Drama Games & Activities for Kids, Teens & Adults PART 2

Theatre Games, Activities & Trust Exercises for Kids, Teens & Adults [PART 2]

PHOTO CREDIT: Aliana ~Theatre Lover~ & http://flashmobsintheclassroom.blogspot.ca/2013/04/how-to-unite-cast-of-your-high-school_3.html?showComment=1391724459155#c7817831197284516316

 

Before you can play, rehearse, learn or build a production/performance - you need to build trust. 

 

These activities are some of my personal favourites whether I'm working with children, teenagers or adults in pairs or groups.

 

Before starting any activity - always state the purpose of the exercise (ie. voice warm-up or letting go of inhibitions) and conduct a quick "check-in" with members. After introducing the activity, ask each participant to briefly express how they are feeling and the kind of day they had. This is important to do in order to have a sense of everyone's mind space before starting. If someone had a bad day, they might not be as energetic or enthused where someone having a great day may have difficulties focusing and paying attention.

 

I hope these games and activities will help you in building trust amongst team members, classmates or a production cast & crew.

 

#7. PROPS/ quick-thinking, creativity, imagination & thinking outside of the box

• Form a circle either sitting on the floor or in chairs
• Place one or two identical but random objects (ie. gloves or fridge magnets) in the center
• Go around the circle having each person go up to the objects and use them in a scene as something else (ie. gloves as shoes)
• Encourage everyone in the group to get up and approach the objects quickly and come up with something on the spot.
• Change things up by having people get up and approach the objects in a random pattern rather than taking turns going around the circle.

#8. MYSTERY SHOPPER/ acting in the moment and using body language to express intent

• This activity works best in pairs
• Person A pretends to be a cashier at a store
• Person B portrays a customer
• B approaches the counter and speaks to the cashier about purchasing a specific item
• THERE'S A CATCH! - B can only speak in gibberish
• A needs to try and understand what it is B is looking for
• The scene is over when A correctly guesses the item and cashes the customer out

#9. WALK! WALK! WALK!/ situational comedy, group work, imagination and warm-up

• In this activity, the entire group follows one leader
• TECHNIQUE #1: the Leader walks around the room and everyone else copies their walk
• TECHNIQUE #2: the Leader specifies that everyone should walk like someone or something (ie. the Terminator or a duckling)
• TECHNIQUE#3: the Leader asks the group to walk around the room as if they are walking on a specific surface (ie. glass, ice or fire)
• In all these instances, the leader could be a student, group member or instructor

#10. FORTUNATELY-UNFORTUNATELY/ teamwork, pairs & improve

• Divide the group into pairs
• The scene begins with one person starting a sentence with "Fortunately...."
• The second person responds by saying a sentence starting with "Unfortunately..."
• The scene continues with one person always saying "Fortunately" at the beginning of everything they say and the other person always saying "Unfortunately"
• After awhile, switch up who says which word
• (ie. "Fortunately, I caught the bus on time." "Unfortunately, the bus got a flat tire." etc.)

#11. BETWEEN THE LINES/ writing exercise, self-exploration, trust-building & group support

• This exercise requires each individual to have a notebook or scrap paper and something to write with AND music that can be played helps in creating a safe atmosphere
• Have everyone sit someone in the room in their own space
• Each person has the length of one song to write a note or letter than is specified by the instructor.
• These may include: Things I Like, Dear Self, I'm Afraid of..., I Wish, I Hate, I'm Sorry..., etc.
• As soon as the instructor delivers the starting line or subject, the song is started and the participants have until the end of the song to write.
• Encourage everyone to continue writing until the song ends.
• This is a great exercise to get people out of their minds and opening up to others
• Writing in a way that is not "judged", or checked for grammar or ideas of right & wrong is freeing. Ensure everyone feels safe to write away without holding back.
• This is a "rambling on" activity done with a pen instead of talking

 #12. SNAKE/ touching, trust, body movement & body language

• Establish a starting point and finish line (ie. this wall to that line or vice-versa)
• Have the participants form a line
• The first person touches the starting line with their body somehow and creates a shape with their body
• The next person touches the first person somehow and creates another shape that is different in levels, shape, silhouette, etc.
• This continues until a person on the "snake" touches the finish line
• This can be done with small groups and the last person leap-frogs to the front when it is their turn again
• CHANGE THINGS UP - give the participants a word they can use as inspiration for their shapes (ie. water, fire, monkey, Summer, etc.)

