© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg.

1
 Movement Games
The games in this collection will help young actors feel comfortable onstage. They will help
teach basic stage movement techniques, while encouraging students to move expressively.

The activities highlighted in blue are clickable links that lead to

either a video or a longer written lesson.

Across the Room

Two players exchange a gesture (a handshake, a hug, a kiss, a special gift, a secret) from long
range which must be given and received as if the players are right next to one another.
Variation: Try this in slow motion. Or one player disrupts the action and the other reacts.

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

This is a great focusing warm-up. Have everyone form a circle and establish a rhythm, by
chanting together ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.’ Repeat this without making any movements
at first. Then, choose one person to start making a gesture accompanying the rhythm, such as
snapping his fingers. On the next round of repeating ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,’ the
person next to him takes over his gesture and he starts a completely new gesture. On the third
repetition, player three takes over the original gesture, and so on. The first gesture will make its
way all around the circle. Note: players are not doing this all together. It’s a chain reaction. This
game requires a lot of concentration. Players have to play close
attention to the previous player. If players start watching other
players, they can easily get lost!

Alphabet Warm-up
Players in small groups. When a letter is called, each group forms
that letter with their bodies.

Or try this!
Individual Alphabet Warm-up
Players find their own space in the room, make the
letters on their own as the lead player calls them out.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 2

Animals
Make sure you have an even number of players. Give everyone an animal, but make sure that
there are two of each, and that nobody knows which other player is which animal. Have players
mill about the space and slowly transform into their animal. Then let them know that there are
two of each animal, and that the goal is for them to find their partner! At the end, ask the
players to find the other animal of their kind. Ask the others if they found out who was which
animal.

Animal Morph
Invite students to think of an animal. Ask them to picture it clearly, paying attention to how it
moves and sounds. Next, invite students to mill about the room and to gradually transform into
that animal. The key is to coach students into changing animals very slowly. After all students
have transformed into animals, ask them to reverse the process, gradually turning back into
human beings. This can also be done as a solo exercise with students moving across the front
of the stage, starting as a human, transforming into an animal and back into a human again.

Arm Game
This is a classic improv game! Four players onstage. Two players stand downstage, with the
other two players directly behind them. For each pair, one player holds his hands behind his
back--he will do the talking. The other player stands behind him with his arms extended to
provide the gestures. The goal is for the two players to work together to give the illusion that it
is one person talking and gesturing. (This game is also known as ‘Helping Hands.’)

Assassin
In a big group, everyone secretly picks someone to be their bodyguard, and somebody to be
their assassin. Tell students not to reveal who they picked as what. Game starts, and everyone
moves in such a way to protect themselves from their “assassin,” by trying to keep their
“bodyguard” between themselves and their assassin. After several minutes of chaos everyone
reveals who was picked for what. Tips: No running. Make a clearly defined playing space. See
also-Predator/Protector

Association Freeze
Divide group in half. Have one half of the group mill about onstage. At any time, the lead player
calls a player’s name. That player jumps into a frozen position. The other players build around
that player, creating a tableau. Once everyone is in position, ask players to declare what they
think is happening in the scene. Ask audience members what they see happening. Use these
tableaus to generate ideas for short plays!

Back Dancing
Put students in pairs and have them spread out in the room. Invite actors to stand back to
back, and dance to different kinds of music with their backs touching at all times. This is a great
activity for developing trust among group members.

Bad Monkey
(Full version in 75 No-prep Drama Lessons-Also on Video under Movement.)
This is ‘impossible’ pantomime! Students will act out an animal doing a particular task such as:
butterfly washing the dishes; dog mowing the lawn; elephant playing video games, etc. To play,
first create a list of animals on one sheet of paper and activities on another, or use the ‘Bad
Monkey’ printout provided on this website under ‘75 No-prep Drama Lessons Games.’ Print out
the game on two colors of paper. For example, print animals on blue paper and activities on
red. Cut apart, and place all in a hat. Students pick one of each color and then act out an
animal doing something.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 3

Balloon Dance
Play some classical music if you have it. Have players scatter
around the room and toss many balloons into the air, sending
them in the direction of the players. Encourage players to move
in slow motion-this is NOT a competitive, fast game! The players
must keep the balloons in the air, touching them with any part of
their bodies, not just hands, as if their bodies were part of the
balloons they’re touching. Invite students to think of their bodies
as balloons, inflated, flying alongside the actual balloons.

Band-Aid Tag
Have players spread out in the playing space. Choose one person
to be IT. When another player is tagged by IT, they hold a Band-
Aid (their hand) on the place where they were tagged. They can
keep moving in the game, but must keep the Band-Aid on! If a
player is tagged three times, however, they are out of Band-Aids
and become frozen in place. A frozen player can be untagged by
two players ‘operating’ on the wound for a count of five.

Bear in the Dark Forest

This game is like the classic game ‘Grandmothers’ Footsteps.’ Have players assemble at one end
of the room--they are the Hikers. Choose one person to play the Bear who stands at the other
end of the room facing away from the Hikers. The goal is for the Hikers to reach the other end
of the room without the Bear seeing them move. The Bear can turn around at any time. Any
Hiker caught moving must leave the forest. (The Bear calls out the person’s name.) Tip: “No
arguing, what the bear says goes! That means that if you are the bear, make sure to only call
out names of people you actually saw moving, not people who you just know have moved!”

Become
(On Video under Movement)
Have students spread out in the playing space. One person is the object caller; everyone else
begins the game by walking around the room. (This one can be played with the entire class, or
you can divide the group in half and ask one group to watch as the other half goes onstage.)
The caller names an object. The walking players have two choices-they may use or become the
object. They must do so immediately, without pausing. As soon as everyone is using or has
become the object, the caller tells them to walk around again. After a few seconds, the caller
names another object.

Examples!
Washing machine!
Guitar! Computer!
Light bulb!
Camera!
Motorcycle!
Napkin!
Scissors!
Vacuum cleaner!
Blender!

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 4

Becoming Characters
Have the students move about the space. Tell them that in a minute, they are going to become
a character. They will move like that character and create a facial expression that they think
that character would have. The leader calls out four different characters and each student
silently chooses to be one of the characters. Without talking, they mill about the room and
silently greet the other players as their character. Side-coach “How old is your character?” “How
fast does this character walk?” “Does this character have lots of energy, or is he slow?” etc.
After a minute, invite students to add dialogue. At the end of the game, have one of each
character get into a small group and come up with a skit that features at least one of each
character. For example: If you played using the King, Wizard, Princess and the Farmer, have
one of each join together in a small group. You may choose to put all of the Kings in one area
of the room, all of the Wizards in another area, and so on, and pull one student from each
group to put them together.

Character suggestions:
King, Wizard, Princess, Farmer
Snake, Elephant, Lion, Bunny
Policeman, Teacher, Actress, Race Car Driver
Beauty Queen, Thief, Mail Carrier, Doctor
Hillbilly, Rock Star, Spy, Cheerleader
Detective, Construction Worker, Talk-Show Host, Clown

Big Blob
Have a small group of players take the stage and improvise a short scene. Ask them to play the
scene again, but this time, tell them that there is an enormous blob of goo in the middle of the
playing space. Players must act out the scene again, walking or moving through the blob
without outright addressing that it is there!

Birds Have Feathers

This is a simplified version of ‘Simon Says,’ and is a funny
concentration warm-up. Choose one player to be the leader. He
goes up in front of the group and says, “Birds have feathers.” The
entire group including the leader starts flapping their arms like
wings. Next, the leader calls out other things in a rapid-fire way
meant to confuse the group. “Crows have feathers. Eagles have
feathers. Dogs have feathers.” Players ‘flap’ their wings only when
the leader calls out things with feathers. If a player keeps flapping
on a non-feather command, they are out.
Blob Tag
Players spread out in the playing space and the Blob, is chosen. When play begins, the Blob
tries to tag another student. When the Blob tags someone, that person attaches to the Blob,
becoming part of the Blob. Eventually, all players are part of the Blob. Remind students that
there are no ‘winners’ in this game. It’s an exercise in creativity (avoiding the Blob) and working
together (as a Blob).

Box of Hats
This one takes a while to assemble, but is really fun to have once it’s done. Find a big container
such as a plastic tub or bin. Start collecting interesting hats such as: a helmet, a sombrero, a
wedding veil, etc. Once you start collecting hats, it’s hard to stop! Bring in the Box of Hats
occasionally for some really crazy fun with the students. You’ll want to hide it before class and
establish a rule that only one player gets to pick a hat at a time.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 5

 Or try this!
Character Walk with Hats
Have Box of Hats “offstage.” Invite students to go up one at a time, choose a
hat, and move from one side of the stage to the other as a character who would
wear that hat.

Hat Monologues
Invite students to choose one hat. (Several players may choose the same hat.) Next, ask them
to come up with three words that would describe a person who would wear that hat. Next,
have students come up with a name/age/occupation for the character. Ask them to think about
what kind of problems this character would have, and then imagine a scene in which something
dramatic happens to him/her that causes the character to change in a significant way. Instruct
students to then write a one-minute monologue based on the ideas they generated from
looking at the hat!

Hat Skits
One at a time, invite students to choose a hat and then invite them to walk through the space
as a character who would wear that hat. At the sound of a bell, or when the music stops, have
them find two or three other players who have hats of a similar color. Once small groups are
established, invite players to come up with a three-minute skit using their “hat” characters. Use
“A Short Play” format to make it easier.

