OTHER DRAMA GAMES
ENERGY 1-10
Everyone is positioned in a big circle, squatting down. All participants count 1 to 10. This is done in unison -- moving up slowly with increasing energy level. 1 is barely audible, 10 is as loud as possible—with everyone standing straight, hands reaching up. It’s important to watch each other, to ensure all are at the same energy level. Also make sure that the increase in energy is very gradual.
NICE KITTY
One player is the kitty and has to go and meow at the other players to try to get them to laugh or smile. If that person laughs or smiles they become the kitten. To make it harder you can play that the kitty meows at a person three times and each time the player has to pat them on the head and say “Nice Kitty” to be safe, but with younger ones you should just give them a few seconds to stay serious and then try someone else.
The kids can get very creative. If there is someone who is particularly hard to make smile then get everyone to go meow at them at the same time. I also had a group who would make their favorite animal sounds instead of meowing. So we had “Nice Rooster” and “Nice Lion”. The only rule is no touching the person who you are trying to make laugh.
HONEY, DO YOU LOVE ME?
This game is for the older kids. Much like “Nice Kitty”, the goal is to make a person laugh or smile. The person who is ‘it’ goes up to someone else and asks “Honey, do you love me?” in whatever crazy way they want to. The other player has to respond by saying “Honey I love you but I just can’t smile” without smiling or laughing. If they can’t do it then they are ‘it’. Once again, ‘it’ cannot touch the person they are trying to make laugh.
WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN THE... KITCHEN? SCHOOL? PLAYGROUND?
Students are divided into groups and given a paper and pencil. The leader announces a location and the kids are given 5 minutes to come up with as many things that can happen in a location as possible. The goal is to realize that there are many improv options in whatever situation you may be in. For example: In a kitchen you could cook, wash dishes, and eat. But you could also go roller skating, get into an argument with someone, or break a window. Come up with as many as you can.
This activity
works well as a follow-up to “What Can Happen In The…?” One person chooses a
location and an action. They then get up in front of everyone else and mime
their action (ex: gardening). Once the other people think they know where the
person is they join in the scene doing different things (ex: a person could be
a plant, a butterfly, or a dog digging up the garden). After enough people have
joined, the leader stops the activity and asks each person where they think
they are and what are they doing. Finally they ask the first person where they actually
are.
STATUES/PLAYDOUGH
Students divide into groups of two. One student is "A", the other "B". Student A becomes a lump of clay and student B becomes the sculptor. Using approximately 2 minutes, student B molds student A into an interesting statue and gives the statue a name. At the end of the two minutes of work, the teacher asks each sculptor the name of their statue. Students now reverse. B becomes the sculptor and A becomes the clay. Repeat the exercise.
ENERGY BALL TOSS
The leader mimes taking out an energy ball and explains what it is to the group. The imaginary ball is then tossed around the circle in a game of catch. When throwing the ball the player should get the catcher’s attention before so they know who the ball is going to.
Players can throw the ball however they want (heavy, light, bouncing, slow, etc.) and the person catching must catch the ball however it is thrown. Once caught the player with the ball can change the ball to be any way they want and then pass it on to someone else.
USING STAGE VOICES
Give each
child a simple phrase, easy to memorize. Example: "Anthony, come
here." or "Open the door." Each student then has to say their
line in three or four different tones of voice to convey different meanings.
WINK MURDER
Sit participants in a circle. Choose a 'detective' - he or she leaves the room. Remaining participants shut their eyes and bow their heads - ensure no-one cheats! Teacher walks around outside of the circle and taps one of the participants on the back - he/she then becomes the 'murderer'. The murderer must not be revealed to the other players. He or she must then murder the others in the circle by winking silently at them. Those murdered should die horribly - either by collapsing or by falling off their chairs.
The detective is reintroduced as soon as the murderer is chosen and, by standing in the centre of the circle, must try to guess who the murderer is. The detective is allowed two or three guesses. Other players must try not to give away who the murderer is. If the detective doesn't guess in the two or three goes, the murderer is then asked to reveal his/herself by standing up. Either way, a new detective and murderer are chosen and the game begins again. Theatrical/acting skills can be introduced by asking participants to think about and portray their methods of death when dying, e.g. strangulation, falling off a cliff, poisoning, etc.
For a group of kids who can’t wink very well the murderer can stick their tongue out instead.
SILENT SCREAM
To help children feel emotion physically, ask the seated group to scream without making a sound. Coach them: Scream with your toes! Your eyes! Your back! Your stomach! Your legs! Your whole body! When they are responding physically and muscularly as they would for a vocal scream, call: Scream out loud! The sound should be deafening.
