Games

It’s that age-old drama classroom conundrum: Final projects have been completed, but there are still a handful of school days to fill before the year officially ends. This can be a challenging time for teachers who are expected to keep their students occupied in creative and appropriate ways. To help fill this drama class downtime, here are four activities to keep your classroom engaged all the way to year's end. Theatre Game RoundupIf your classroom is anything like mine, you know that some classroom activities are more popular than others. Whether they are warm-up exercises, focus activities, or improv games, these are the games and activities students want to participate in again and again. So why not fill these extra days AND provide an informal review of previous classroom activities by leading your students through a re-playing of your classroom’s “greatest hits”? • Work with your class to generate a list of their favorite classroom theatre games and activities. Help them remember activities that happened earlier in the year they may have forgotten. • Write each item on a slip of paper. • Place the slips of paper into a hat (or bag, box, etc.). • Have a student pull a slip from the hat and read it out loud. • As a class, go through the steps of the game. • Have a student lead the activity. • At the conclusion of the activity, have a lightning round discussion asking students why they like the game and what they learned by playing it. • Draw the next slip of paper and go again! Lip Sync BattleA classroom lip sync battle is an engaging, high-energy activity where students perform choreographed routines, lip-syncing to popular songs. Groups can compete head to head, or in a round-robin format where everyone goes at least once. Here is how to structure a classroom lip sync battle: • Students work in small groups, either chosen or approved by the teacher. • All lip synced songs must be approved by the teacher. • Song cuttings will be between 30 and 90 seconds long. • Choreography must be included and must be school appropriate. • Props and costumes are welcome but not required. Personal or common classroom items can be used. • Groups are given a set amount of time to choreograph and rehearse their songs. • Determine how winners are chosen (e.g., enthusiasm of audience applause, teacher input). • Awards such as Most Creative, Most Dramatic, or Best Use of Props can be presented, making sure that every group receives an award. • If you want to use a rubric, review with students the rubric criteria ahead of time. Of course, it can just be for fun too! Click below for a Lip Sync Battle Rubric! Improv OlympicsOrganizing a classroom Improv Olympics involves dividing students into teams, setting up varied improv game challenges, and scoring based on creativity, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Here are some quick, simple improv games that are great for head-to-head competition: • Questions only: Players create a scene in which they can only ask each other questions. The first player not to ask a question will get buzzed out and a new player will come in to challenge the remaining player. • ABC Game: Two players will create a scene in which they must start each sentence with the next letter of the alphabet. Students can challenge each other by trying to successfully get through the alphabet in the shortest amount of time. Mistakes in the order of the alphabet result in a five-second penalty. • Operation Gibberish: Two teams of two compete in this game. • Both teams are sent into “isolation.” • While they are in isolation the class determines a secret objective that must be completed by the team (say a word, perform a simple task, etc.). • The first player of Team 1 is retrieved and told the task they must get their teammate to accomplish. However, the first player may only speak in gibberish. • Their teammate enters and the scene begins. Player one speaks in gibberish trying to get player two to accomplish the assigned task. • The scene is timed and the time ends when the second player completes the assigned task. • Player one from Team 2 is then brought in and given the same challenge. • Player two enters and the scene begins. • Team 2 plays until the objective is met. Their scene is timed. • The team with the quickest time wins a point. Click below for more games! Shakespearian Insult PostersIf you have a group of students who are reluctant to engage in performance, you can set them on this fun design project instead. Shakespeare was famous for his clever and cutting insults, and the imagery he used was quite colorful. Consequently, his insults are a perfect vehicle for visual interpretation in poster form. Here’s how to bring it into your classroom: Materials • Poster-sized paper • Markers, crayons, or other art materials To create poster • Put students into small groups. • Give each group a list of Shakespearian insults. (A list of insults is available for free below.) • Have each member of a group choose one insult they would like to illustrate. • As a group, have the students design the layout of their poster. Have them think of the following: • A “frame” element around the edge of the paper • A title block for the poster • The design of their individual images • The location of each illustrated insult • The uniform size of each illustration • A coordinated color pallet • Have students determine who is responsible for each section of the poster. • Give students a set amount of time to work on their poster. (If you have a large amount of time to fill, require more elements and details on their posters.) • When time is up, have students present their posters to the class. Their presentation should include information about: • Their design process • Why they chose their insults • The most challenging part of the project • What they enjoyed the most Click below for a list of Shakespearian insults!

Blind Robot is the ultimate verbal communication game. It requires players to CLEARLY communicate verbal commands to a “robot.” The robot then has to physically interpret those instructions in a way that makes sense to them, even if it’s not what the instructor had in mind. This ‘command and respond’ cycle leads to an entertaining, thought-provoking, and sometimes challenging communication loop. It teaches students the value of communicating clearly. Here’s how you play Blind Robot: • Choose one student to be the Robot. • Blindfold the Robot and send them from the room. • While they are out of the room, the rest of the class will decide on a simple action for the Robot to complete (e.g., sit in a chair, stand on a box, write the letter A on the board, etc.). • The students will form a circle around the perimeter of the room. • Bring the blindfolded Robot back into the room and place them at the ‘starting point’ in the centre of the circle. • Starting with the student closest to the Robot, each student — one at a time, and in order around the circle — will give one, and only one command to the Robot as a step towards the assigned task. • Commands should be simple actions: “Take three steps forward,” “Raise your right hand,” “Touch the object in front of you,” etc. Each student will give ONE simple command with no follow-up instructions. • The Robot will interpret the information as they understand it, without the assistance of any other students. The Robot may NOT react based on what they THINK the instructor wants. For example, if a student says, “Raise your right hand” expecting the robot to raise their hand completely above their head, but instead the Robot only raises their right hand to shoulder level, then it is up to the next student to try and solve this problem. • The next student can give a clearer instruction, such as “Raise your right hand above your head.” • Students will go around the circle, one command at a time, working together as a group, to get the Robot to complete the task. • If the task is not completed by time you reach the end of the circle, return to the first student and continue in order until the task is successfully completed. • When the task is completed, unmask the Robot and have a quick discussion about what kinds of instructions the robot found helpful and which ones were confusing or insufficient. • Choose a new robot and start the game again. As students become more adept at this game you can add more difficult challenges. However, it’s a good idea to assign a ‘Robot Assistant’ who will keep the blindfolded robot physically safe during particularly challenging tasks. More advanced versions of the game might include: • Multi-step tasks such as picking up an object and putting it in another object. • Creating an obstacle course that the Robot must navigate to complete the task. • Adding physical challenges to the Robot’s movement. For example, the Robot must walk backwards or crawl on their belly from point A to point B as part of their task.