Hats at a Funeral
Play the Funeral Game. One person lies dead in a coffin downstage. One at a time, players
come up to the dead guy and say their final good-bye’s. For this version of the game, players
must choose a hat first and use that as inspiration for their character.

Box of Scarves
Assemble a box of scarves of varying sizes and colors. Use the box of scarves in place of a
costume box to get students thinking in terms of using their imaginations rather than simply
putting on a ready-made costume. Make the box of scarves available for students to use in the
skits they put on. One scarf per student is a good rule. Students may or may not use the
scarves to tell their story. But if one of their characters was an old woman, for example, the
player could wrap a scarf around her shoulders like a shawl, or over her head, tied under her
chin.

Or try this!
Scarf Mix-up
After players have chosen a scarf, they must move through the
room trading scarves with other players.

Scarf Dance
Put together a CD or a song-list that contains a variety of different types of
instrumental music such as: classical; ambient; jazz; African drumming;
chamber music; Indian flute; etc. Let each player take a scarf and find his/her
space in the room. When the music starts, ask players to move to the music,
allowing their scarves to be extensions of their bodies.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 6

Scarf Costumes
In a circle, one player starts with the scarf, showing one way to wear it as an article of clothing
or costume. Next player must invent a different use and so on around the circle. It can be a
hat, an apron, a bib, a headband, a tail, etc.

Scarf Characters
One at a time, have players choose a scarf and choose a way to wear the scarf, go up in front
of the class and give a character name and movement using the scarf as inspiration. For
example, one player may use the scarf as a super-hero cape, while another becomes a
housewife, turning the scarf into an apron. Each player must come up with a unique idea!

Scarf Skits
Using above activity, have all scarf characters move around the room the way their character
would move. At the sound of a bell, or when the music stops, players find two or three other
characters MOST like their character. Then have them start moving through the space again,
then ring a bell and have players find two or three other scarf character LEAST like their
character. This is all totally arbitrary, of course, no right answers and no wrong answers. When
players are in small groups, they must come up with a skit featuring their scarf characters.

Break out of the Box

Everyone knows the classic mime-in-the-shrinking-box piece. In this game, we’re going to take
it a step further! As the box shrinks, the actor must find an inventive way to escape from the
box. For instance, an actor could decide to take out a lighter and light the box on fire, narrowly
escaping with his life! Each player must come up with a different escape tactic. This is a great
imagination game, and an excellent way to teach students about multiple objectives that
characters often have in a scene/play.

Captain on Deck
(On Video under Focusing and Listening.)
This extremely fun game is a sea-going version of Simon Says, but instead of saying ‘Simon
says,’ the Captain will say ‘at ease’ before giving the next command.

Have everyone find a space in the room, and announce to your group that they are now on
board a ship, and that they are the crew and you are the Captain. Have them imagine what the
ship looks like, and decide on where the bow is (the front) and the
stern is (the back), the port (left) and the starboard) the right side
is. Tell students that you will be issuing a series of commands that
they are to obey. HOWEVER, they must always wait for you to say,
‘at ease’ before following the next command. If they follow a
command without ‘at ease’ in-between, or if they get left out of a
command, they will be sent to the Pickle Pot where they must do a
little pickle dance before joining the game again. Remaining players
may wish to sing ‘Pickle Pot, Pickle Pot’ (to the tune of Lollipop,
Lollipop) while the person dances.

Next is a long list of commands from which to choose. Start with

three and then add in more as the students get better at the game!

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 7

 Captain on Deck Commands
Captain on Deck
Stand at attention, salute, and say “Aye, Aye Captain!”

Stern
Go to the front of the ship and look out.

Bow
Run to the back of the ship and pull in the anchor

Starboard
Go to the left side and walk the plank.

Port
Go to the left side of the ship and load the cannons.

Climb the Rigging

Pretend to climb up to the crow’s nest.

Swab the Deck

Pretend to mop the deck or get on your hands and knees and scrub.

Seasick
Find a partner. One person bends over and becomes the railing while the other
person pretends to get sick over the edge.

Mermaid/Merman
Stand on one leg while holding the other leg up behind you. Wave with your
other hand, smile and say, “Hiya Sailor!”

Man Overboard
Find a partner. One person lies on the floor waving his arms and legs. The other
person tries to throw him a life preserver.

Starfish
Three players put their hands together in the middle of a circle and turn like a
carousel.

Abandon Ship
Three players-two people sit on the floor and row a lifeboat while one person sits
between them.

Boom Crossing
Duck and say “Whoa!”

Pirate Attack
Find a partner and have a sword fight.

Shipwreck
Fall on the ground and yell, “We’ve been hit!”
© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 8
Cat and Mouse
All players in pairs. This is a fast-moving tagging game. One player is the Cat, one other player
is the Mouse, and all others stay in pairs, arms hooked together standing scattered about the
playing space. The Cat chases the Mouse; when the Mouse is caught then the Mouse becomes
the Cat. However, the Mouse can escape chase by hooking his arm into any pair of other
players. At that point the player at the other end of the pair becomes Cat and the Cat becomes
Mouse.

Catch and Clap

Players in a circle. Toss a bean bag or easy-to-catch ball back and forth around the circle. Let
players know that it is the thrower’s responsibility to allow the catcher to catch it! Once a
rhythm is established, introduce a “clap” every time the ball is in the air. All other players must
clap in unison while the ball is in the air. Play until there is a nice rhythm and flow!

Character Development through Walks

Play some music and have group members walk around trying out various postures until they
develop a character. Next, offer a situation for them to interact in such as: in a grocery store; in
an elevator; a party; etc. This part should be pantomimed only. Next, introduce a new situation
and invite participants to add dialogue.

Chase Scene
Two players chase each other around the room. The person being chased mimes obstacle that
the person chasing him must overcome. This may be played with the entire group in pairs!

Circle Sitting
Arrange everyone in a circle and have them
continue to step in closer and closer until their
shoulders are touching. Next have everyone
turn to the side so that they are back-to-front
and have them step even closer together and
have them sit down. The result should be that
everyone will end up sitting on each other’s
knees, without the structure falling down.

Clap Snap Stomp

This game may be played with the whole
group in a circle or in pairs, facing each other.
Start by having players go around the circle
counting one at a time “one…two…three” with
each person offering one number. Once the
group has gotten that down, ask students to
replace the “one” with a clap. It will sound like
this “clap…two…three.” Go around the circle a
couple of times until players have that down. Next, replace the “two” with a “snap.” It will
sound like this, “clap…snap…three.” Repeat until the group has it down. Last, replace the
“three” with a “stomp.” It will sound like this, “clap…snap…stomp.” Students must really pay
attention because they won’t always be making the same movement/sound.

Colors
(List of colors is in Lists section.)
Have players walk about the space. Call out a color. Players must create a movement, pose or
expression that is reflective of that color.
© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 9
 Or try this!
Colorful Characters
Use colors in place of character traits in other improv games such as Party
Quirks, Restaurant Game, Hitchhiker and more.

Colorful Skits
Have each player choose a color from a hat. In groups of three or four, they come up with a
character based on their color and write a skit based on the characters in their group.

Cross and the Circle

Players can be sitting, standing, on a chair, or on the floor. Tell students that what they are
about to do sounds easy, but is nearly impossible! First, ask everyone to “draw” a circle with
their right hand. It can be as small or large as they please. Now ask them to make a “cross”
with their left hand. Next, ask them to do both at the same time. It’s almost impossible. But
with practice, it can be done. Explain that is what actors do; they take something new and
uncomfortable and practice it until they can achieve the seemingly impossible.

Dancing Statues
Equipment: Paper cups or yogurt cups. Each player is given an empty paper cup and they put it
on their head. Play some lively music and invite the players to start dancing. The student who
keeps the cup on their head the longest wins.

Diamonds
(On Video under Movement.)
Choose four students to come up on stage and demonstrate. Have them stand in relation to
one another like a baseball diamond, each person facing the audience. The person at ‘home
plate’ begins a movement, slow and methodical. The players behind the leader mirror him/her.
When the leader is ready, she slowly pivots to her left. All players follow her lead, making a new
person the leader of the diamond. This is really beautiful when performed to music. After one
group has demonstrated, the remaining students can form their own diamonds.

Difficulties
Invite students to spread out and find a space in the room.
Next, have them pantomime an ordinary activity such as raking
leaves. After a short time, add in a ‘difficulty’ such as ‘rake the
leaves with feet made of lead.’ This game demonstrates how
even the smallest of difficulties/obstacles changes the nature of
a scene. This game may also be played by bringing a few
students onstage at a time to demonstrate ‘difficulties,’ or
having one student onstage at a time if you are working with a
small group. Here are a few suggestions; use the ‘Activities
Pantomime’ in the ‘Print and Play’ section of this website for
more pantomime ideas.

Get dressed with rigid fingers.

Clean house only moving backward.
Walk the dog, only have one leg.
One arm, fly a kite.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 10

Divide up the movement
Invite actors to spread out and find their own space in the room. Next, instruct them to start
walking just as they normally do. Then, invite them slow way down and pay close attention to
every little movement. Ask actors to recognize that all movement can be broken down into a
series of smaller movements. After actors have experienced this, bring them back together as a
group and ask about what they experienced. There are no right or wrong answers, and
students usually come up with some great insights about movement.

Don’t Copy Me!

Bring one student up in front of the group and have them create a short series of movements.
For example, he might jump twice and then bend and slap his knees. Next, the entire class
practices his movement sequence until they can imitate it pretty accurately. Once the
movement is familiar, someone volunteers to change it. That student must repeat the
movement exactly, but making one change. For example, he may choose to make one of the
jumps more exaggerated. Continue playing a few more rounds with each new student making
just one change. The sequence will morph into something completely different from the original
one.

