One person stands facing the wall away from the rest of the group.
Someone is picked to say "Apple Pie" out loud in a voice different to their own.
The person standing facing the wall turns round and tries to guess who said "Apple Pie"
If they do not guess correctly then the process is repeated with someone else from the group is chosen to say the word.
Progression:
This is an excellent exercise to create different voices, experimenting with voice tone and quality. It can also be used to find different characters and could be used to create a short scene. For example 3 voice types could be selected and Incorporated into a scenario. The type of voice can give clues to the persons character or even a particular scenario. A brainstorming exercise might be a good tool to explore this.
Friday, 23 July 2010
Friday, 16 July 2010
Three taster sessions to build a Youth Theatre (Green Shoes Arts)
Session 1: Aim - To give young people the experience of working together and being able to focus in drama.
Warm up games:
Presenting: Form a circle and in turn each person walks into the middle and says their name and something interesting about themselves.
Budge: Click on link here
Focus Warm up: Click on link here - With variation of giving commands Stop, Go, Jump and clap. The group must respond by first doing the commands they here then by doing the opposite i.e. Jump when they hear clap or stop when they here go. Progress by getting the group to say the opposite command before they do it.
Create a scene from an image playing Grandmothers Footsteps. Choose 3 images and illicit from the group what they see. What story? Who are the characters? The task is to create a story in pairs using these 3 images.
Create a scene representing the local area
Brainstorm on Dagenham heath (your locality) 1. Adjectives that describe it, 2. Places, 3. What can you do there.
Pick a word from each list randomly and create a scene using those 3 words i.e Windy, Swimming pool, Reading.
Session 2: Aim - To create stories through improvisation
Warm up activities: Passing a clap around the circle, Passing an imaginary ball around the circle under your feet, Throwing a tennis ball in the circle,
Create images in groups: Walk around the room and on the command 2.3.4.5's etc get into groups. When you hear an image called out in your group create that image without talking.
Progress by creating a big group image. For example a Kitchen or a hurricane.
Story telling exercise: In a circle tell a story around the circle with each person adding a sentence. One person act a s a scribe to get the main points of the story recorded on paper.
Physical story-telling: In a group narrate and physicalise the story the group has created.
The improvisation Party exercise: Everybody must act that they are at a party, talking, pretending to drink, eat food, dancing. The door bell will go and someone will enter the room acting like a particular character they have been given, i.e. Superman, an alien etc. The guests must carry on improvising and interact with the new guest. The aim is for the party guests to guess who the characters are.
In the style of... Give the group the scenario of buying something in a shop in the style of different theatrical genres. e.g. Eastender's, a cartoon, Opera, Bollywood, Melodrama, etc
Session 3: aim - Create characters using props
Warm up games: Come into the middle of the circle and say your name and what it means. You can make it up and the rest of the group have top guess if it is true or false, Budge 0 Variation - no one can say umm! or make a noise before a name of they are out.
Characteristics brainstorm: Create as many words that describe people i.e. angry, happy, devious. Put a range of hats and props in the middle of the room and a hat of random ages to pick out. Each person is given a prop and picks out of a hat a characteristic and age.
Character improvisation: Walk around the space thinking about who your character is. How do they walk, hold their body, how fast, slow, heavy or light. Stop! How do they stand? Where is the weight? Head position?
Progress by putting the character into different scenarios. Waiting for a bus, Sitting on a bus, At the cinema, buying a ticket? In a argument with the cashier etc
Big Group feed back: Share things you observed about the characters you were or observed. How did it make you feel? How was it difficult? What were you thinking?
Perform a scene in character: In three's perform a scene as your character In a context of your choice
A Star and a wish - Feedback with a star - something you liked about the scene and a wish - something you would like to see done differently.
Create a scene from a game: In three's chose a game and plan a session where you create a scene from playing the game. i.e apple pie
Warm up games:
Presenting: Form a circle and in turn each person walks into the middle and says their name and something interesting about themselves.
Budge: Click on link here
Focus Warm up: Click on link here - With variation of giving commands Stop, Go, Jump and clap. The group must respond by first doing the commands they here then by doing the opposite i.e. Jump when they hear clap or stop when they here go. Progress by getting the group to say the opposite command before they do it.
Create a scene from an image playing Grandmothers Footsteps. Choose 3 images and illicit from the group what they see. What story? Who are the characters? The task is to create a story in pairs using these 3 images.
Create a scene representing the local area
Brainstorm on Dagenham heath (your locality) 1. Adjectives that describe it, 2. Places, 3. What can you do there.
Pick a word from each list randomly and create a scene using those 3 words i.e Windy, Swimming pool, Reading.
Session 2: Aim - To create stories through improvisation
Warm up activities: Passing a clap around the circle, Passing an imaginary ball around the circle under your feet, Throwing a tennis ball in the circle,
Create images in groups: Walk around the room and on the command 2.3.4.5's etc get into groups. When you hear an image called out in your group create that image without talking.
Progress by creating a big group image. For example a Kitchen or a hurricane.
Story telling exercise: In a circle tell a story around the circle with each person adding a sentence. One person act a s a scribe to get the main points of the story recorded on paper.
Physical story-telling: In a group narrate and physicalise the story the group has created.
The improvisation Party exercise: Everybody must act that they are at a party, talking, pretending to drink, eat food, dancing. The door bell will go and someone will enter the room acting like a particular character they have been given, i.e. Superman, an alien etc. The guests must carry on improvising and interact with the new guest. The aim is for the party guests to guess who the characters are.
In the style of... Give the group the scenario of buying something in a shop in the style of different theatrical genres. e.g. Eastender's, a cartoon, Opera, Bollywood, Melodrama, etc
Session 3: aim - Create characters using props
Warm up games: Come into the middle of the circle and say your name and what it means. You can make it up and the rest of the group have top guess if it is true or false, Budge 0 Variation - no one can say umm! or make a noise before a name of they are out.
Characteristics brainstorm: Create as many words that describe people i.e. angry, happy, devious. Put a range of hats and props in the middle of the room and a hat of random ages to pick out. Each person is given a prop and picks out of a hat a characteristic and age.
Character improvisation: Walk around the space thinking about who your character is. How do they walk, hold their body, how fast, slow, heavy or light. Stop! How do they stand? Where is the weight? Head position?
Progress by putting the character into different scenarios. Waiting for a bus, Sitting on a bus, At the cinema, buying a ticket? In a argument with the cashier etc
Big Group feed back: Share things you observed about the characters you were or observed. How did it make you feel? How was it difficult? What were you thinking?
Perform a scene in character: In three's perform a scene as your character In a context of your choice
A Star and a wish - Feedback with a star - something you liked about the scene and a wish - something you would like to see done differently.
Create a scene from a game: In three's chose a game and plan a session where you create a scene from playing the game. i.e apple pie
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