Try a name and action exercise. Have everybody state their name while performing an action that reflects their personality. Then have everyone else – in unison – say their name out loud and perform the action as well.
Call out the type of characters you want your students to embody, and cycle through several different characterizations. Simply say “Greet one another as ________. ” Fill in the blank however you want. Some great ideas include: …old, bitter enemies who have forgotten why you’re enemies. …internet lovers that have never met in person. …constipated business professionals. …neighbors about to argue about the property line. Again. Go rapid-fire through the exercise, allowing only enough time for the lines to be exchanged. Point out afterwards that even one line of seemingly uninteresting dialogue can have immense dramatic effect.
To start the discussion, ask what everyone thinks “drama” and “acting” entail. This alone will likely yield some interesting discussions. Ask about everyone’s personal experience acting. This will help you steer following sessions towards exercises appropriate for the levels of experience in that particular group. Ask how participants incorporate acting into their day-to-day lives. This will remind everyone about the degree to which drama is a part of our lived realities, even when we’re not consciously acting.
Separate the class into groups. Give each group a different prompt, reminding them that speaking is not allowed – though allow them to speak amongst themselves for a few minutes to plan their group pantomime. Remind each group to plan a specific task for each participant. Ideas for role-based prompts include: playing a sport, building something, and working in an emergency room. Ideas for location based prompts include: in the teacher’s lounge, in a deep sea trench, or at an abandoned amusement park. Have the full class reconvene for a one or two minute silent performances by each group.
To encourage your classmates, give it a go yourself first. Say something simple like “I love drama!” but raise your arms and absolutely belt out the phrase like an opera singer. Throw in a curtsy to drive home the statement.
Be sure to include a variety of improv exercises throughout a class session, shaping them around different themes. Touch on themes that will explicitly facilitate voice work, body work, impromptu interaction, and even confidence building.
Try “memory loss” to indicate everyone should act like they just forgot what they were doing and have to figure it out again. Use “the world ends tomorrow” to add some frantic - and especially dramatic - developments to an exercise. Another classic, simple option is “slow motion”, which you can refer to more playfully as “the blob monster. ”
Specify that improvisational qualifiers such as the blob monster cannot be referenced verbally within the narrative of the exercise. Students must simply incorporate the new improvised rule via action.
Tell students that they can incorporate each other’s actual sounds, inflections, or simply speed of sound-making. Further, point out that accents, exaggerations, and intonations can also be mimicked or morphed, and that the exercise will help everyone’s vocal creativity expand.
Call out developments in the scenario to shift the participants’ emotions. Direct them to avoid too much mouthing of words or exaggerated arm movements, as these are too easy.
The person who is leading the sentence will then move into the next sound. Slowly and steadily, the group will come to speak the sentence altogether. In the process, they will learn to read and anticipate the expression of one another’s voices – and seemingly, of one another’s minds!
Note that role-playing historical or even contemporary social-political scenarios will allow students to more comprehensively consider the topics you want them to be familiar with.
Hold debates where students take on characterizations that reflect their assigned or chosen roles. This will allow them to more freely convey their thoughts, through the screen of an adopted persona.
Know that most of the materials that are designed to help people teach drama do not assume that the instructor has had much – if any – experience. Most will walk you through everything you need to know! If you’re hoping to incorporate role-playing into a specific type of course, such as language instruction, you can find guides tailored towards these pursuits!
Theatre folk has a whole slew of scenes for different groupings, as well as lessons and tips on acting and all the other elements of theatre production. [13] X Research source The Drama Resource website is easy to navigate and offers all sorts of games to play during drama class, as well as other resources that are also available on the Drama Resource app. [14] X Research source The Theatre Education Database hosted by BYU provides resources to help theatre educators make lesson plans and more. [15] X Research source
Conceptualize your role as taking part in an experience that everyone is learning from. Stick to activities that you’re comfortable participating in. If you’re hesitant, start with just a few simple role-playing exercises. As the course progresses, you’ll likely be more willing to try out new exercises!
By asking a student to talk about acting something out, you will encourage them to get closer to actually doing so. Soon enough, you’ll have a room full of stars.
Encourage your students to take part in making the rules. Ask them what they think class rules should be, and post the ideas you agree with. Include rules like “Always be friendly and helpful” and “Encourage each other to be creative. ”
Consistency and quickness are vital here. Don’t let your class get out of hand by stopping a poor behavior before it escalates or spreads.
Alternatively, ask for an “actor’s promise” from the student who broke a rule. This is especially good for a student who is hesitant to participate in acting exercises. Have the student prepare and give a statement after sitting out and exercise. Encourage them to act apologetic – or to be funny – and ask that they specifically promise to honor the class and their classmates moving forward.