Don’t Just Stand There, Do Something

Three players onstage. Invite players to improvise a scene in which every spoken line must be
accompanied by a gesture or movement. This activity can ‘free-up’ students who feel reluctant
to move while delivering dialogue. In this game, the movement need not feel ‘natural,’ it can be
anything!

Ducklings
Place all players in a line. The first player starts walking around the room, walking a large circle.
The second player starts following the first one, and tries to move like the first player. After a
few rounds, the first player goes to the back of the line, and the third player starts following
and imitating the second one. Note: This is an observation game. Tell players to be
themselves; don’t try to be funny.

Eights
This is an excellent physical warm-up game. Have players spread out in the space. Ask players
to make an '8' movement with their left big toe, then their left foot, then whole left leg. Repeat
with right toe/foot/leg. Repeat with left index finger, left hand, left lower arm, left arm. Repeat
with right hand/finger/arm. Repeat with both arms. Have students try going in opposite
directions. Have them make 8-shaped movements with their pelvis. Invite actors to try
horizontally and vertically or try changing direction. Repeat with left shoulder, right shoulder,
both shoulders…their heads. End exercise by having students make eights simultaneously with
as many parts of their bodies as possible.

Elephant, Giraffe, Palm Tree

This game sounds complicated, but it’s not, and students LOVE this game. Arrange students in
a circle with one person in the middle. The middle person will be the ‘caller’ and point to
someone. The person pointed to along with a person on each side of him will have to form
what was called out. (Either an ELEPHANT, GIRAFFE, OR PALM TREE.) The game has to be
played quickly. As soon as an object is formed, the person in the middle of the circle has to
point to someone else and call out a new formation.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 11

 Elephant
Middle player (one pointed to) will form an
elephant trunk by putting arms straight in front of
him crossed at the wrists. Players on each side
will form the ears of the elephant by turning
sideways and forming giant ‘C’s’ with their hands.

Giraffe
Player pointed to raise arms above head, arms
extended fingers closed. The players on either
side bend toward the middle person and grab
onto his waist.

Palm Tree
Middle player raises arms above head in "Y" formation, fingers open. Side
players do the same but lean toward outside, away from the middle person.

Or try this!
Band
Middle person is the drummer, person on right plays guitar, person on left plays
keyboard.

Surfer
Middle person is the surfer balancing on the surfboard. Players on either side are
the waves.

Car
Two wheels and a set of windshield wipers in the middle.

Cow
An udder in the middle and two horns on either side

Washing Machine
Two side players build a box with both arms, and the middle player waves her
arms in a circle in front of her. Trio may make washing machine noise.

Bunny
Middle player puts two paws up. Side players make rabbit ears.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 12

Emotion Statues
(Use Emotions in the List Section.)
Students stand in a circle or scattered about the space in a neutral position, with their hands at
their sides, feet about shoulder's distance apart. Call out an emotional state such as ecstatic,
worried, depressed, etc. and give students ten seconds to transform into a pose that reflects
that state. Encourage students to make the transition slowly, paying attention to details.

Energy Ball
This is a classic theatre game! In a large circle, have all
players hold their hands up, palms facing each other.
Next, ask them to imagine that they are holding a ball
of energy. Invite them to feel the energy pulsating and
radiating light. Have them make it larger, and then
smaller. After a few moments of practice, have
everyone drop their hands and choose one person to
create an energy ball and toss it to another player
across the circle. Players can make their energy balls
move quickly, or very slowly. They can be large or tiny.
Players receiving the energy ball can transform the ball
before tossing it to another player.

Environments
(Use Places and Environments in the List section.)
Played in small groups onstage, or simultaneously with several groups scattered about the
playing space. In this game, a group of players will silently create an environment within a few
seconds. The players can be objects or characters in the environment. The lead player calls out
the environment and then counts down from ten to one, at which point, all players freeze. The
lead player then calls out a new environment and the players must shift into new positions as
fluidly as possible.

Examples of environments!
Beach Fancy Party
Hair Salon Bank
Airplane Pirate Ship
Church Hospital
Dungeon Army Base
Grocery Store Playground
Garage Sale Post Office

Environment Build
(On Video under Movement.)
Divide class into two teams. One player takes the stage and pulls an ‘environment’ out of a hat.
The student onstage begins doing something in that environment. For example, if the scene is
the beach, he may begin building a sand castle. When another student is confident that she
knows what the environment is, she joins the scene doing something else (such as: sunbathing
or surfing in the waves). Play continues until all members of the team are participating in the
scene. Next, line up players and ask them to name the environment! If students are truly
focusing, they will all name the same environment.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 13

Every-day Olympics
This game helps students practice exaggerating their movements, making them bigger onstage.
In small groups, invite players to come up with an everyday activity such as washing the car, or
eating spaghetti. Students turn these ordinary activities into incredible feats by acting out the
activity as if they were in the Olympics. You may wish to have two sportscasters, two
competitors, and two on-the-field reporters.

Explosion Tag
This can be played before a class period or rehearsal as an excellent warm-up. Have the class
break into two groups. Set aside a space that is not too large, where students don't have to run
large distances. Team one will begin in the space, the other team will watch. One person will be
chosen as IT and they will begin to play tag. After a few minutes of tag, add another simple
rule. When a student is tagged they must explode. "Explode" should be the only direction given,
let their creativity decide how. The explosions should be an immediate reaction to being tagged.
However, the game of tag does not discontinue during an
explosion. Trade teams and repeat the process.

Family Portraits
Arrange students in groups of five to ten and have one group
take the stage. Choose one person to be the photographer (or
play the photographer yourself), and have the rest portray
family members. Tell students that you are going to be taking
a series of family portraits and ask them to arrange themselves
as though they are taking a formal picture (some standing,
some sitting, or kneeling). First, take a ‘regular’ family portrait.
Next, tell students that the photographer is going to be calling
out different kinds of families and they will have three seconds
to change into a new type of character with a different
expression and physical position. The result may look like a
weird slide show!

Family types!
Evil family Bodybuilder family
Celebrity family Very Intelligent family
Dude Ranch family Spy family
Hilarious family Sick family
Fighting family Scaredy-cat family
Depressed family Egotistical family
Model family Shy family
Circus family Zombie family
Invisible family Cartoon Character family
Rock Star family Clown family
Religious family Elf family
Criminal family

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 14

Fill the Space
Establish a playing space and have students spread out in the area. Next, instruct players to
start moving quickly (without running), making sure that they are fairly evenly spaced around
the room. The goal is to fill the entire space without leaving large open spots. Every once in a
while, the leader can ‘freeze’ the action to check for empty space. Players cannot stop moving,
but must work in concert with one another to fill the space. This is a great activity for building
ensemble and for helping students to develop spatial awareness.

Or try this!
Macramé
Players stay close enough to touch at least to other people. When the leader
calls, “stop,” everyone stops. Each person should be able to touch other people
with both hands and at least one leg, without anyone isolated in a corner of the
room.

Freeze Tag Scenes

Two actors start an improvised scene. At any point another player can call ‘Freeze.’ This is
usually prompted by the onstage actors creating an interesting visual picture or compelling
physical position.) The new player tags out one of the actors, and takes his place. Both players
then start an entirely new scene, using their body positions as inspiration for what’s happening
in the new scene. Because the focus is on physical positions, this game often results in weak
storylines, which is fine if you want to use the game as a warm-up. To encourage better
storytelling, allow stage players to run the scene a little longer before inviting other players to
‘tag’ an actor out.

From End to End

In this warm up exercise everyone starts out on one side of the room. Students move to the
other side of the room as a certain character or in a certain way (for example: as an alien
creature). This allows a certain level of physical warm up, it also allows the players to focus on
their interpretation of what they must create without worrying about what everyone else is
doing.

Ways to go from end to end…

As a lumbering sloth
Like a robot
Like a businessman in a hurry
Like you have no bones
As if you are weightless on the moon
Like a duckling
Like a spy
Like a beauty pageant contestant
Like a dancer
Like an abominable snowman
Like the world’s biggest spider

Gardener
One player is chosen to be the ‘gardener.’ One at a time, he brings other players into the
playing space and ‘molds’ them into various plants/trees/flowers, etc. to form a living garden.
For larger groups, have half of the class play at a time while the other half witnesses the
creation of the garden.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 15

Gesture/Sound Circle
This game is similar to the ‘telephone’ game in which a sentence
is whispered from player to player around the circle, but instead
of whispering a sentence, players repeat a gesture and a sound.
In a circle, one player starts by making a gesture with a sound.
The next player repeats his gesture and sound as precisely as
possible. This continues all the way around the circle. Just as the
sentence changes in the telephone game, the movement and
sound will change. Coach players to duplicate even the slightest
change in the movement/sound given to them by the previous
player.

Give and Take

Assemble everyone in a circle. Invite one person to go into the middle and make a random
sound and movement. The player repeats this sound and movement over and over as he
approaches someone else in the circle to whom he ‘gives’ his sound and movement. The player
receiving the sound and movement must imitate the other player precisely. When the original
player is satisfied that the new player has it right, he takes his place in the circle and the new
player moves into the center (while repeating the sound and movement over and over). Once in
the center of the circle, the new player must slowly transform the original sound and movement
into something else entirely and the cycle starts all over again. Play continues until everyone in
the circle has had a turn.

