Drama Games for Classrooms and Workshops

Jessica Swale

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2013
• eBook ISBN: 9781780010069
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Acting & Auditioning

101 great drama games for use in any classroom or workshop setting. Part of the Nick Hern Books Drama Games series.

A dip-in, flick-through, quick-fire resource book, packed with 101 lively drama games suitable for players of all ages, with many appropriate for children from age 6 upwards. Whilst aimed primarily at school, youth theatre and community groups, they are equally fun - and instructional - for adults to play in workshop or rehearsal settings.

'An extraordinarily helpful compendium... a valuable help to directors, teachers and workshop leaders' Max Stafford-Clark, from his Foreword

PART ONE

WARM-UP

Body

1. Rubber Chicken!

A fast-paced, team-building warm-up game that gets a group going quickly.

How to Play

Ask the players to stand in a circle. Explain that you are all going to shake your right hands up in the air eight times, whilst counting loudly and quickly – ‘8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!’ Then you are going to repeat this with your left hand, then right leg, then left leg. The counting needs to be fast and loud, and the shaking needs to be vigorous and energetic. As soon as you have done all four limbs from 8 to 1, repeat the shaking and counting from 7 to 1, then 6 to 1, and continue until you finally shake each limb once, counting, ‘1, 1, 1, 1!’ Then everyone shouts ‘Rubber chicken!’ and shakes their whole body like a rubber chicken!

The Aim of the Game

The aim is for the whole group to complete the routine vigorously and enthusiastically as a team. The game also builds their energy levels and gets them moving.

You can easily replace the phrase ‘rubber chicken’ with a word that means something to your group, the name of the play you are rehearsing, or your theatre company or school, to give a feeling of group solidarity and positive energy!

2. Greyhound Race

A quick circle game that encourages everyone to get moving and get involved by mimicking a sports crowd, and the sport, simultaneously.

How to Play

Ask the players to stand in a circle. Explain that they are at the greyhound races and, to everyone’s excitement, the greyhound is going to race around the track right under our feet! When you say ‘Go!’, the dog will be let out and will run as fast as it can in the designated direction (to your left or right). As the imaginary dog passes under your feet, you must jump as high as possible to let it past. You must watch as it whizzes round the circle, and the louder you cheer, the faster it will go!

On your shout (‘Go!’), each of the players then jumps up in the air in turn, as quickly as possible, to allow the greyhound to pass underneath them. Give a running commentary as ‘the sports commentator’ to enliven the game, and to help the players imagine the dog as it is running past:

He’s coming round the final bend, he seems to be slowing down, maybe if we cheer louder he’ll run even faster, look at the sweat pouring off him, he’s almost there, a little bit faster… and he’s done it!!

When playing with older groups you can pass the ‘commentator’ role to a responsible player. Once the greyhound has done several rounds, you can announce that it has won.

The Aim of the Game

The aim is for the players to work as a team to create the idea of the moving greyhound. Everyone needs to participate and jump up – if one person doesn’t jump, the whole race will slow down. By encouraging cheering you can also stretch the players’ imaginative skills and increase the feeling of teamwork, as they encourage each other to jump quicker to help the greyhound win!

3. MTV Cameraman

A hilarious physical warm-up game, in which players use body parts as a pop-music video camera.

How to Play

Ask the players to find a space. They must imagine that they are the newest hot-shot film-maker, the guy (or girl) behind the latest music videos. They are now going to shoot their best pop video yet… using a part of their body.

On the sole of their left foot there is an imaginary video camera. Balancing on their other foot, they can now begin to make the film. In order to create a cool video, they need to move their foot through every angle, zoom in on interesting people and objects, whilst moving their ‘camera’ in time to the imaginary music. Encourage them to video the whole room; behind them, in front of them, the ceiling, and the floor. The wilder the film, the better! Then move onto the right foot, and any other body parts you choose.

The Aim of the Game

Primarily the aim is to physically warm up the players by encouraging them to manipulate their bodies in every direction. It also encourages an awareness of rhythm and demands imaginative thinking.

Variations and Extensions

This game can easily be played with imaginary music, but you could use a CD if you wish. You can also vary the music style each time you begin with a new body part, to encourage them to explore various musical forms; e.g. a slow, lyrical video as opposed to a flashy disco-mix. This also encourages players to think about emotions and genres.

4. Super Shake

An extremely simple but amusing warm-up game, in which players pass ‘the shakes’ to each other.

How to Play

Ask the players to stand in a circle. Explain that you have the dreaded disease ‘The Shakes’, and it is highly contagious!

You begin the game by shaking a body part; for instance, your left hand. The more shocked you act that you have caught the shakes, the better! The shakes become extremely vigorous, and the only way of getting rid of them is to ‘throw’ them to another player across the circle, by physically shaking at them.

They must catch the shakes in the same body part, and then transfer it to another part of their body. They then ‘throw’ the new shake to someone else, and thus the game continues.

The Aim of the Game

The game encourages teamwork and physical confidence – the more you shake, and the more fearful you are of the shakes, the funnier the game! Encourage older players to be inventive with the body parts they choose; it is a hilarious sight to see people catching the shakes in the knee, the eye or even the tongue!

5. Mirror, Mirror…

A physical game that involves passing movements around the ring; a ‘bodily version’ of Chinese Whispers.

