper (keeping it school friendly of course) and everyone has to put a slip in their pocket without reading it. The scene is a New Years Eve Party. On a signal from you, one of the participants has to bring out their slip of paper and incorporate their resolution into the conversation.
• A conversation between a pro-resolution person and an anti-resolution person.

Character Development Prompts

• Is your main character for or against resolutions? Why?
• What resolution would your main character make? Why?
• Would they stick to the resolution they made? Why or why not?

Writing Prompts

• Write a monologue in which a very straight laced person shares an out of character resolution.
• Write a scene between a character and their will power. Will power is waning as January marches on.
• Write a scene between a boyfriend and girlfriend who have opposing resolutions. What will to do to the relationship?
• Write a scene between someone who is trying to stay strong and something tempting – personify a piece of cake.