Greetings
(Full Version in 75 No-prep Drama Lessons)
Have the entire group form two lines facing each other. Each side is given a line, such as “Hi,
how are you?” And the players on the other side say “Fine, thank you.” The leader calls out a
way of greeting such as “Greet each other as if you are old friends.” Next, the players walk
toward each other, meet in the middle and deliver their lines ‘in character.’ The point of this
game is to show how one line of dialogue can change dramatically given different characters
and situations.

Be sure to also check out Open Scenes.

Examples of Ways to Greet Each Other:

Like old enemies
Like snobs
Like long lost friends
Like people in a big hurry, but friendly
Like rude people in a big hurry
Like business executives
Like old people
Like young children
Angrily
Sadly, crying
In a bored manner
Extremely politely
Very shyly, scared

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 16

Group Alphabet
Have the entire group mill about the space. Ring a bell or clap your
hands and call out a random letter. The entire group must immediately
assemble in the shape of that letter. Great ensemble-building activity!

Group Juggle
Have students stand in a large circle with plenty of room between each
person. This may be accomplished by having each person grab the
elbows of the person next to them and then dropping their arms. Next,
have players to toss a soft ball or small stuffed animal back and forth
across the circle in no particular order. After players become
accustomed to the flow of the game, introduce a second and possibly
third ball into play. Tell students that it is the responsibility of the person
throwing the ball to make sure that the receiver catches it. Slow down
or speed up the game depending on how well the group is doing.

Or try this!
Group Juggle Pattern
One person starts by tossing a soft ball or a small stuffed
animal to a specific player who, in turn, tosses it to a
player of her choosing. Inform players that they are
establishing an order. That is, every time they toss the
ball, they will toss it to the same person. This continues
until each person in the circle has caught the ball once, and a random sequence
is established. If you have a large group, players may wish to raise their hands
until they’ve caught the ball during the first round. After the sequence has been
established, play a couple of rounds (going in the exact same order), and then
introduce a second and third ball into play. Variation: introduce one ball that
goes in the opposite direction!

Group Juggle Name Game

In a circle, players toss a ball back and forth across the circle after calling out the name of the
person being thrown to. Coach players to include everyone. Say, “Notice who hasn’t been
thrown to in a while. Toss to a different person each time!”

Ask!
What helped us achieve our task?
What stood in the way?
What happened when I suggested that it was your responsibility to ensure that
your partner caught the ball?
What effect did changing the specific objectives have?
How is this like real-life teamwork?

Group Jump
Students stand in a circle and on cue, they jump together and then land. The goal is for
everyone to land at the same time. After a few tries, students must try to achieve the unison
jump and land without speaking. Next, they must try to land without making any noise with
their feet. Finally, how high can they jump and still land quietly and in unison?

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 17

Group Stop
(On Video under Movement.)
Have everyone quietly mill about the room. Tell group members that at any moment, a player
may stop. As soon as that happens, the other group members should also stop. Basically, one
person ‘freezing’ should cause the others to freeze. Anyone in the group may start moving
again, causing the entire group to move. This game reminds actors that what they do onstage
is dependent on what other actors do. A play is a series of actions/reactions, not merely
memorizing one’s part and saying lines on cue.

Guess What We’re Doing

A group of players onstage. One player is sent out for a
moment while the stage players agree to act out a scenario
such as: working on an assembly line. The task should not
be too hard or too obvious. The outside player returns and
must enter the scene when he thinks he has figured out
what the stage players are doing.

Haikus
Invite students to either write or find a haiku to perform.
Ask them to add a rhythmic movement reflective of the
poem, or to dramatize their haiku in some way.

Hand Hypnosis
Played in pairs. One player holds her open hand, fingers
upward, a few inches from her partner’s face. She then
starts moving her hand slowly, while her partner tries to

keep his face at exactly the same distance from her hand, as if her hand is guiding his face.
Switch sides and partners after a couple of minutes. Note: This is really also an exercise for the
hypnotized player, as she needs to ensure that her partner is able to follow her.

Handkerchief
This game is basically another version of “Duck, Duck, Goose.” Assemble players in a
circle. Choose one player to be IT. He walks around outside the circle with a handkerchief in his
hand. He drops it quietly behind one player and keeps walking trying to get around the circle
before the player discovers the handkerchief. If IT gets all the way around the player becomes
a prisoner and goes to ‘jail’ in the middle of the circle. If the player discovers the handkerchief,
chases IT and catches him, that player is not IT. If he doesn't catch IT, he becomes IT. A
prisoner can free himself in two ways. He may snatch the handkerchief from behind some
other player before that player sees it, or a player behind whom the handkerchief has been
dropped may toss it into the jail behind the prisoner. The prisoner then picks up the
handkerchief and chases IT.

Have You Seen Charlie?

(On Video under Characters/Improvisation.)
Two-three people stand onstage waiting for ‘Charlie,’ (an actor waiting offstage). Each onstage
player must ask about Charlie and offer a short description such as, “Have you seen my friend
Charlie? He has eyes that bulge out of his head.” The next person must offer a different trait
such as, “Have you seen my friend Charlie? He moves like a slug.” And so on. The off-stage
actor playing Charlie then enters the stage displaying all three traits!

TIP: Make sure the student offers a sound, a movement and a physical trait.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 18

 Or try this!
Here Comes the Monster
Students describe the monster’s traits before the actor arrives onstage. (He has
spaghetti for arms, sounds like a screeching bat, and moves like a cheetah).

How Old Am I?
Establish a simple setting such as a corner bus stop with a bench in the playing area. Each
player secretly chooses an age to portray. Five or six players may be at the bus stop at the
same time, however, players are not to interact with one another in any way. Side coach: Feel
your age! Feel the age in your feet! Your eyes! The bus is a block away! It’s coming closer! It’s
here! At the end, ask audience players to guess the ages of the stage players.

Human Knot
Arrange group members in a circle, standing shoulder to shoulder. Have
each person put their right hand into the center of the circle and grab
hands with another player across the circle. Next, have them do the same
with their left hand. Tell players not to hold hands with the person next to
them, and to choose a different person for each hand. Now, tell group
members to untangle themselves without breaking the chain of hands!

Human Scenery
One player onstage. She begins to pantomime doing something that
indicates a specific environment, such as frying bacon in the kitchen. One
at a time, several more players enter the playing space becoming part of
the set or props that may be found in that environment. For example, one
player may become a refrigerator and another, a table. The initial player
must start using the human scenery and props added to the scene! At the
end, the first player must guess what the other players were.

I'm Going to New York

Break the class into two teams. Place them on opposite sides of the room. Team one decides on
an occupation that they will act out for the other team to guess. Team one then moves toward
the other team while saying the following dialogue:

Team one: We're going to New York

Team two: What's your trade?
Team one: Lemonade
Team two: Give us some, or go away.

The students then act out the occupation and the other team two guesses out loud. When one
student guesses what the occupation is team one tries to run back to their side before being
tagged by team two. Everyone who is tagged then returns back to team twos’ side.

Instant Illustrations
Read a book aloud to the group but don't show them the pictures. Every once in a while, stop
reading and ask the group to create a frozen tableau depicting what is happening at that
moment in the book. This can be done as a group working together, or if the students are
younger, as individuals spaced around the room. This activity helps students develop their
imaginations and also acts as inspiration to encourage reluctant readers.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 19

Islands
Materials needed: several Hula Hoops or large
pieces of newspaper on the ground. These are the
‘islands.’ Tell students that they are riding in little
boats on stormy seas and when the music stops, or
a bell is rung, they must find their way to an island
or they will drown. Start by having players spread
out around the room, milling about. When the music
stops, each player must have their entire body
inside of an island! As the game progresses, take
away islands until only one is left.

Kitty Wants a Corner

All players in a circle with one person in the middle.
The person in the middle walks up to a person in the
circle and says “kitty wants a corner.” The person to
whom they are talking replies, “go ask my
neighbor.” Meanwhile, other players in the circle try
to make eye contact with another player and silently
agree to switch spots. They switch spots as quickly
as possible—but the kitty in the middle can grab one of their spots if they are not careful! If
that happens, the person left without a spot becomes the new kitty.

Knights and Queens

One person stands on a chair ready to call out fairytale couples. All of the other players mill
about the space. The lead player can call out: Knights and Queens, or Horse and Rider, or
Prince and Princess. When one of these three couples is called players must immediately get
themselves into pairs. If Horse and Rider were called out, everyone must get into pairs forming
Horses and Riders. The last pair to form a couple is out and play starts again. Encourage
players to choose different partners each time.

Formations!
Knight and Queen
Knight kneels down on one knee while the Queen sits on the Knight’s knee.

Prince and Princess

Two people facing each other, holding both hands, happily in love.

Horse and Rider

The Horse is on all fours and the Rider on the back of the Horse.

Lead With Different Parts of Body

Invite the entire class to get into a big circle and have them start walking while in a circle. First,
ask them to start walking as they normally would. Next, ask them to imagine that there is a
string attached to their nose, pulling it slightly forward. After a minute or so, coach them to
walk normally again. Then, call out different parts of the body, always returning to normal
walking in-between. (Examples of parts of the body to call out: chin; forehead; toes; knees;
chest; stomach; pelvis; arms.) After the activity is over, gather students and ask them what
sensations they experienced. Ask if different types of walks evoked different attitudes. Write
down the various parts of the body and ask the class for suggestions on which types of
characters would lead with that part of the body.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 20

Machines
(On Video under ‘Building Ensemble.’)
This is a classic theatre game. Tell everyone that they are going to be building a ‘machine,’ and
announce what kind of machine it is, such as a ‘bubble gum making machine.’ One player
enters the playing area and creates a simple sound and motion that starts to build the machine.
As soon as another player has an idea of how to add to the machine, he/she joins the first
person, forming a connection and relation to the first sound/movement. Players must physically
connect with some part of the machine, but they needn’t be in order. Coach students that they
can join anytime, as long as it’s one player at a time. If two people rush in, gently remind them
that it is one at a time, and to sense when it’s their turn. If you have a large group, you may
wish to divide them into two groups. You can either have them take turns creating a ‘bubble
gum making machine,’ or give the second group another type of machine. Play continues until
all are participating and working together to form the complete object.