FOR MORE GAMES & ACTIVITIES ~ CHECK OUT PART 3!

(coming soon)

Characters ALWAYS Care - Even If They "Don't Care"

An actor playing the role of someone who "doesn't care" has a lot of work to do.  A playwright will not always hand over the thought process of characters behind their look of disinterest.  If a character doesn't care - there's a reason for it, and it is your job as an actor to find out why.
The important thing to remember is - you HAVE to care.

If you are playing a character who appears not to care in the script or the stage directions state that "he is indifferent to what she says to him" you HAVE to dig deeper! Why does a character appear uninterested? Why is he sitting perfectly still and staring blankly out to the audience? Why does your character state in the script "I don't care."?  Characters, like people, ALWAYS care. They may be hiding their feelings, they may be embarrassed by how the feel, they may feel forced to hide their emotions so as not to be faced with the consequences or they may be yelling "I don't care!" to get someone out of their face because they feel threatened.  If you play this type of role without some kind of feeling or thought process behind your disinterest, the audience will also lose interest in your character and your performance will fall flat!

Some playwrights DO inform the actors of the thought process and explanations of just how the gears are turning inside a character's mind and THIS - is a gift.  If we take the role of Brick, for example in A Cat On A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams, at the beginning of the play.  His wife Maggie is reaming him out about the fact that they are yet to bear children and she pushes him (or tries to push him) into feeling and expressing some kind of emotion.  During her rants, the script states that Brick speaks "...with a tone of politely feigned interest, masking indifference, or worse, is characteristic of his speech with Margaret." and "...he is not looking at her but into fading gold space with a troubled expression."  and goes on to use words such as "wryly", "indifferently" and "absently".  I adore Tennessee Williams for phrases such as these.  On the surface, one might watch Brick putting up with Maggie's badgering and assume that he must be bored with her or that he feels nothing for her.  This is NOT however the case. Brick has been through the trauma of losing his best friend and has zero interest in taking his wife to bed.  Williams leaves so much room for the actors portraying these roles however, it is important for anyone playing the role of Brick to have a thought process going on in his mind onstage, he MUST feel something towards Maggie (positive or negative) and he must CARE.

Don't deprive a character you are portraying onstage the opportunity to LIVE in front of an audience
because you think it's best to play them as someone who doesn't care.

There is no "Off-Stage" when you're performing in a Murder Mystery ;)

Performing in a play takes a lot of hardwork: 3-4 months of rehearsals, memorization of lines, finding your costume and creating your character.  However, with stage plays, you have the opportunity of running the same scenes over and over again until the actors are comfortable with the script and their fellow actors and the director is satisfied with their work.  Murder Mysteries are a COMPLETELY different ball game.

First, you get notice that a show has been booked approximately one month ahead of time.  The script is emailed out to you and you start learning your lines and creating your character at home and in your own time.  Depending on whether or not the actors have done the script before, there may not be a group rehearsal. There is no proper way to rehearse a Murder Mystery ahead of time because you cannot imagine, anticipate or plan for the type of audience you will have, the set up of the venue when you arrive or what topics will be discussed at your table. 

In Murder Mysteries, there is no "Off-Stage".  You arrive with the guests, you sit and eat at the table with the guests and you are not introduced as yourself until dessert.  Murder Mysteries are a great way for actors to develop and challenge their acting abilities.  An actor cannot simply take a break from being their character.  It is truly a wonderful experience to converse, argue and put guests on the spot (sometimes) as someone else.  There is only a few scenes that are scripted and the rest is completely improv'd on the spot by the actors.

There is so much opportunity for actors to play with and bring their own special touch to each character.  One actor may choose to play "the lawyer" as a sleezy character who hits on women and constantly slicks his hair back.  Another actor may take that same character and make him into a suave salesman who is always handing out his card and trying to sell his services.  Some actors may even choose to play this character as the strong silent type.  The limits are endless!

I personally do work as an actor with a local Murder Mystery company called "Murder for Hire" and we are always looking for more actors!  It is a lot of fun and all the actors are very supportive of each other.  We're like our own little family of business people, students, retirees, mothers, fathers, grandparents and children.  I would recommend that anyone involved with theatre as an actor or anyone who is serious about performing and wants to improve themselves, to consider auditioning for a Murder Mystery Troupe.  There is no better character development than having to play the same character for 1-3 hours without ever going "Off-Stage".

Check out Murder for Hire's website!!! : http://www.murderforhire.ca/