These games and exercises are my go-to activities for teaching beginning drama students. They’re fun, engaging, effective, and give students a well-rounded overview of topics such as drama classroom and theatrical etiquette, various nonverbal and scripted performance techniques, introduction to scene and character analysis, and more. First Week Essentials• You and your students can learn each others’ names using the Silent Line-Up game, the ABC Name Game, and the Action Name Game from 3 Tips to Learn Students’ Names Quickly, and get to know a bit more about them by playing Move Yer Butt and Mixer from Getting to Know You Games. • Practice and reinforce classroom rules and theatre etiquette guidelines with the Act It Out game. • Creating a set of Community Agreements is an essential first week activity for you and your students. • And here’s even more First Week Activities for you to use. Ensemble-building and trust-building are key topics to cover through warm-ups, games, and classroom exercises. Nonverbal Theatrical Techniques: Mime, Tableau, Dance & Creative Movement• Elephant Walk is one of my favourite nonverbal warm-up games. • Start by teaching students about neutral position (from 3 Tips to Help Student Actors Stop Fidgeting), which helps them learn focus and body awareness. • Our Middle School Miming series has great tips for teaching students about miming technique. Try Preparatory Skills; Big, Small, Heavy, Light; and Interacting with a Wall to start. And of course, the Mirror Exercise is a classic mime exercise that everyone should use. • We’ve got lots of tableau exercises here at the Theatrefolk blog, but my go-to is Tableau Scenes from a Book. • Dancing in the Drama Classroom is another way to explore nonverbal storytelling and creative movement. Group Scene and Monologue Preparation & Practice• Always be sure to warm up the voice for speaking and singing, including breath control and enunciation exercises. • Scene analysis exercises help students gain a deeper understanding of the character they’re playing and the scene as part of the whole play. Don’t start rehearsing without doing some preparatory work first! • Teaching Students How to Rehearse in the Drama Classroom helps them use their in-class rehearsal time effectively. • Students also need to know the basics of stage directions. Try playing Trapdoor to learn the difference between upstage, downstage, stage left and stage right. • Once students have a good foundation, they can start working on partner and group scenes (which are generally less nerve-wracking than jumping right into monologues). If you need some great scripts for students to study in class, check out Theatrefolk’s Top 10 Plays for Scene Work. Work on analyzing, rehearsing and then presenting their scenes for the rest of the class. • Then, move on to monologues, both for performance and as part of an audition. I always have my students do mock auditions, so they get to practice going through the audition process before actually auditioning for a show. Specialty Topics• Improvisation is a vital skill for beginning drama students to help them think on their feet and work as a team. Here are the Top 10 Tips for Teaching Improv. Some of my favourite improv games include Scenario Generator, Props and Word at a Time Story, Commercials, and “Yes And…” and “No, But…”. • Puppetry is a great topic for students of all ages and levels of ability. Puppet Dance Parties are a fun starting point for introducing puppetry to your class. • Stage combat should only be taught by a qualified and experienced fight director, but you can introduce stage combat safety, responsibility, and fight analysis without even throwing a punch or picking up a sword. • You can teach introductory technical theatre topics to your beginning students, even if you aren’t the most technically inclined teacher. Costumes, props, makeup, sets, lighting, sound, special effects — there’s a technical area for just about everyone. We’ve got a collection of 15 Tech Exercises for the Non-Technical Teacher that don’t require a lot of equipment or extensive technical theatre knowledge. • You can bring together and show off all the skills your students have learned and developed over your time together with a class showcase. It could be a private performance for just your class or a public presentation with an invited audience — whatever works for you and your students. You can end each class with a quick verbal check-in with your students, or give them a few minutes to respond in writing to an exit slip prompt. Check out the giveaway below for a collection of exit slip prompts that you can adapt to many different lessons. Related Reading: Curriculum Planning: Introductory Skill Building

Theatre games are a vital tool for drama teachers. They help build relationships in the drama classroom, teach important theatre skills, and give students a chance to practice those skills and take risks in a low-stakes way. But let’s be honest: sometimes, as teachers, we get tired of them. Maybe you’ve played the same games with different groups year after year. Maybe the games feel stale or chaotic. Or maybe you just don’t have the energy to lead yet another round of “Zip Zap Zop.” Burnout happens, but it doesn’t mean you (or your students) have to give up on games. Here are some ways to refresh your practice. 1. Reframe the purpose.When a game feels stale, remind yourself why you’re using it. Is it about focus? Active listening? Quick thinking? Ensemble building? Shifting your mindset from Ugh, this game again to This game builds X skill can reignite your sense of purpose with the game. If you’re not already doing so, try adding a short reflection question or exit slip after each game, so it feels less like “just playing” and more like skill-building. For example, you could ask: • What is one thing you learned from this game? • How does this game help you become a better actor? • How can you apply this game to the real world? 2. Put students in charge.Instead of leading every game yourself, assign students to run them. They can explain the rules, manage the group, run the timer, give prompts, or even invent different game variations. This not only takes the pressure off you, but also empowers students to take ownership of their learning and allows them to practice their leadership skills. 3. Rotate and/or retire.It’s okay to give yourself permission to retire a game for a while. Just like actors cycle through roles, teachers can cycle through activities. Rotate in new games, revisit old ones later, or give yourself a break from the ones that drain you most. For example, I can’t stand the game Park Bench (it always seems to devolve into students yelling), so I’ve retired it from my roster of theatre games. But other teachers love it. If you are one of those people, send us your tips for success! Additionally, why not ask students to teach you a drama game they know, or invent an entirely new drama game? You’ll expand your repertoire, and your students will get to bring fresh energy to the lessons and leave their mark in the classroom. 4. Layer skills and challenges into old favourites.If a game feels tired, tweak it by layering in a skill focus or adding a more challenging variation. This helps the “same old game” feel refreshed. For example: • Zip Zap Zop, Trapdoor, or Upstage/Downstage – Add a character voice or physicality for each word. • Word at a Time Story – Instead of single words, assign a word pattern (e.g., Student A can use three words while Student B must use five), or make a rule that students must start each phrase with the next letter in the alphabet. • Scenes from a Bag – Add new prompts to your bag or have students brainstorm new prompts. 5. Give yourself permission to skip games.You don’t have to do theatre games every class. If you’re feeling burnt out on theatre games, try something different: a mindfulness exercise, a storytelling circle, a written assignment, a student-led project. The magic of games will be there when you’re ready to return to them. Final ThoughtsBurnout is a signal, not a failure. If you’re feeling tired of theatre games, you’re not alone, and you’re not doing anything “wrong.” Review, refresh, or even retire your current roster of games, especially if you’ve been using the same ones for long periods of time. Remember: theatre games should energize you as well as your students. If they don’t, it’s time to shake things up.