Other machine examples include:

Clock Robot machine
Laughing machine Tractor machine
Weather machine Crazy machine
Pinball machine Roller coaster machine
Music machine/singing machine Marble machine
Rhythm machine

Or try this!
A Variety of Machines
Speed up the machine, slow it down, cause it to malfunction, expand the
machine, shrink the machine, have it move across the room, have it make very
loud or very soft noises, or have the machine have a starting and ending point.
Or don’t announce the type of machine, allow students to start a machine and
have other players guess what they are building. Ask everyone at the end what
kind of machine they thought it was.

Magic Box
Players sit in a circle. One student starts by handing the player next to him
a pantomimed box. "I have a present for you!" The player next to him accepts "Thank you!"
and "opens" it. He announces what he has found inside. "An X-box! Thank you!" He then
passes a gift to the next person. ANYTHING can be in the box. Normal classroom rules of no
violence, vulgarity, etc. apply.

Magic Statues
Have students scatter around the room, and have each person secretly choose another person
to watch. Next, instruct them to close their eyes and strike a pose. On “go,” have them open
their eyes and begin to copy the person they chose to watch. Soon, everyone in the room will
be in the same pose!

Make It Bigger
Players in a circle. One person thinks of an emotion and walks across the circle portraying that
emotion. He taps another player and takes his place. The second person crosses the circle
exaggerating the emotion a little and taps another person who carries it even further.
Encourage players to make it just a little ‘bigger’ each time and to use their whole bodies.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 21

Manhole Cover
In a circle, players imagine a huge manhole cover, as big as the circle, in the center of the
group. In unison, the group bends together and lifts the manhole cover up to chest height, then
lowers it back down again. Players should pay close attention to maintaining the shape and
weight of the manhole cover. All sides should be raised and lowered together, without one side
staying up higher.

Mine Field
Fill the playing space with random obstacles such as turned over
chairs, books on the floor. Blindfold one player and have her stand at
one end of the playing space. Put one or two other players on the
other end of the playing space. They will ‘guide’ her through the mine
field by verbally calling out instructions.

Or try this!
Circle Mine Field
Instead of having just one person calling out instructions, surround the playing
area with the other players who issue instructions to the blindfolded person as
she moves through the mine field.

Group Mine Field

Split the group into three smaller groups. One group will be the mines. They will be stationary
in the playing area. One group will be the soldiers trying to get across the playing field while
blindfolded. The third group will be the guides. They will stand at the far end of the playing
space calling out orders, attempting to lead the player to safety.

Mingle
This game is like a cross between “Elephant, Giraffe, Palm Tree” and Simon Says. The lead
player calls out “mingle” and all players mingle about the space. The lead player calls out
“Freeze.” All players freeze. Next, the players may only move again if the lead player calls out
“Unfreeze,” before calling “Mingle.” This is how it is like Simon Says. If the lead player calls out
“Mingle!” before calling out “Unfreeze,” any players who start to move are out.

Now it gets tricky. There are a variety of other commands that the lead player can call out.

Cockroach
Players fall to their knees with their arms in the air (antennas). Players can still
move from this position to “Mingle.”

Dead Cockroach
FROM cockroach, lean over with arms on the floor. Cockroach players can ONLY
move to Mingle if the lead player turns them back into cockroaches first,
meaning that they return to a sitting position before being allowed to Mingle
again. If they are in a “Dead Cockroach” position and the lead player tries to fake
them out by suddenly calling “Mingle,” and they move, they are out.

London Bridge
All players must immediately form a bridge with another player. If there are an
odd number of players, the last one to form a bridge is out.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 22

 Three Feet
All players must immediately form triads with three feet touching. Any players
left over are out.

The lead player is the only one giving commands. He/she may sound like this…

“Mingle”
“Freeze”
“Unfreeze”
“Mingle”
“Cockroach”
“Dead Cockroach”
“Mingle” (those who mingle are out)
“Cockroach” (NOW the players can move to Mingle)
“Mingle”
“London Bridge”
“Mingle”
“Three Feet”
“Mingle”

Any group may make new formations/rules for this game. It is a huge hit with students and
really fun to have the students themselves take turns leading.

Mirror
(On Video under Movement.)
In pairs, players face each other. They choose one person to lead and one person to follow.
The goal of the game is for the players to feel completely in sync with one another. Coach the
leader to make their movements slow. Coach the followers to let their bodies do the following
without thinking about it. After a time, have the players switch roles. Go back and forth a
couple of times, and then coach the players to have no leader and no follower. When all pairs
have had a chance to play, assemble the group as an audience, and ask students to take the
stage one pair at a time. Have them silently decide between them who will be the leader and
who will be the follower. Cue them to begin ‘mirroring.’ Audience players must guess which
person was leading and which person was following.

Ask!
How could you tell who was leading?
What could they have done differently?
What did you learn from watching them?

Or try this!
Animal Mirror
Students ‘mirror,’ as various animal characters. Use the Animals printout
provided on this website, or take suggestions from the group. Remind students
to move slowly enough for their ‘mirror’ to follow them. After a few minutes,
switch to ‘Secret Animal Mirror.’ Each player silently chooses a particular animal.
Their partner mirrors them, and must guess at the end what his/her animal was!’

Nine more Mirror activities.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 23

Monster Transformations
Four or five players take the stage at a time and stand in a horizontal row. A player on one end
strikes a monster pose and makes an accompanying sound. The next player must copy his pose
and sound exactly and then turn to the next player and slowly transform into another monster
pose and utter a different monster sound. The key is for players to make their movement and
sound transformations gradually! Play continues through to the last player in the row and then
a different group is chosen to take the stage.

Moving Day
Divide players into groups of three. Have two actors
stand facing each other with their arms up high and
palms touching, forming a house. The third actor, the
owner stands in the middle, under the “roof.” One
person is the “caller.” There are three commands, and
three actions. All of the players who are “houses,” stay
houses, and all of the players who are “owners,” stay
owners in this game.

House
Everyone who is playing a “house,”
leaves their partner to make a new
house with someone else.

Owner
All of the “owners” leave their houses to
find a new house.

Moving Day
All players scatter to either form a new
house, or to become the owner of a
different house.

Name and Action Game

This is classic theatre game used for name memorization! Have students stand in a circle. One
at a time, each student states his name and makes an action that reflects his personality. In
unison, the rest of the class repeats the student’s name and action. For a more challenging
version, have one person say his name and do an accompanying action. The person to his right
then repeats it, and says her name and makes her action. The third person repeats the first two
and then adds her own. This continues around the circle. The last person will have to remember
all of the names and actions of the entire group!

Narrative Pantomime
This is a simple activity requiring no props or costumes that can be done with any story,
whether from a book or not. It’s like Guided Imagery with movement. As the teacher reads or
tells a simple story, each student acts it out on his own. Invite students to find their own space
in the room. Tell students that there won’t be any interaction during this activity. As you read,
each student simply goes through the physical movements of protagonist of the story, and
concentrates on the five senses--on deeply experiencing the character's adventures. Download
Great Books to Act Out for ideas for stories.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 24

Noah’s Ark
(Use list of Animals in 75 No-prep Drama Lessons.)
Each player is given at random a piece of paper bearing the name of an animal, male or female.
Though they don’t know it, there are two of every animal. (This activity can serve as an organic
way to put students in pairs for other activities, like ‘pet show’). The leader gives the signal and
all the players start playing their animal at the same time. Encourage students to use their
whole body to create the animal rather than broadcasting one telling feature. The goal of the
game is to find the other player with the same animal. When all players think they have it
figured out, have each pair announce what their animal was.

Pantomime your Dreams

Gather your group and have them close their eyes and imagine the most wonderful life they
could lead. What would they be doing for a living? Would they be indoors, outdoors? Working
with people? Working alone? How would they be making the world a better place? Have them
take a moment to create a vision for themselves. Invite them to create a short pantomime that
includes an opening pose that signifies how they feel about their dreams, then a silent
demonstration that shows something they would be doing, and a closing pose that signifies how
they felt about their life when they were old. (For younger students, invite them to just do the
middle part.)

People to People
Have players scattered around the room milling about. When the leader calls out “People to
People!” players must immediately find one other person. Next, the leader calls out two body
parts such as “nose to knee.” The players must connect one person’s nose to the other person’s
knee. Lastly, the leader calls out two more body parts such as “hand to shoulder.” While
keeping their first position (nose to knee) the players must connect one person’s hand to the
other person’s shoulder. Ring a bell and have the players resume milling about the space until
the next round starts.

Perfect Circle
Actors are given a minute to form a perfect circle. Once it's they are satisfied formed, they must
break away, run and touch a nearby wall, or some other spot, and then come back to form the
perfect circle again.