How to Play

Ask the players to stand in a circle. You begin by doing a simple movement (e.g. jump and point) towards the person on your right, let’s call her Claire. Claire must then do exactly the same movement back at you, before turning and repeating it to the person on her right, Becky. Becky then copies Claire’s movement back to her, before passing it on to her right-hand neighbour, Natalie, and the game continues.

The idea is to pass the exact movement around the whole circle. However, if anything changes – e.g. if someone laughs halfway through, or gets the movement slightly wrong – the next person must copy what they saw, not the initial movement. Inevitably, the movement that comes back around to you at the end of the circle is likely to be very different from the one you initiated, and can often provoke hysterics amongst the players!

When the group has become adept at passing the movement round, you can introduce a second movement, and pass it in the other direction around the circle. The point at which the two movements swap places is a great source of amusement! You can add more movements to make the game more challenging.

The Aim of the Game

The game encourages physical alertness, concentration, and stresses the importance of observation skills for actors.

Variations and Extensions

Try adding sound to each movement to create a greater challenge for older or experienced players.

6. Yes, Let’s!

Perhaps the most positive of all drama games, an encouraging, energetic and enthusiastic team game involving improvisation. In this game, anything goes!

How to Play

Ask the group to spread out and find a space. During the game, players offer suggestions for spontaneous activities. Each suggestion must begin with ‘I know, let’s…’ Suggestions can be as simp...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Contents
• Dedication
• Foreword by Max Stafford-Clark
• Introduction
• Acknowledgements
• Part One – WARM-UP
• Body
• 1. Rubber Chicken!
• 2. Greyhound Race
• 3. MTV Cameraman
• 4. Super Shake
• 5. Mirror, Mirror…
• 6. Yes, Let’s!
• 7. The Incredible Itch
• 8. Daily-Routine Disco
• 9. Cat and Mouse
• Face
• 10. Pass the Face
• 11. Ooey, Gooey, Chewy Gum
• 12. Funny Face
• Voice
• 13. Boom-chicka-boom!
• 14. The Ultimate Tongue-Twisting Challenge
• 15. Radio Shuffle
• 16. Soundscapes
• 17. Human Orchestra
• 18. Good Evening, Your Majesty
• 19. Sing-along Word Association
• Part Two – FAMILIARITY
• 20. Anyone Who…
• 21. Red Ball, Yellow Ball
• 22. Name Tag
• 23. The Amazing ‘A’s Game
• 24. Elbow to Elbow
• 25. I Love You, Honey!
• Part Three – ENERGY
• 26. Energy Ball
• 27. Splat!
• 28. Whoosh!
• 29. Yeehah!
• 30. Duck, Duck, Goose!
• 31. Fruit Salad
• 32. Shark Attack!
• 33. Captain Cod
• 34. Penguin Race
• 35. King of the Jungle
• 36. Character Corners
• Part Four – FOCUS
• 37. Mexican Clap
• 38. Eyes Up!
• 39. Cyclops
• 40. Zip, Zap, Zoom!
• 41. The Land of Back-to-Front
• 42. Go Bananas!
• 43. Relay Rhythms
• 44. Meddling Monkey
• 45. The Imaginatively Titled Yes-NoGame
• 46. Colombian Hypnosis
• 47. Liar, Liar!
• 48. Wink Murder
• Part Five – TEAMWORK
• 49. Ring of Hands
• 50. Wolf and Sheep
• 51. Tableaux
• 52. 1, 2, 3, Washing Machine!
• 53. Picture Postcards
• 54. Star Wars
• 55. Enigma
• 56. Doctor, Doctor!
• Part Six – TRUST
• 57. Friendly Follower
• 58. Leap of Faith
• 59. Falling Trees
• Part Seven – CHARACTER
• Introducing Characterisation
• 60. Family Portraits
• 61. Lead With Your…
• 62. Themed Musical Chairs
• 63. Grandma’s Hat
• 64. The Ministry of Funny Walks
• 65. Emotion Machines
• 66. Psychiatrist
• 67. Object Puppetry Challenge
• Character Development
• 68. Pauper to Prince
• 69. Aces High!
• 70. Slingshot
• 71. Max’s Motivations
• 72. Character Hotseat
• Part Eight – STORYTELLING
• 73. Wally’s Wallet
• 74. Super-sized Stories
• 75. Story Circle
• 76. Hilari-tales
• 77. The Great Guild of Archaeologists
• 78. Illustration Station
• 79. Living Newspapers
• Part Nine – IMAGINATION
• 80. Super Chair
• 81. The Magical Mystery Box
• 82. No, Not Me!
• 83. Bomb and Shield
• 84. Word Wizard
• 85. Why Don’t We…
• 86. Alien Interview
• 87. Pantomime Race
• Part Ten – IMPROVISATION
• 88. Speed Scene
• 89. Freeze!
• 90. Cocktail Party
• 91. One-Minute Wonder
• 92. Gossip Stream
• 93. Bus-stop Banter
• 94. Dramategories
• 95. Death by Chocolate
• 96. Rub-a-dub-dub
• 97. Sit, Stand, Lie Down
• 98. Instant Opera
• Part Eleven – COOL-DOWN
• 99. Pressure Gauge
• 100. 20-1
• 101. Ring of Trust
• Cross-Reference Index of Games
• Skills
• Practicalities
• About the Author
• Other Titles in the Series
• Copyright Information