Looking for a fun, low-pressure way to engage your students, review key concepts, or just bring some energy to a quiet day or the end of a unit? Try a trivia challenge! Using theatre trivia is a fun way to get students thinking and collaborating while also reinforcing what they’ve learned about theatre history, terminology, and performance. You can tailor the questions to any topic you want. What You NeedNot much! You can keep it simple or get creative: • A set of questions (see below for ideas) • Whiteboards or paper for teams to write answers • Optional: buzzers, a scoreboard, and a prize for the winning team Ideas for Trivia FormatsYou don’t have to stick with a simple Q&A. Here are a few ways to keep it interesting: • Classic Q&A: You ask questions, students answer individually or in teams. • Jeopardy-Style: Create a board with categories and point values. Teams pick a category and earn points. • Lightning Round: See how many questions each team can answer in 60 seconds. • Relay Style: One student from each team comes up at a time and answers before tagging the next teammate. Topics to TryThe great thing about theatre trivia is how flexible it is. You can create questions based on what your students are studying or introduce new topics to spark curiosity. Some possible categories include: • Theatre terms & stage directions (e.g.: What’s upstage? What’s a cue?) • Famous plays & playwrights • Broadway & West End fun facts • Shakespeare & classics • Musical theatre (songs, shows, composers) • Backstage tech & crew roles • Memorable characters & quotes • Questions regarding a specific theatre era • Questions about your own school’s shows Sample QuestionsNeed inspiration? Here are a few questions to get you started. Download the giveaway to see the answers. • What do we call the area of the stage closest to the audience? • Who wrote Romeo and Juliet? • What’s it called when an actor speaks directly to the audience? • Name one job of the stage manager. • Which musical includes the song “Defying Gravity”? • What is the theatrical term for where the audience sits? • What is the term for the imaginary wall between actors and the audience? • What do we call the last rehearsal before opening night? • Which side of the stage is “stage left” from the actor’s point of view? • What is a monologue? • What is “improv” short for? • What is the name of the playhouse that is most closely associated with William Shakespeare? • What is the theatrical term for turning off all the lights on stage? • What form of Japanese theatre uses wooden puppets? • True or false: The overture is played at the end of a performance. Bonus Ideas• Use trivia as a warm-up before rehearsal or a way to wrap up a unit. • Make a “Trivia Championship” and keep team scores over multiple classes. • Add movement or charades elements between rounds to mix it up. • Have students design their own categories and host the game themselves. Tips for Success• Mix easy, medium, and challenging questions so everyone can feel successful. • Encourage good sportsmanship — it’s about fun, not just winning. • Keep the pace brisk to keep energy high. • Have a tiebreaker question ready just in case. • If time allows, let students create their own questions to test the teacher or each other. Grab some questions, split into teams, and let the games begin!

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 auditory-based exercises: actively listening, hearing each other, expressing ourselves and telling stories through music, sound effects, and silence. Here are some exercises to try with your students that use hearing and listening as their focus. 1. Active ListeningStart out by working on active listening activities with your students. Developing students’ active listening skills will benefit them not only in drama class, but in their everyday lives! 3-5-7 is a fun warm-up exercise for working on active listening. Hearing or Listening encourages students to consider how they feel when they’re not being heard or listened to. If you’re teaching online, here are some tips for encouraging active listening in the digital classroom as well. 2. Volume & Enunciation ActivitiesActors need to be able to be heard onstage. If your students have voices that are perfectly audible when they’re backstage but seem to vanish onstage, try any or all of the following exercises to help them improve their enunciation and volume (without shouting). • 6 Tips to Improve Enunciation • A Vocal Warm-Up for the Articulators • Whisper and Shout • Can You Hear Me Now? • Projecting Your Voice Without Yelling 3. Auditory ObservationsOnce students have worked on their vocal skills, have them “observe” each other performing scenes or improv work, with the following catch: the observing students must close their eyes, be blindfolded, or turn their backs to the performing students, and give feedback specifically focused on what they heard. For example, they can comment on aspects such as vocal volume and expression, clarity and enunciation, use of accents, use of music and/or sound effects, and sound balance (e.g., is the background music drowning out the performers?). If students need help giving feedback, try these resources: Effective Peer Feedback, Giving and Receiving Feedback, and Giving Feedback with Kindness. 4. The Rain Game challenges students to create a soundscape using only their bodies. What other auditory stories could your students tell, using just their bodies, their voices to create sounds, found objects from the drama classroom, or background music? Try having your students create a soundscape of the jungle, under the sea, a daycare centre, or a crowded subway using only materials they have available in the drama classroom or in their school bags. 5. Show PlaylistOne of my favourite parts of directing a production is creating a playlist of music to play during pre-show, intermission, and post-show. Assign each of your students a play to study and have them create a playlist of at least 10 songs that demonstrate and complement their vision of the show. Students will include a write-up of why they selected each song. Note: If the show has an existing soundtrack, none of those songs can be included in the playlist! For example, if the student is creating a playlist for Romeo and Juliet, they can’t include the song “#1 Crush” by Garbage, because it was on the soundtrack for the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet by Baz Luhrmann. 6. The Sounds of SilenceWhat does silence sound like? Unless you are in a vacuum, there is no such thing as true silence. Have students sit quietly in the drama classroom or in the hallway for three to four minutes. (If time allows, you might wish to share videos of various performances of John Cage’s “4’33” for fun.) Students may not speak and must sit as still as possible during that time. Have them listen intently to the sounds that occur in the silence: the buzzing of the overhead lights, the murmurs of a teacher giving a lecture in a nearby classroom, footsteps in the hallway, a sneeze or sniffle, an uncomfortable giggle, an impatient exhale… After the time is up, have students journal about what they heard and any observations or feelings that arose while listening. How can they apply this experience to their work in the drama classroom? Could these observations or this experience prompt a monologue or scene? 7. Radio PlaysRadio plays are the ultimate auditory theatrical experience. There are no visual aspects (they’re meant to be played on the radio, hence the name), so performers must rely on their vocal performances as well as sound effects and music to convey the story to the audience. Check out Dead Men Don’t Do Radio Plays by Allison Williams and Arctic Adventure Theatre: The Case of the Crazed Crashers by Matt Webster, both from the Theatrefolk play catalogue, to get you started.