Pet Show
Put students in pairs. One person is the pet
owner. The other person is the pet. They decide
what the pet will be, come up with a name and a
trick. The owner leads the pet on, introduces her
and the animal performs. Then they take turns! If
you have one extra person, he can play the judge.
He could judge the show, ask the owners
questions about their pets and decide which pet is
the winner.

Photograph
One person stands somewhere and freezes in a position doing something. One by one, people
join in to make a photograph. At the end it is worked out what the photo is of and what
everyone is doing. Audience players give input.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 25

 Or try this!
Photos Come to Life
Make to the photo come to life at the end with everyone doing what their
character is doing.

Point Nod Move

(On Video under Focusing and Listening.)
This is a quick-thinking game. Participants in a circle (can be in chairs, sitting). One person
starts by POINTING to another player who NODS. Player one, who POINTED starts MOVING
toward player two to take her place. Player two must POINT to another person and receive a
NOD before getting up to take that player’s place. The rhythm is POINT…NOD…MOVE. Players
cannot start moving until they receive a NOD from the player they selected. And the NODDING
player cannot MOVE until they POINT and receive a NOD from another player!

Positions
One person goes onstage and gets in weird physical position, another player comes around and
looks at them, and starts inventing a scene based on the weird physical position that the first
player created. For example: One player goes onstage and stands on her tiptoes and reaches
for the sky. A second player enters the scene and says, “You’ll never get that off the shelf. Here
let me help you.” The first player must accept whatever the second player offers and continue
the scene, but she can add her own twist. “Sure. That would be great, but be careful, it’s a box
of snakes.”

Prop/Object Pantomime
Print and cut apart list of props included in the 75 No-prep Drama Lessons section. Have
students pull one out of a hat and use it or move as if they are wearing it in front of the class.
Audience players must guess what the prop is.

Prop Tableaus
Divide class into groups of 3-5. Give each group a simple prop such as: a pool noodle; a bucket;
a beach towel. Invite groups to come up with three different frozen pictures that use the object
in a different way each time. For example: a beach towel may become a magic carpet, a
matador’s cape and a tug of war rope.

Protector/Predator
Players scatter about the space. Each person secretly chooses one other person to be their
PROTECTOR and one person to be their PREDATOR. When everyone is ready, have players
move around the room with the objective of always trying to keep their PROTECTOR in
between themselves and their PREDATOR. See also: Assassin

Remote Control
Two players onstage. One holds an imaginary remote control. The other player asks if he can
play with it. “Go ahead,” says player one, “but please don’t press the red button.” The second
player begins to play with the remote control, which turns out to control the first player! The
first player starts doing things according to what he thinks the buttons do. (It can be
anything…standing on his head, singing, walking backward, etc.) Player two eventually presses
the red button. He makes a big deal about it, and then player two must do something,
completely in the moment (no planning ahead).

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 26

Rhyme Pantomime
Sit in a circle. One student says, “I’m thinking of a word that rhymes with cat.” Anyone who
thinks they may know the word may raise their hand. A person is chosen who goes into the
middle of the circle. They DO NOT say the word, instead, they pantomime it. The others in the
circle try and guess what the player is miming. The teacher must be careful to point out that
even if a person guesses the actual word that the teacher was thinking of, it doesn’t count as a
correct guess. Players must guess the word that is being mimed. Once a child guesses
correctly, the teacher tells whether it was the word she was thinking of. If not, another person
may go in and start pantomiming a different word that rhymes with cat. Continue until players
guess the word the teacher was thinking of.

Rhythmic Movement
Half of the group as a team sits or stands in the playing area. Others
observe. Play twice, so that everyone gets a chance to try this game.

Call out any object, such as a train, washing machine, spaceship,

bicycle, etc. Each player instantly, without reflection makes some
movement that the object suggests. When movements have become
rhythmical and easy, players should move around playing area,
accompanied by music, if available.

Next, call out a setting. (For example, a circus with ringmaster, clowns,
lion tamers, and lions, tightrope walkers, trapeze artists, etc.) Without
stopping rhythmic movements, players transform their movement into
something else, developing characters and actions appropriate to the
setting.

Say!
Transform! Transform!
Keep your rhythm going!

Note for the side coach: In hunting societies, dances were and are performed to bring good
luck to the hunters. One dancer might play the part of a bear or an elephant or a kangaroo or
of a “magical” animal like a crow. The dancers did not do imitations of these animals, but aimed
at giving an impression of their “spirit.” That sort of impression is what one looks for in this
game.

Scrambled Eggs
Students stand in a circle. (This game works best when you have an actual circle marked on the
floor, such as in a gymnasium.) Ask students to notice who is next to them on both sides. When
you call “scrambled eggs!” they must move to another part of the circle without bumping into
anyone. The goal is to end up standing next to two people they’ve never stood next to before.
This is a great game for splitting up students who should not be near one another.

Or try this!
Deviled Eggs
Another way to use “Scramble Eggs” is to create groups of three. Play a few
rounds, then point to every third player in the circle, while counting “one, two,
DEVILED EGG, one, two, DEVILED EGG. The DEVILED EGGS are the team
leaders, and the players on either side of them are their group members.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 27

Sit-Stand-Kneel
Put three players onstage and instruct them that they are going to improvise a scene. However,
at all times during the scene, one actor must be sitting, one must be standing and one must be
kneeling. During the scene, if an actor changes position, one of the other actors must shift
accordingly. Coach students to work the stage positions into the dialogue as naturally as
possible, rather than merely shifting stance.

Sit, Stand, Kneel with Lines

In this game, players learn how a single line can have new meaning based on their body
position. Divide into teams of three or four. If you have access to chairs, give each player a
chair. Next, give players a single line such as “I really need help.” They must go around the
circle repeating the line in either a sitting, standing, or kneeling position. Each player must
choose a position that is different from the one the player before them. Side-coach players to
observe how the line changes based on their body position.

More lines to use:

I don’t want to. It’s not too late.
It’s time to go. I give up.
Please don’t do this. I don’t feel so good.
Leave me alone.

Shrinking Box
Actors pantomime that they are in a very large box. Show audience all the sides. Then the box
gets smaller. Show the audience how small it is getting. Then they must figure out a way to
escape. The actor must do a good job showing the audience how they have escaped so they
can correctly guess how.

Slow Motion Freeze Tag

Define the boundaries of the playing area and choose one player to be IT. Start a game of tag
in which all players may run, breathe, duck, look, etc., but they must move in very slow motion.
Immediately upon tagging another player, IT must freeze in the exact tagging position. The
new IT proceeds in slow motion and freezes in position as another player is tagged, who
becomes ‘It.’ All untagged players must stay within boundaries and move in slow motion
between an around frozen players (as around trees in a forest). Game continues until all are
frozen.

Slide Show
(Also on Video.)
Divide into teams of six-eight. One group takes the stage. One
person is the storyteller, everyone else is part of the slide show.
The storyteller begins telling a story about a recent vacation or
adventure. “I’d like to show you a slide show of my trip through
the jungle. Here we are on the plane, headed to the Amazon. It
was a very bumpy flight! CLICK!” The players then form a picture
of the group taking a bumpy plane ride, and they freeze in place.
She continues, “When we got to the jungle, the first thing we saw
was an enormous snake! CLICK!” The group forms a picture of seeing the snake…one person
could even be the snake. “Pretty soon, we were deep in the jungle, and we ran into some
natives! CLICK?” And so on. Each group gets four or five slides, and then a new group takes the
stage. Coach students that they can be anything in each picture. If it’s an aquarium, some
students can be the tourists, and while others can play the octopus or the eel.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 28

 Other slide show themes:
Day at Disneyland Hot Air Balloon Ride
Trip to the Sahara Trip to the Aquarium
Weekend at the Beach Afternoon in the Museum
Discovering the Monster Cave Seeing the Big Parade
A Visit from Aliens Day at the Zoo

Or try this!
Players Create a Mystery Photo!
Instead of having the presenter describe the next slide, the players onstage can
simply form a new picture. The presenter must come up with a spontaneous
story about what is happening in the picture!

Slow Motion Race

Line up all students on one end of the room and
have them ‘race’ to the other end in very slow
motion. In this race, the winner is the last person to
reach the finish line! Tell players that once the race
has begun, they must never stop moving and every
movement should be executed as slowly as possible
and both feet must never be on the ground at the
same time.

Slow Motion Snowball Fight

Have students scatter around the room. Get them
to ‘freeze’ while you give instructions. Say
something like, “This isn’t an ordinary snowball
fight. It is taking place on the moon, where gravity is such that everything happens in
SLOW MOTION! You can make snowballs, hit other players, get hit, fall on the ground,
but you must do everything very slowly.”

Space Walk
(On Video under Movement. Or, download the entire Space Walk Lesson.)
This activity helps actors to get to know their space as well as practice using their bodies
in different ways. Establish clearly defined boundaries for the players to stay inside.
Have players move about the room, paying attention to the space around them. Take
time between each command and have a signal for changing to a new environment. (A
bell, a drumbeat, etc.)

