Drama Games & Activities for Kids, Teens & Adults PART 1

Theatre Games, Activities & Trust Exercises for Kids, Teens & Adults

Group Activity with www.Murderforhire.ca PHOTO CREDIT: Heather May

 

 

 

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.

 

#1. TOUR GUIDES/ trust, improv, thinking on your feet, action & reaction

• Each member of the group takes turns leading the rest of the group on an imaginary tour through a place or environment of their choosing.
• The tour guide might travel across the moon, through an ocean or on a famous movie set.
• The guide might say things like "If you look to your left, you'll see a hot dog riding a bicycle." etc.
• Encourage members of the group to react with whatever is stated by the tour guide.

#2. PAPER BAG CHARACTERS/ improv, imagination and creativity

• Have each participant bring an opaque paper/plastic bag/container to class with 3 random items inside (make sure you cannot see through the container)
• These items might range from a lipstick, eraser, key, shoelace, pencil, etc.
• Put all the containers with the items inside in a pile or line
• Have each participant choose a bag (not their own) at random
• Each person must come up with a character, connection to the objects and story to present to the group
• They could present their character to the group AS the character for added interest

#3. TWO-LINE SCENES/ improv, accepting others' ideas, team support and imagination

• Separate the group into pairs
• Each group is given two words or statements (ie. "Have you seen it?" and "Oh my!")
• Have the pairs come up with a short 0-1 minute scene using only these two statements/words
• With older groups, you could choose to perform these scenes on the spot without rehearsing

#4. ONCE UPON A TIME.../improv, imagination & creativity

• Have everyone in the group exchange a personal item with someone else in the class
• These items might be something they have with them OR a random item that they were asked to bring with them
• Each person creates a story to go with the item and presents it to the group
• Though person A's ring might have been given to them by their mother - person B presents a story they made up starting with "Once upon a time..."
• Encourage the participants to think about where the object came from, who it belongs to and why it is so important

#5. GROUP SNAPSHOTS/ tableau, freeze, body awareness and teamwork

• This activity requires a camera or camera phone (but camera is best)
• Have everyone in the group work together to create a scene then freeze in place to take a picture
• Examples: audience applauding a celebrity, group bullying someone, people telling secrets, people plotting against someone, a magician performing a magic trick, opposing teams, etc.
• Print these pictures for the next class and tape them up somewhere the group can see
• Ask each individual to take one of the photos and create a story/scene which explains the picture
• If you don't have a camera, you could perform this exercise in front of a mirror so the group can see what they look like
• If you have access to lights, you can use them to create interesting effects and moods

#6. SHORT SCENES/ improv, teamwork, accepting ideas of others and character-building

• Split the group into pairs or groups of threes
• Ask each group to come up with 3 things: characters, a problem and how the problem gets resolved
• Perform short scenes which clearly #1-introduces the characters #2-exposes a problem #3-resolves the problem
• Ie. #1-Mother & Daughter #2-daughter got nose pierced & mom disapproves #3-daughter gets grounded OR #3-daughter convinces mom to have her nose pierced
• These scenes can be rehearsed and then performed (with younger participants) or delivered on the spot using improvisation

FOR MORE GAMES & ACTIVITIES ~ CHECK OUT PART 2!

 

 

 



 

A Director's Checklist for the Audition

The script has been chosen, the royalties have been paid for and the theatre space has been booked.
Now it's time to find some actors!

PREPARATIONS
-The Director must decide what they are looking for in their actors and narrow down the list which may include any and all of the following: Experience, Willingness to Learn, Compatability with Others, Personality, Reputation, Resume, Physical Appearance as per Characters Described, Ability to Take Direction, Ability to Read/Perform in front of others and Charisma.
-The Director/Producer must book the audition space and pay for it if required.
-Audition Notices should be posted no later than a month in advance in newspapers, mass emails, Facebook, Community Boards and other outlets online.
-It must be decided as to whether or not the auditions will be held on a one-on-one basis or in a group setting and whether or not any part or all of the audition will be recorded or photographed.
-The Director must choose what they want actors to bring to the audition which can be any one or all of the following: resume, headshot, monologue, acting reel, certificates/diplomas or letter of recommendation.
-The Director and Production Team can (if they choose) select pieces of the script to be used in either a group or one-on-one audition and decide whether or not these selections will be available for actors to read prior to the auditions.

CHECKLIST
-copies of the script for actors to read if they choose
-character descriptions for roles being auditioned for
-copies of script segments or cold reads
-Information Sheets for actors to fill-out as they arrive
-brief outline of items to be discussed and activites to be held
-any props or costumes (if any) you want available to the actors to 'play with'

THE AUDITION
1. Greet everyone as they arrive and make them feel welcome and at ease
(no one wants to see a paranoid, scared or intimidated actor attempt to audition or recite a monologue)
2. Take pictures of the individual actors if you are doing so.
3. Introduce yourself, the production team, the theatre company & the production itself
4. Verbalize the expectations of actors if they are cast and ask anyone to leave if they cannot meet them
(ie. arriving on-time to rehearsals, attending a certain number of rehearsals/week, being accepting of others regardless race, colour, religion, age, orientation, etc.)
5. Inform actors as to when and how they will be contacted if they are cast.
(I also encourage all directors to contact ALL actors to inform them as to whether they've been cast OR not. This is civil, respectful and is an excellent opportunity to give the actors (who were not cast) feedback as to what they did wrong and how they can improve for their next audition. If possible, contact ALL actors to show them you are thankful and grateful that they took the time to audition in the first place - they may audition for you again)
6. Have the actors introduce themselves to the group by sharing their name, an interesting fact about them, why they are auditioning, their interest in theatre, etc.
7. With all the "business" out of the way, now you can have fun with your actors and start the auditions :)

IDEAS for AUDITIONS
- Start with a group warm-up. This will get everyone on their feet, help them to relax AND you will be able to see how they feel about being up with a larger group.
- Hold a group Improv session. This could be anything from having everyone up at the same time and walking around the room interacting (or not) as certain characters, in certain situtations, weather conditions, or with specific character traits. This is another great way to get actors loosened up and see how comfortable they are with maybe getting a little silly :)
- Have two-five actors stand and read and/or perform a part of a scene from the play. Give them direction as to the characters they are portraying, what has just occured previously in the scene and what their objectives are.
- Have one actor stand in front of the group at a time and either read a monologue or a poem as a specific character from the play.
- Have actors auditioning for a certain role perform a simple action that the character does during the play. Examples: screaming in fear/rage/anger, crying, passing out, shocked gasp, scary face, drunken hiccup, hungover, freaked-out as though seeing a monster, etc.
- Storytelling Excercise: Actors stand/sit in a circle. The Director gives the group a title of the story. One person says 3 words then the person to the right of them says the next 3 words that must continue the story until it has gone around the circle or until everyone is laughing too hard to continue. This is a great activity to see actors interact with and listen to each other.
- Hot Seat: 3 actors sit in chairs side by side. The 2 actors on the ends must compete for the attention of the actor in the middle by any means necessary (within reason) and without physically touching them. This is a great ice-breaker and gives actors the chance to let loose a bit.
- Body Language: actors spread around the room. The director calls an emotion, thought or feeling and the actors situate themselves in a still pose (and without sound) which they think portrays what has been asked for.  The director can then move throughout the room and discuss specific examples of what works and what doesn't and why. This gives a chance for actors to listen, learn and get feedback. This is a great way to promote interactions with everyone present - not just the director.

Whether you are a director or an actor at an audition - ALWAYS REMEMBER to have fun!