Warm-ups are important to get students into the drama mindset, but sometimes you only have a few moments to spare. When time is at a premium, get your classes started in a jiffy with these 10 super-quick warm-up games. Many of them are classics, but they’re tried and true for a reason: they’re fast, effective, fun, and they work. They can all be completed in five minutes or less. As a bonus, all these warm-ups require no props or equipment. 1. Play one of these three traditional schoolyard games with a drama class twist for a few minutes: Director Says, Director May I?, and What Time Is It, Stage Manager? All of these are great warm-up activities for active listening, following directions, quick thinking, and physical movement exercises. 2. Word-at-a-time stories are an easy way to get students’ brains working, quickly and creatively. You can play as a full class or in small groups. You can also mix it up and have students make up stories 3, 5, and 7 words at a time. To get even more students involved, have additional students act out what is being described while narrator students tell the story. 3. Warm up your voice with breathwork, consonant and vowel exercises, and tongue twisters. Remember to have students stand up straight and tall, with strong chests and shoulders back, arms uncrossed, and hands out of pockets (those last two are usually the hardest habit to break!). 4. Use rounds as a warm-up for a musical theatre or vocal class. A round is a short musical piece in which multiple voices sing the same melody but start the song at different times. When each singer gets to the end of the song, they return to the beginning and start again. Rounds challenge students to focus on their own vocal line while blending beautifully with the rest of the group. 5. The mirror game is the go-to warm-up game for mime work. Everyone knows how to play it, and there is always another layer of challenge you can add: switching partners, standing groups of four in a diamond shape, moving across the floor, passing the leadership between the partners, adding music, and more. You could even have students create their own variations of the exercise. 6. Shadows (aka Shadow Walk, Follow the Leader, or Leader & Follower) is yet another quick and classic drama class warm-up game for mime work. It’s deceptively simple but packs a punch. It teaches students about making choices, following directions, leadership, volume management, focusing, spatial awareness, and paying attention to detail. An alternative warm-up game to Shadows is Elephant Walk, which can also be done Shadow-style. 7. My go-to easy warm-up game is always Mixer. You can play with any number of students, cooperatively or competitively, and it gets students up and moving quickly. It’s great for students of any age as well; as long as they can count, they can play. 8. A speedy classic for physical theatre: students count backwards from 10 while shaking out their right hands. Repeat with left hands, right feet, and left feet. Continue the pattern, reducing your counts by one each time, until you get to 1-1-1-1. If you’re extremely crunched for time, start each count at 5. 9. Sometimes your students might be fidgety and instead of doing a physical warm-up, you want them to practice stillness. Have students take a neutral position and hold it for five seconds (use a clock with a second hand, or count aloud; blinking and breathing is always allowed). Increase the amount of stillness by five seconds at a time. Build up to 30 seconds of stillness. 10. Mindfulness exercises are also great warm-up activities that don’t require a lot of time, and are good for students’ mental health. Try calming activities like box breathing or massage chains, have students share kind things about themselves or classmates, or lead them in a visualization story. Use mindfulness warm-ups on days when your students need to focus or when they need a pick-me-up.

Sometimes you just need exercises that are quick, easy, and don't require you to do extensive prep work. Maybe you’ve got a substitute teacher covering for you, maybe you’re just trying to survive tech week, or maybe it’s one of those days where you just can’t even. For those times, we’ve got you covered with the following low- or no-prep theatre exercises! 1. Middle School Miming: Great for high school students too, and requires no equipment other than your body and imagination. Start with Preparatory Skills, and then move on to Interacting with a Wall, and Interacting with a Door as your students gain confidence and skills. 2. "Ruin a Play": All you need is a list of titles of existing plays and/or musicals. Ruin the play, have a laugh, then have students invent a synopsis of the new show, create a cast of characters, and do a “dream casting” of the characters, using their friends and/or celebrities to play the roles. Bonus points for students explaining why they chose those particular people to play the roles. 3. Two Prompts: If you can print two lists of prompts from our website, you can play this game with your students! If you can’t print the lists, you can still play — just look at the lists on a Chromebook or on your phone. 4. Got a big group of students? Try a large group tableau exercise or even one of these two full-class tableau exercises. It’s helpful if you have a classroom with a large mirror or a digital camera to take photos so students can see themselves, but it’s not necessary to do the activity. 5. Character Analysis Exercise: Three exercises in one. Students can use it to analyze a character in a play the class is studying, a character they’re playing in a production, or a character in a play they’re writing themselves. Plus, the questions are right there in the article and ready to print. 6. If your students need inspiration for playwriting, look no further than the clothes they’re wearing. All students need to complete the Clothing Prompt playwriting exercise is a writing device and a piece of clothing or an accessory that they have on their person. 7. For more experienced drama students in a director’s craft class, challenge them with this problem solving exercise, which includes 10 scenarios, an exit slip, and an evaluation rubric. Students can complete the exercise individually, in pairs, or in small groups. 8. Choice board activities are great for self-directed learning. Here are two great choice board exercises ready to go for you: Portraying Emotions and Switching Genres. Both exercises even have rubrics included as a bonus. 9. If your students seem down or blue, have them complete a series of positive self-talk exercises. All they need is a writing device and/or a partner, depending on which of the exercises you choose to do. You give them the prompt and they respond to it, and hopefully completing the exercises helps students feel better about themselves. 10. Got 10 minutes to fill? Try one of these 10-Minute Time-Filler Activities when you’re short on time and need zero-prep activities. These activities range from improv to writing to cleaning out the drama classroom, and are quick and easy to implement. You’ve got this!

If you need something fast and simple to fill those final 10 minutes of drama class, we’ve got you covered! Try these 10 time-filler activities to keep your students occupied until the bell rings. If you need even more ideas, there are 10 more suggestions in the giveaway at the bottom of this article. 1. Brainstorm a list of prompts for improv scenes or playwriting. (We’ve got lots of lists to inspire you. See if you can come up with more ideas.) 2. Play “Would You Rather…” in different ways: writing down the answers, raising your hand to vote, moving to one side of the room or the other, or as a problem-solving challenge. 3. Try one of the 3 Quick and Easy Warm-Up Games With a Drama Class Twist. Another drama class twist game option is Giants, Elves, Wizards, a human-sized version of Rock, Paper, Scissors. 4. You can’t go wrong with Scenes from a Bag or Lines from a Bag. Have a paper bag full of prompts at the ready whenever you need to fill up a few minutes. 5. Similarly, have a small box of random items handy to pull out for a game of Speed Props. You can also have students grab items from their backpacks, or use items found around the classroom. 6. Give students a problem-solving scenario and have them figure out what they’d do in that situation. 7. Have students write tag team scenes in pairs. Make it quick and easy by giving the whole class the same prompts for character identifiers, location, and starting line. 8. Tell a word-at-a-time story as a class. This is a great exercise for both in-person and online learning situations. 9. Have students complete a journal entry. Here are some great self-reflection prompts to get your students started. 10. When all else fails, tidy the drama classroom! Pick up garbage, alphabetize the script library, dust behind and in between all those nooks and crannies. Make the space sparkle.