Say!
Keep walking.
Be aware that there are others in the space with you, but do not interact
with them.
Feel the ground beneath your feet. Feel your body as it moves through
the space.
Notice how much room your body takes up. Notice how little room your
body takes up. Become aware of the ground again. Feel the ground
supporting you.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 29

 Now, imagine that you are walking on sand. Think about how different it
feels to be walking on sand. Imagine that you are barefoot and the sand
is hot.
This is a walking game, so remember to walk on the sand-don’t run.
Now you are at the seashore and your feet are cool. Wade into the water
a bit until the water covers your feet. Go in a little further, up to your
ankles. Now wade in up to your knees and walk in the water. How is it
different to walk in water? Feel the resistance of the water against your
legs.
Now we are going to walk back out of the ocean, and magically transport
to a different world entirely. In this land, the ground is made of cotton
candy. What would it feel like to walk on puffy clumps of cotton candy?
If we go a little further, we reach a new terrain. The ground here is
covered with marbles. There are so many that you can’t avoid stepping
on them. What happens to your balance when you are walking on
marbles?
Next, we are coming to a muddy swamp. Our feet are sticking in the
mud, sinking down with every squishy step. Keep moving, because we
must get to the other side of this muddy swamp.
On the other side, the ground is bouncy, like a trampoline. With every
step, you can go a little further than you ordinarily would. The ground is
helping you to move along!
Now we are at an ice rink. We are walking on the frozen surface. How
would you walk on a sheet of ice? Keep going.
On the other side, is the land of feathers. The ground here is extremely
soft.
It’s getting darker, and we are almost to our destination. We are headed
to a dock. We are walking on the wooden planks toward a magnificent
boat. Let’s all climb on.
The captain is ready to sail. The boat is moving away from port. What
does it feel like to have the ship moving on the water beneath you? Oh
no. It looks like a storm is coming. The boat is rocking from side to side
with every wave that crashes up against it. We must get to the other end
of the boat and go down below. How hard is it to walk on a boat that is
reeling back and forth? We get to the ladder and climb down. How do the
rungs of the ladder feel against your feet?
Down here, it is calmer. There are rows and rows of bunk beds. It’s been
a long day. Let’s all find a bunk and climb under the covers and dream of
the adventure we had today.

Spell It Out
Divide class into groups of three or four. Give each group a three or four letter word.
The group must spell out the word with their whole bodies (1-2 students per letter). The
other teams guess the word, but each team only has one guess, so students must
huddle together and agree on what they see.

Stage Business Pantomime

Create a list of typical ‘stage business’ activities and invite actors to go onstage one at a
time and start a scene silently with their stage business. This activity helps students
become aware of the importance of being believable even when there are no lines being
spoken. Ask actors to incorporate an ‘attitude’ either about the activity, or an emotional
state that their character is in.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 30

Stage Pictures Game
This game can help young actors be aware of their position onstage in relation to the
other cast members, and to the scene as a whole. Begin by showing the group a few
photos of casts forming strong stage pictures. You can find these easily on the internet.

Ask!
Where is the focus in this scene? Why?
Can you see every actor in this picture?
What do you think is happening in the story?
Are all of the actors ‘open’ to the audience?
Are any of the actors pulling attention away from the focus in the scene?
Which character(s) in this photo seem to be the most important in the
moment?

Next, put a group of about eight players onstage at a time and secretly give them a
scenario with which to create a stage picture. Give the group about thirty seconds to
decide which characters they will each play and then to form a picture that tells a story.

Stage Picture Examples!

A judge sentences the defendant in a murder trial
A surprise party
Press conference on the steps of the courthouse
A wedding
A man is arrested in front of a crowd of strangers
Pirates make a man walk the plank
A beauty pageant winner is crowned
A husband and wife argue in front of their family

After the group creates their picture, have the audience players guess what is happening
in the scene and give feedback.

Ask!
What do you think is happening in this picture?
Where is the focus?
Are there any players who are stealing the focus away from where it
should be?
Are all of the actors open to the audience?
Have the actors used different levels of the playing space
(upstage/downstage, and varying body positions such as sitting or
kneeling)?
What have they done successfully?
How could they improve this picture?

Statue Maker or Sculptor

(Also available as a full Statue Maker lesson.)
In this version of the game Statue, players find a partner. One person is the sculptor
and the other person molds the clay into a statue, moving his partner’s arms, legs, facial
expression any way he wishes. When the sculptors are done, all statue makers wander
through the statue garden and admire each other’s work. Next, they trade places. The
sculptor becomes the clay and the model becomes the sculptor.
© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 31
 Statue-Wax Museum Version
(On Video under Movement.)
In this version of the game Statue, the entire group will become statues scattered about
the playing area, and one person, the ‘museum visitor’ is going to wander around and
look at the statues. Establish a large playing space with boundaries. This is the inside of
the museum. Have everyone stand in the playing space, and wait for you to call out a
type of statue. The statues can move ONLY WHEN THE VISITOR ISN’T LOOKING!
Students should be careful, and sneaky. This is an excellent way to get a group focused
instantly, because they must be frozen in order not to be caught. Tell students that
blinking and breathing don’t count.

The visitor must be on the lookout for statues that move and
the statues try not to get caught. In other words, statues try
to move only when the visitor isn’t looking. Statues can follow
the visitor or merely shift their stance. If the visitor sees a
statue move, she calls out the person’s name and that person
is out. Make a rule that whomever she calls out is just out,
and that person can’t argue. That means that the visitor must
be extra careful to only call out people she actually saw
moving, not a person she just knew moved. Play continues for
a few minutes. Then the visitor gets to pick the next visitor.

Examples of types of statues:

Polar Bears
Penguins
Reindeer
Elves
Snow People
Princesses and Knights

Stay Open!
In this game, two-six players take the stage and improvise a short scene such as a party in
which each vies for the attention of one celebrity guest. Any time an actor turns his back on the
audience or delivers a line without his face or body being open, the instructor rings a bell. The
whole group freezes and each actor becomes aware of his position and adjusts accordingly. The
instructor rings the bell again and the scene continues.

Stomp Copy
This is a rhythm and concentration game. Have students stand in a circle and choose one
person to go first. Establish a slow clapping rhythm such as a clap followed by two finger snaps.
Have the player in the middle walk to the rhythm inside of the circle. At any time, he can
choose to stand in front of someone and do a simple dance step in time to the beat. The person
he is facing must try to repeat his step. If he is unsuccessful, the middle player moves on and
stops in front of someone else. If a player successfully imitates the lead player, he becomes the
new leader.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 32

Story Gifts
Divide students into pairs by some organic means such as “find someone who has the same
color eyes.” If there are students who can’t match up at the end, that’s okay. Blue can go with
brown. If there is one odd person, have the class assistant be his/her partner. Invite students
to sit down with their partner and take turns telling a story about fear. It can be something that
happened to them or something they are afraid of and how it affects them now. Let the
storyteller know that their job is to tell this story with as much detail as possible. It is the
listener’s role to listen very attentively. After a few minutes, ring a bell and switch roles. Once
both partners have had a chance to tell a story, let them know they will have five minutes to
create a “story gift” for the other person.

How to Make a Story Gift

Each actor acts out the story he/she heard by creating:

• a starting pose that has to do with the beginning of his partner’s story
• one movement that has three parts that show an important part of the story
• one line of dialogue that stood out
• a last pose that has to do with the ending of the story

You may find it helpful to write down the Story Gift elements at the front of the room.

NOTES: It is helpful to demonstrate this yourself before sharing it with the class. The three-part
movement and the line of dialogue may be repeated as many times as necessary. The end
result is a little like moving art. There are no right or wrong answers. Try this yourself with a
friend beforehand if it feels confusing, but it’s very simple. It is the essence of the story
condensed down to frozen images, movements and a few words.

Actors share their Story Gifts with each other. They may also choose to share with the class.

Ask!
Which story gifts stood out? Why?
How did it feel to have your story told back to you in this way?
What was your intention when you were making a story gift for the other
person?
What was most important to you when you were “telling” it?

Story Tableaus
Either tell the story of the Three Little Pigs, or have one of the students tell it. Then, break the
students into groups of four (or five if you have an extra). Ask them to figure out how to tell
the story in three to five frozen pictures (tableaus). They will need to decide which parts of the
story are most important, and show those scenes in a progression. Give the groups about ten
minutes to decide how they are going to act it out-then they will perform their tableaus for each
other. It’s like a moving slide show. Students can do this with any story!

Or try this!
Fairy Tale Tableaus
Divide the class in half. One half goes onstage, while the other stays in the
audience. The group leader announces a title, and calls out three scenes.
Students onstage silently create tableaus, or stage pictures that portray what’s
happening in the scenes below. Students have ten seconds between scenes to

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 33

 move around and create a new stage picture. Coach students to silently work
together to create pictures that are interesting and clear to the audience. Tell
students that actors are always aware of their place on stage, and in relation to
others. Let students know that they should try to keep their bodies and faces
open to the audience. Students choose who/what they will play in each scene,
but they need to watch what everyone else is doing. For example, if someone
has clearly chosen to be Cinderella, then everyone else chooses a different
character in the scene.

TIPS: For some scenes, students can be trees, bridges,

beds, or form houses, ovens, etc. with their bodies.
Students don’t have to stay the same character in each
scene. For instance, in “The Pied Piper,” students can be
rats in one scene and children in another.

Fairy Tale Tableau Example:

Title: Prince Charming’s Ball
Scene One: Everyone is enjoying the ball!
Scene Two: Cinderella arrives and Prince Charming sees her!
Scene Three: Cinderella surprises everyone by running away!

Eight More Fairy Tale Tableau Scenarios

Stuck in the Mud

Have the students scatter around the room. One person is chosen to be IT. He/she must try to
tag the other players. When a player is tagged, he must stand with feet apart (stuck in the
mud). He is freed when another player crawls between his legs.

Super Glue
Put players in pairs and line them up at one end of the room. Announce that they will be ‘super-
gluing’ themselves together at a specific point (such as: elbows; wrists; toes; shoulders; noses;
etc.) and that they must move together to the opposite side of the room without losing contact
of where they are super-glued!