Do you need a simple warm-up to quickly get your middle school students into the drama class mindset? Try this classic game, with a drama class twist. Students will share what they’re bringing on vacation with them, and then act out what they’re bringing. Start with the basic instructions below, then try out the variations, or make up your own variations! No special equipment is needed for this warm-up. Instructions:1. Have students stand in a circle. 2. Select a student to start. This student, we’ll call them Student A, will say “I’m going on vacation and I’m bringing my [insert item here].” This item can be anything: a tractor, a crocodile, an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, a bowl of tapioca pudding. The more unusual, the better. Student A then must act out the item: driving the tractor, using their arms to show the crocodile’s jaws, lowering their head as if someone is putting the medal around their neck and waving to the crowd, making or eating the pudding, etc. They can mime the item, or add a vocalization, sound effect, or short simple line (for example, “Mmm… I love tapioca pudding!”) if they wish. 3. The student next to them, Student B, then says, “I’m going on vacation and I’m bringing [insert Student A’s item]” and acts out Student A’s item, exactly as Student A did. Then Student B adds on: “and I’m bringing my [insert item here]” and they act out their own item. 4. The student next to Student B, Student C, says, “I’m going on vacation and I’m bringing [insert Student B’s item]” and acts out Student B’s item, exactly as Student B did. Then Student C adds on: “and I’m bringing my [insert item here]” and they act out their own item. The play continues around the circle with each student bringing their neighbour’s item and then their own item, until each student has had the opportunity to participate. Variations:• Make it a name game by having students use each other’s names: Student B says “(Student A) is going on vacation and they’re bringing [insert Student A’s item]” and acts out Student A’s item, exactly as Student A did. Then Student B adds on: “and I’m going on vacation and I’m bringing my [insert item here]” and acts out their item. • Make it a memory game by having students repeat everyone else’s item before adding on their own (a huge challenge for the students at the end of the circle!). • Make it a physical warm-up game by having everyone in the circle mimic the student’s action after they present their item. • Make it a brainteaser game by having students follow specific parameters for what they can bring, such as something that starts with the same letter as their name (for instance, Padma must bring peanuts, a pencil, or a pillar), or something that has the same number of letters as their first name (for example, Michael must bring something that has seven letters, such as a gorilla or a cabinet). Or, have them choose items in alphabetical order (Student A brings apples, Student B brings a bicycle, Student C brings a camera, and so on). • Make it a mime exercise and charades combo game by having students say “I’m going on vacation and I’m bringing my…” and act out the item without saying what it is. Have the rest of the group guess what the item is. • Create your own classroom variations. Have students describe and write out the instructions in their own words.

This storytelling exercise is based on a classic campfire game. Students will work together to tell a story, but who tells the story and where they start and pick up again is up to chance. This exercise is great for students to practice active listening, using good diction when speaking, and thinking on their feet, as well as working together to tell a story in an engaging and clear way. MaterialsYou’ll need a length of rope, at least one foot in length per student (for example: 20 students = minimum 20-foot rope). Tie a knot in the rope about a third of the way down the length, then tie the two ends of the rope together so it becomes a circle. You should have two knots in the rope now, with different lengths of rope between each knot. You can tie ribbons or strips of fabric around the two knots if you need to make them more obvious. For fun, if you want to embrace the traditional campfire game atmosphere, you can dim the lights, play soft nighttime nature sounds in the background, and/or set up a prop campfire in the middle of the circle, but these are optional. Instructions1. Have students sit or stand in a circle, shoulder to shoulder, around the rope. Students will pick up the rope and hold it loosely with both hands. 2. One student will start telling a story about any topic. (If you need an opening line to get started, we’ve got lots of ideas here). Since this exercise is based on a campfire game, the stories tend to lean towards the spooky, mysterious, or paranormal, but of course your students can tell whatever story they like. Encourage students to use their voices and facial expressions to create excitement and really engage the listeners in the story they’re telling. 3. While they are telling the story, the full class will slide the rope gently and quietly through their hands around the circle, clockwise, without looking at the rope. 4. When the current storyteller feels a knot in their hands, they must stop speaking immediately, even if they’re in the middle of a sentence. 5. Whoever is closest to or touching the second knot must pick up the story exactly where the previous storyteller left off and continue it. Continue sliding the rope in the same clockwise direction and repeating the sequence — each student adds on to the story and stops when they feel a knot, and the student closest to the other knot continues. Some students will have shorter or longer additions because of the length of rope between the knots. Depending on how the student moves their hands, they might miss a knot and have to continue with another full rotation of the rope until they find a knot — that’s ok. Remember to slide the rope slowly or each story addition will be too short. 6. Continue adding on until your students run out of ideas, you run out of time, or one of the students comes up with a natural ending to the story. 7. Students will complete an exit slip after this exercise (found below).

If you’re looking for a way to mix up your improv sessions and enjoy taking a risk, give this game a try! Combine the mystery of the game Clue with the dice-rolling stakes of Dungeons and Dragons, add a dash of brainstorming and a pinch of silliness, and you’ve got the makings of the ultimate Mad Libs-style mashup drama game. MaterialsYou’ll need a 12-sided die (also known as a D12 or a dodecahedron). If you don’t have any dice, you can Google search “roll dice” for an online dice generator. You’ll also need something large to write on: a large sheet of paper, a whiteboard, or similar. Instructions1. Create a grid with four columns and 12 rows on your writing material. The first column will have the numbers 1 to 12 in descending order. The second column is titled “person,” the third column is titled “place,” and the fourth column is titled “activity” or “action.” 2. Brainstorm enough ideas/prompts to fill each square on the grid. You can have your students suggest ideas, or use one of our handy prompts lists. Here are some samples of person, place, and activity/action prompts. If you need even more prompts, check out our teaching resource Two Thousand Prompts for Drama Class. Here’s a sample grid to get you started:

Name games are a great start-of-term activity, especially when you’re working with new students. It’s a fun way to break the ice and for students and teachers alike to learn everyone’s name. Knowing, correctly pronouncing, and using students’ names demonstrates respect and care. For the following name game variations, all you’ll need is a few beanbags (or soft foam/rubber balls, whatever works best or is available). Repeat the games and try different variations as often as you like, until everyone in the class knows each other’s name. 1. Basic Version: Have students stand in a circle. The teacher will start by turning to the student on their left, making eye contact with that student, saying “[Student Name], this is for you!” and passing the beanbag to that person. That student will reply with “Thanks [Teacher Name]” and take the beanbag from them. Play will continue to go clockwise around the circle, with the student repeating the line and identifying the name of the student to their left, passing the beanbag to that student, and the receiver thanking the student by name. Continue around the circle until everyone has had a chance to ask and reply to the student beside them. For example: Amir, this is for you! Thanks Ms. Lopez. Bailey, this is for you! Thanks Amir. Camille, this is for you! Thanks Bailey. And so on around the circle until the final student returns the beanbag to Ms. Lopez. If a student can’t remember the name of the person beside them, they are allowed to ask that student once to remind them. Students should aim to use good volume and diction so everyone can hear each other’s names. 2. Basic Switch: Students will change places in the circle, then repeat the basic version again, so they have to remember new names. 3. Beanbag Toss: Instead of passing the beanbag to the student beside them, students will name a student across the circle from them and then (carefully) toss the beanbag to that student. Use the same “This is for you!” and “Thanks” lines. Be sure that students make eye contact with the student they’re throwing the beanbag to before they toss it, to avoid hitting anyone accidentally. Keep an eye open to ensure that every student in the circle has a chance to participate. 4. Memory Toss: Memorize the order of beanbag tosses and repeat the pattern, trying to go faster and faster, while still being audible and clear, and not dropping the beanbag. 5. Memory Toss Challenge: For an added challenge, if anyone drops the beanbag or forgets the order, everyone has to start over from the beginning of the circle.You can also time the memory toss each time it’s played, and see if students can beat the record time. 6. Copy My Voice: Using the basic version, the teacher will use an interesting vocal inflection when saying the lines: higher pitched, lower pitched, fast, slow, sharp and staccato, flowy, with an accent, etc. Each student must copy the teacher’s vocal inflection around the circle. 7. Copy and Add: Play the Copy My Voice variation. Once the beanbag is about a third of the way around the circle, introduce a second beanbag and continue the game using a different vocal inflection. For example, use a Scottish accent for the first beanbag and a breathy baby voice for the second beanbag. There will be two voice variations going around the circle at once. For an added challenge, send the beanbag counterclockwise and see what happens when the beanbags meet at some point in the circle! Add a third beanbag for even more chaos. 8. All the Voices: Using either the basic version or the toss version, each student must use a different funny voice or unique vocal inflection for the lines. No duplicates allowed! 9. All the Actions: Using either the basic version or the toss version, students will create an action, movement, or gesture while they’re passing the beanbag, such as under the leg, behind their back, over their head, with a dance, like they’re moving through jello, or like the beanbag is freezing cold. Again, no duplicates allowed! 10. All the Voices and Actions: Using either the basic version or the toss version, each student must use a different voice AND a unique action or gesture while saying the lines and passing the beanbag. Bonus points if the voice and action go together to make an interesting character. BONUS: After playing as many rounds as you wish, challenge a student to go into the middle of the circle and recite every other student’s name from memory. Additional Resources:3 Tips to Learn Students’ Names Quickly Three “Getting to Know You Games”

This is a classic theatre game; you might know it as Shadow Walk, Follow the Leader, or Leader & Follower. It is deceptively simple at first glance: students walking around the room imitating each other. However, there are lots of opportunities for learning in this simple yet fun game: making choices, following directions, leadership, volume management, focusing, spatial awareness, and paying attention to detail. This warm-up game is appropriate for middle or high school students. Read on for instructions and a variation for gameplay. Instructions1. Have students pair up. All the pairs will participate at the same time. Determine which partner will go first. They will be the leader. 2. The leader will walk around the room in their usual gait but at a slightly slower pace. 3. The second partner, the shadow, will follow them, about two feet behind, trying to imitate them exactly — just like a shadow. This will likely seem like a ridiculously easy task, but to succeed, students need to focus and pay attention to detail. Have them look at the characteristics of their partner’s walk, such as their posture, length of steps, what they do with their hands, and the “weight” of their steps (such as tiptoeing versus stomping). This is why the first partner should walk a bit slower than they usually do, so their partner can try to copy them exactly. 4. Then, the leader will add one element to their walk to make it different, such as a skip, hop, arm movement, or knee bend. The shadow will continue to imitate the leader as precisely as possible. 5. Finally, the leader will do a big, ridiculous walk of their choosing, using all the parts of their body while maintaining the slow walking pace. Students should choose movements that their partner is physically able to do (for example, not everyone can drop down into the splits) and that are safe (keep an eye out for flailing limbs). The shadow will continue to imitate the first partner as accurately as possible. 6. After enough time has passed, have partners switch roles, so the second partner has the opportunity to lead and the first partner has the opportunity to shadow. 7. As a reminder, the challenge is for the leader to move slowly and deliberately, while the shadow copies their partner exactly. Variation: Once each partner has been the leader, have students get into a big circle and close their eyes. Then secretly select one leader. Students will then open their eyes and walk slowly in a circle, shadowing the student in front of them. The leader will subtly start a movement, with everyone else following them. See if students can guess who the leader is.

Choice boards are a great way to give students some independence and autonomy over their assignments, and “gamifying” their choice board makes it more fun. A simple way to mix up your choice board assignment is to format it like a Bingo board. This gives students a choice in terms of what tasks to complete, while challenging them to try tasks outside their comfort zone to complete the assigned shape. Instructions1. Create a 5x5 Bingo grid. 2. Select various tasks (you’ll need 25, or 24 plus a free centre square) and put one task in each square. The tasks could be all performance-related, all playwriting-related, all tech-related, or a smorgasbord of everything. Some tasks may be individual; some may be pairs or group work. Try to group tasks on the board so there are some easier and harder ones in the same scoring zone. You could also format the assignment as a written report or visual presentation, with each square being a question or prompt that needs to be answered to add up to one large written project. 3. Print off enough bingo cards for each student. 4. Determine how many squares students will need to select to complete the assignment. Some shapes may have one fewer square if you choose to have a free centre square. Shapes you could select include: • 1 line going any direction — vertical, horizontal, or diagonal (4 or 5 squares, depending on if there is a free centre square) • Y or rotating Y* (6 or 7 squares) • 2 lines (7 to 10 squares, depending on if the lines cross and/or if there is a free centre square) • T or rotating T* (8 or 9 squares) • L or rotating L* (9 squares) • Checkerboard* (12 or 13 squares, depending on which alternating squares the student chooses) • Any miscellaneous combination of squares adding up to a certain number of squares (for example, “complete any 10 squares.”) Other options may include four corners, X, outer circle*, or full card, but there are fewer choices for those shapes (meaning, all students would complete the same tasks, versus having more options with the other shapes). *See the giveaway below for visual examples of rotating Y, T, L, Chessboard, and Outer Circle shapes. 5. Students will complete their assigned tasks within the time frame assigned (in-class, assigned as homework, or a combination of both). They will cross off or shade in their completed squares to indicate which tasks they completed, then submit all assigned written and practical work, as well as the bingo sheet, for evaluation. For the performance tasks, students may have the option of performing live in class or filming their performance and submitting the video to the teacher. 6. Bonus: You may wish to offer students extra credit for completing additional squares outside of the assigned shape. Additional Resources: All About Choice Boards Choice Board Exercise: Portraying Emotions First Week Activity: Get To Know You Bingo Drama Fun & Games: Technology Bingo

Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita invented modern-day emojis in 1999, and they’ve found their place in our world as a unique visual language. Emojis can be used as a way to express ourselves when tone isn’t evident in writing. And they’re a lot of fun too! There are many ways that you can use emojis for warm-up games in drama class. In this article, we’ll share ways for students to use emojis to express themselves non-verbally, using their bodies and faces. These warm-up exercises are great for any grade level and can also be done online in a virtual classroom setting, with cameras on. You can use these in the drama classroom or as a physical rehearsal warm-up. To start, you might wish to print out flashcards of different emojis or project them onto the wall. Students will then physicalize the emojis using their bodies and faces in different ways. Here are 11 prompts to get them started: • Hold up a flashcard or project an emoji onto the wall so everyone can see it. Using their bodies and faces, students must imitate the emojis as precisely as possible in a frozen pose. • Imitate emojis as precisely as possible using only their faces. This is easy for the face emojis, but harder for the full-body or inanimate object emojis. For example, how would students use only their faces to imitate a checkered flag or the scissors emoji? • Using only their bodies, students must imitate the emojis as precisely as possible, while their faces must remain in a neutral expression. This may be easier for the full-body emojis but harder for the face emojis. (If you have access to plain neutral masks, they might be a helpful tool for students to use so they don’t have to think about keeping their faces expressionless while focusing on their bodies. However, they aren’t a necessity.) • Have students imitate emojis from memory — no visual prompts. • Have students form groups of three to recreate the emojis. Each student must be included somehow. • Create a unique walk or movement for an emoji. • Have students form two lines. Give each student a different emoji. Starting at the front of each line, have two emojis meet in the middle of the room and improvise a conversation. • Have students form two lines. Give each student a different emoji. Starting at the front of each line, have two emojis meet in the middle of the room and mime a conversation — no voices allowed. • Have a student draw a flashcard of an emoji and act it out. The rest of the students have to guess what emoji they are portraying. • Ask students a series of questions. They can only respond silently, using their bodies and faces to imitate emojis. Guess which emojis they’re portraying. • Play Giants, Elves, and Wizards using emojis. How will students determine which emoji beats which? Repeat these exercises as many times as you wish! Related Articles: Scene & Song Analysis Using Emojis Exercise: Mimed Relationships Physical Warm-Up Game: Doodles

This improvisation game challenges students to think quickly: grab a hat and create a character name, some personality traits, and their voice and signature gesture. This exercise is all about putting yourself out there, experimenting, letting go of expectations, taking risks, and trying again. There are no wrong answers in Row of Hats; only exploration and potential laughs! This game can be played in various stages. If your students are new to drama class or inexperienced, feel free to stay at Stage 1 and keep practicing. Once they feel more confident, have them explore further stages. For experienced drama students, feel free to jump to whatever stage you think is appropriate for them. You’ll need a minimum of five different kinds of hats: baseball cap, newsboy cap, Santa or elf hat, top hat, fascinator, veil, beret, bucket hat, beanie or toque, cloche, fedora, cowboy hat, bowler hat, sunhat, fez, visor, chef’s hat, helmet, mortarboard, party hat… the options are only limited by your costume stocks! For each stage, you’ll start by lining up a row of five hats on a long table, on the edge of the stage, or on the floor. One by one, students will approach the hat at the end of the row, put it on, perform the task required, remove the hat, put it back on the table, and move down the row to the next hat. Repeat for each hat until students have tried on all five hats. Stage 1: For each hat, introduce yourself out loud to the rest of the group. Give your character a name and a greeting. Include a unique voice and gesture. For example, wearing a cowboy hat: “Howdy folks, my name’s Jessie. Nice to meet ya.” Stage 2: For each hat, introduce the character’s name and greeting, using that character’s unique voice and gesture (as in Stage 1). Tell the class something your character does or likes. For example, wearing a mortarboard: “Good afternoon, students. I am Professor Draconis and I study astronomy. My favourite constellation is Ursa Major.” Stage 3: For each hat, introduce the character’s name and greeting, using that character’s unique voice and gesture (as in Stage 1). Tell the class something your character does or likes. Answer a question in character, posed to you by a classmate. For example, wearing a beret: “Bonjour, my name is Pierre. I am a famous French pastry chef.” “What is your favourite thing to bake?” “Bien sur, my favourite thing to bake is chocolate croissants, of course!” Stage 4: Once the first student has moved down the row to the second hat, have a second student put on the first hat. Have the two students interact with each other in character. The second student can either continue acting as the first character that the first student created, or create a new character. Continue down the row, changing characters with the different hats, while continuing to interact with the second student. For more fun experimenting with character creation, try Exploring Different Voices Using Puppets, Masks, and Props.

“Speed Props” is a fast-paced, competitive version of the traditional Props game. This is a great game for students who like a challenge and want to practice their improvisation skills. Materials Needed:• Stopwatch or kitchen timer • Bell or noisemaker • Paper & pen • Selection of props • Someone to be the Judge (either the teacher or a student volunteer) Instructions:1. Divide students into a minimum of two groups. 2. Have a selection of props available for groups to choose from. Anything goes: blankets, chairs, mops, mugs, backpacks, sports equipment, stuffed animals… whatever you have handy in your classroom or props cupboard. 3. Determine which team gets to select their prop first (choose a name out of hat, play rock-paper-scissors, answer a trivia question, etc.). The advantage of going first is that the group gets a wider choice of props. The advantage of going last is that their group can use other groups' ideas to spark their scenario ideas, but they have fewer props to choose from. 4. Each team has one minute to improvise as many simple scenarios with their prop as possible. Team members can go up solo, in pairs, as a full group, or whatever they want within the time limit. 5. The Judge starts the timer and watches closely. When the Judge thinks the scenario is clear, they ring the bell or sound the noisemaker and the group can move on to the next scenario. The Judge keeps a tally on the paper of how many scenarios the group completes in one minute, excluding duplicate scenarios. Once the final timer goes off, the group must stop. 6. Talking is allowed to assist with the scene, but students cannot identify the object specifically. For example, they can hold up a broom handle in front of them and pretend to play it as a clarinet and make squeak and toot noises, but they can’t just hold the item and say “This is a clarinet.” Students can use the items any way they wish, as long as they don’t drop or break the prop and the scenario is classroom friendly. 7. Remember that the keyword here is simple! Groups don’t need to come up with long, elaborate scenarios. The goal is quantity, while ensuring the scenarios are clear and understandable. A student might use a prop plate as a steering wheel, but they don’t need to mime getting into a car and starting the engine. Just sit or squat and make a steering motion with the plate, then move on once the Judge sounds the approval bell. Time is of the essence! 8. Continue playing rounds until you wish to stop or you run out of class time. Add up the total scores. The team with the most scenarios wins. Gameplay Adaptations• For less experienced students, you may wish to allow 1.5–2 minutes per group. • Play as many rounds as there are teams. In the first round, the first group chooses a prop that every group must use. In the second round, the second group chooses a prop for every group to use, and so on. No repeated scenarios are allowed per prop. • When deciding which team gets to go first, the winning team can either go first or assign a prop to another group and make them go first. • Silent Speed Props: only miming, no speaking or sounds allowed. • If the Judge sees a group copying another group’s scenario, the offending group must give a point to the team they copied. • If a group is blatantly copying another group’s scenarios, the Judge may determine a penalty (losing points or disqualification).

Sometimes you need a simple activity to get students warmed up, a time-filler for the last few minutes of class, or a classroom task that you can have a substitute teacher or student lead. No need to reinvent the wheel; the following games are classics for a reason. Here are three easy and fun games that most everyone knows, with a drama class twist. "Director Says" (Simon Says)Have students spread out across the floor where everyone can see the caller, or “Director.” The Director will give various instructions that students must follow: • “Director says hop on one foot.” • “Director says take a bow.” • “Director says move to stage left.” But if the Director doesn’t say “Director says,” students need to keep following the previous direction given. If students follow the wrong direction, they’re out! For example, if the Director says “Director says disco dance. Turn upstage!” any student who turns upstage would be out. For a bigger challenge, students who pause, hesitate, or flinch between directions will be out. Learning Opportunities: Active listening, following directions, quick thinking, physical movement “Director, May I?” (Mother May I?)Have the Director stand on one side of the room while students stand on the opposite side. The object of the game is to be the first player to move across the floor to the director. One at a time, students will call out “Director, may I take ___ steps forward?” and fill in the blank with the number of steps they’d like to take. For example, the student may say “Director, may I take five steps forward?” The Director may reply with “Yes, you may” and then the student would take five steps forward accordingly. But the Director may also give a different answer. They may allow a different number of steps, ask the student to move in a certain way, or even say no! Some replies might be: • “No, but you may take four steps.” • “No, but you may take three leaps across the floor.” • “Yes, but you must take Jennifer with you.” • “Yes, but you must hop like a bunny.” • “You may take five steps forward and three steps back.” • “No, you may not.” No matter how the Director answers, the student must follow the directions. The winner is whoever makes it to the opposite side of the room first. If you need to save time, you can have students move in teams and ask as a group, saying “Director, may we take ___ steps forward?” Learning Opportunities: Active listening, following directions, quick thinking, physical movement, taking turns, teamwork (if working in groups) "What Time Is It, Stage Manager?" (What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf?)This is another game where the goal is to be the first student to cross the room. Have the caller (Stage Manager) stand on the opposite side of the room from the students, with their back turned. As a group, students will call out “What time is it, Stage Manager?” The Stage Manager will choose a number (10 or smaller) and reply “____ minutes to curtain!” The group of students will call back, “Thank you, ___ (number of minutes)” and take that many steps forward. For example, if the Stage Manager says “Seven minutes to curtain!” then the students will reply “Thank you, seven!” and take seven steps forward. At any point, the Stage Manager can reply with “PLACES!” and turn and run towards the group of students, trying to tag as many of them as possible before they run back to their wall. Any students who are tagged become Assistant Stage Managers and join the Stage Manager in tagging more students. The winner is the first person to make it to the Stage Manager without being caught or the last student remaining without being tagged. Learning Opportunities: Active listening, following directions, quick thinking, physical movement, backstage etiquette (replying back to the stage manager) Additional Resources: 3 Games to Help Students Play to the Audience Two Prompts: An Easy Improv Game for When You Just Can’t Think Easy Distance Learning Activities for When You Just Can’t Think

Something teachers notice frequently when working with middle school students is that when the students are performing a two-person scene onstage, they tend to turn their bodies directly towards whomever they're talking to. This is understandable, as that’s what people do naturally to hear each other better and establish the fact that they’re listening. However, when students are onstage and turn their bodies away from the audience, they’re essentially closing themselves off. It makes it more challenging for the audience to hear the performers and see their facial expressions. Of course, we know there are times when performers must turn away from the audience, and in those cases, ensuring that students have worked on projecting their voices without shouting is key. But with all skills, practice makes progress, so let’s start by reinforcing the concept of “cheating out” towards the audience. Cheating out refers to actors standing with their bodies facing out towards the audience, but slightly angled towards their scene partner and looking at them out of the corner of their upstage eye using their peripheral vision. This gives the audience the illusion that the actor is speaking to their scene partner, while the audience can still see them. It also makes it easier for students to project their voice, as they aren’t facing fully sideways or towards the back of the stage. So let’s practice. Here are two games you can play with middle school drama students to practice "cheating out" towards the audience by using exaggerated body movements and standing positions. Students are going to feel strange or unnatural playing the games, and that’s the point — they’re meant to practice moving their bodies differently onstage. For both games, you’ll need copies of a short (one page or less) two-person scene for each student. You’ll also need a pack of Post-it Notes or index cards and tape for the second game. Game One: Toes ForwardGive students a copy of a short (one-page or less) two-person scene. If you wish, read the scene out loud before playing the game so everyone can hear it. Select two students to go first, draw names out of a hat, or ask for volunteers. Have the two students act the scene out in front of the rest of the class cold-reading style, with script in hand. Encourage students to use lots of movement and gestures in their scene and try not to just stand in one place. The catch is that no matter where or how students move on the stage, their toes must point towards the audience. This forces students to keep most of their body facing the audience. How will they move, stand, and bend the rest of their body? If you wish, have an audience member count (silently) how many times the students’ toes move away from the audience. Repeat this game until each student has had a chance to perform in front of the class. Game Two: Post-ItGive students a short (one-page or less) two-person scene. If you wish, read the scene aloud as a group. Have two students volunteer to start the game. Stick an index card or brightly coloured Post-it Note on each student’s back. *Have them act out the scene using lots of movement and gestures, but they have to keep the Post-it on their back hidden from the audience. *Again, this forces students to keep their bodies open towards the audience. Have audience members count (silently) how many times they see the Post-its. Repeat this game until each student has had a chance to perform in front of the class. For both games, after everyone has had a chance to perform, ask students verbally or have them write a reflection on what was the easiest and the most challenging part of the game. How did this game help to make them a better actor? If you played both versions of the game, which one was easier? Which one felt more natural? How can they apply or adjust this technique to a real onstage performance? Again, there will be many times in theatrical productions and scene work where students will turn away from the audience, as instructed by the director. But it’s always good for students to practice opening themselves out to the audience, and to make this slightly unnatural, theatrical way of moving and standing start to feel more normal when they’re performing.