Team Pantomime
Divide players into teams of four. Hand each team a card with a general activity written on it.
Make sure that all actors know they are to pantomime the activity, and not to speak. Give the
teams a couple of minutes to plan, ask that each person do a different task related to that
activity. If students use space objects, be sure to have them establish their shapes and keep
them the same throughout.

Or try this!
Team Pantomime-Occupations
Divide players into teams of four. Each team will have a couple of minutes to
come up with an occupation that involves a group. Such as: firemen; road
workers; basketball players; construction workers; emergency room physicians;
etc. Teams have one minute onstage to act out their occupations.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 34

 Team Pantomime-Places
Each team will have a couple of minutes to come up with a pantomime of a
particular place, such as a jail.

Ten Second Objects

(On Video under Movement.)
Assemble the players in groups of three to five. Call out the name of an object and count down
from ten. The group has ten seconds to create that object out of their bodies. Let the groups
witness each other’s creations! Every group will have a different interpretation of the object.

Examples of objects:
Blender Bicycle
Lawn mower Popcorn popper
Clock Lamp

Or try this!
Mystery Objects
Groups make up their own objects and audience players must guess the object.

Ten Second Tableaus

(On Video under Movement.)
In small groups. A scene is called out and the group must create an image of that location,
while the leader counts down slowly from ten to zero. Every group will find a different way of
depicting the scene. Ask students to be aware of what is happening around them and to
become part of the picture, not the focus of it.

Examples:
Cafeteria Fire Station
Playground Haunted House
Beach A Grand Ball
Desert A Hunt
Busy Hair Salon

Here is a complete lesson on Tableaus.

Or try this!
Secret Tableaus
Groups can be given a few minutes to create scenes of their own which the rest
of the class could try to guess.

Three at a Time
(On Video as ‘The Martha Game.’)
This is a quick version of ‘The Martha Game.’ One player onstage becomes something. “I am a
scoop of ice cream.” Second player jumps in “I am a cone.” Third player enters and adds, “I am
the chocolate sprinkles.” Then, the first player leaves, taking one of the others with him. Restart
from the remaining player, who restarts by saying what/who she is. Tip: you may either pre-
determine order of players, or have students in a circle jumping in when they feel an
opportunity.

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 35

 Or try this!
Three at a Time Skit
At the end of the game, ask audience players which three scenes from
“Three at a Time” they found most interesting. Divide actors into small
groups and give them five minutes to come up with a skit using the
elements in their favorite “Three.”

Three Noses!
Let everyone walk leisurely around the room. When you shout “three noses,” the players must
form little groups, each group consisting of three touching noses. Use your imagination - say
four feet, three hands, two ears, nine fingers, five hips, four elbows, three heads, seven left big
toes, four little fingers and so on. Use this game often to divide players into small groups.

Or try this!
Shirts and Shoes!
Groups of three by what you’re
wearing on top.
Groups of four by what you’re
wearing on bottom.
Pairs according to hair color.
Groups of three according to eye
color.
Pairs according to shoes.
Groups of three according to
height.
Pairs according to length of hair.
Groups of four according to shirt color.

Likes/Dislikes! Rose or daisy

(Find another person who Sunshine or snow
likes what you like. Choose Circus or zoo
the one you like the most.) Purple or orange
Sunset or sunrise
Chocolate or vanilla Birds or fish
Dogs or cats Christmas or your birthday
Winter or summer Singing or dancing
Moon or sun Hershey bar or Jelly Bellies
Blue or red Apple or orange
Jump rope or monkey bars Loud or soft
Pizza or hamburgers

Thumper
The players sit in a circle. The leader instructs everyone to select a different hand signal.

Hand signals:
Rain in the Face
Hand held above brow, fingers twiddling

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 36

 Bow and arrow
Arms extended as if holding bow and shooting arrow

Drums
Hands tapping on an imaginary drum

How!
Hand upheld, palm forward

Teepee
Formed with hands, fingertips touching

Feathers
Two fingers held up behind head

Swimming
Swimming motion

One player starts by telling what he is and suits the action to the words. For instance, "I'm
drums" and pretends to beat. Going around the circle each player tells what he is. Then all start
clapping hands on knees in a rhythmic beat.

Leader (in rhythm): What's the name of the game?

Players: Thumper!
Leader: How do you play it?
Players: You thump!

The leader gives his own signal and follows it with someone else's sign. Each successive person
does his own and then someone else’s. Play can go around the circle, or be bounced back and
forth across the circle.

Tug of War
Divide players into two teams and establish a “rope.” Then start a pantomimed tug-of-war.

Verb Dance
(Full Version in 75 No-prep Drama Lessons.)
Make a list of action verbs and put them on paper. Cut apart the verbs and put them in a hat.
Have players form a circle and put on some music. Players take turns entering the middle of the
circle, choosing a verb and acting it out. Circle players must guess the verb. After everyone
has had a turn, break into small groups and have each group come up with a dance using each
person’s movement. They must decide on an order, how to transition from one movement to
another and how many times each movement is repeated. (Great warm-up for this activity is
Diamonds.)

Walk Across the Room in a Straight Line

Have the players line up abreast of one another at one end of
the room and walk to the other end, focusing on staying in a
perfectly straight horizontal line.

Walking by Numbers
Have players find a space in the room, making sure that they
can all see each other. On the leader's signal, ONE person
starts walking. When that person stops, one other player, and
© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 37
only one other player starts walking. This is an excellent game for helping actors to focus and
become aware of spatial relationships. It's a great game to play before starting to block a scene
or play.

What Are You Doing?

(On Video under Imagination and Storytelling.)
Group stands in a circle. One person goes into the center of the
circle and starts an action (such as brushing her teeth). A person
goes into the center, and asks, "What are you doing?"

The person brushing her teeth answers by saying something

other than what she is doing. "I'm dribbling a basketball." The
first person then leaves, and the new person starts "dribbling a
basketball." Then a new person goes in and asks, "What are you
doing?" And so on...

Encourage students to make new choices each time. (No repeats.) And remember to enforce
the 'no disgusting things' rule. For whatever reason, this particular game compels students to
be gross.

If you are a more tolerant teacher, you could use the "One gross thing" rule. Tell students that
you will allow one person to say something disgusting during class. Once it's out, that's it.
Everyone can giggle and you can make a big deal out of how gross it was, and then declare "No
more gross things."

What Time is it Mr. Wolf?

Students line up at one end with one student playing ‘Mr. Wolf’ at the opposite end of the
playing area with his back to the rest of the group. Students advance together asking "What
time is it Mr. Wolf?" The wolf responds with any time (for each hour the students take one step
forward. For example: two o'clock is two steps forward) but when he calls "Dinnertime", players
must run back to the starting line without getting caught by the wolf. If the wolf catches
someone then that person also becomes a wolf. The last person left wins.

“Where” Stretching
Lead the students in a series of simple stretching exercises that are easy to remember and
repeat. Then tell them that they are going to repeat the motions as if they were in another
place. Remind students to really imagine that they are in that place-imagine the sights, sounds,
smells, temperature, etc.

Places:
Under water
In a snowstorm
In the desert
While balancing on a surfboard
In outer space

Or try this!
“Who” Stretching
Do the same activity, but have students imagine that they are stretching as a
certain character.
© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 38
 Baby who just learned to walk
Fireman wearing full fire-gear
Ballerina
Very old person
Clown
Witch
Drunk person
Bodybuilder

The Where Game

Divide the class in half and choose one group to go first. Choose one actor to go onstage and
start doing an activity that happens in a certain place that is kept secret. One at a time, as soon
as they think they know “where” the actor is, the rest of the group joins him doing something in
the scene. It can be the same activity or something else that is done in that place. For example,
if the first actor goes onstage and starts building a sand castle, another actor can either join
him, helping to build it, or he may put his towel down and start applying sunscreen. When the
entire group has joined the scene, line everyone up and go down the line asking where they
thought they were. Then give the second group a chance to play.

Say!
One at a time! Sense when to join the scene, just like when we try to count to
ten as a group!
Use your senses to experience the place!
What does it smell like?
What sounds do you hear?
What’s the temperature?
What do you see around you?
If you are handling something, what does it feel like?
What emotions are you feeling?

Ask!
What happened when more people joined the scene?
If you were in the audience, what did you see happening?
What surprised you?
What did you notice?
How can we use this activity as actors?

Who's Got the Rhythm?

One person is chosen to be the 'rhythm seeker.' He/she leaves the room. The other players
form a circle and one person is chosen to lead the group in a series of constantly changing
rhythms. The leader makes constant rhythmic motions (clapping hands, stomping feet,
snapping fingers, etc.) that change fairly frequently. The 'rhythm seeker' re-enters the circle
and has three chances to guess the leader.

Who Started the Motion?

Players stand in a circle. This game is similar to ‘mirror,’ but played by the entire group. One
player is sent from the room while another player is selected to be the leader who starts the
motion. The outside player is called back, stands in the center of the circle, and tries to discover
the leader who is leading the other players through different motions (moving hands, tapping
feet, nodding heads, etc.) The leader may change motions at any time sometimes even when

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 39

the center player is looking directly at the leader. When the center player identifies the leader,
two other players are chosen to take their places.

Tips for playing Who Started the Motion:

(Rather than telling the players these "rules" try and coach them to figure them out for
themselves.)

Don't all look at the leader.

Have players mirror someone opposite them instead of looking at the leader
Have the leader look at someone.
Encourage the leader to not make noise.

Other titles you may like…

© Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com pg. 40