Drama Games

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Copyright 2012 Published in the United States by Drama Notebook www.dramanotebook.com a division of Rumplestiltskin Press, Portland Oregon USA All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the express written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book. This guide is authorized for individual sale and use only, unless a group license is granted. Please contact the publisher to obtain group licenses for use in after-school organizations, school districts, theatre companies, etc. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without prior permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated


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Introduction

Drama games have been played for centuries and new drama games are being invented every day. Below are forty of the most widely known drama games played around the world. If you are new to teaching, use this list as a starting point for your teaching career. If you are a seasoned teacher, have fun checking the list to see how many you know!

Inside of Drama Notebook you’ll find over 400 dram a gam es . That’s ten times as many as you see here! They are cross-referenced according to goals and many include helpful lists that make them easy to play. Some games include up to ten variations!

Also inside of Drama Notebook… • Ten Essential Lists 75 Print and Play Games Beginning Acting Section • Tons of Monologues • Shakespeare for Kids Activities • Clowning and Puppetry Lessons • Scripts, Short Plays, Skits and Poems • Fifty Instructional Videos • And Much More! • •

Membership to Drama Notebook is extremely affordable ($9.95 a month). What are you waiting for? Join today and start enjoying all of the free time that you used to spend planning lessons. www.dramanotebook.com


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40 Classic Drama Games Every Teacher Should Know! Boppity Bop Bop Bop This game is on video in Drama Notebook! Players standing in a circle with one player in the center (the leader). The leader points to a player in the circle and quickly says “Boppity Bop Bop Bop.” The player he pointed to must say “Bop” before the leader finishes or that player is out. The leader may also try to trick the players by just saying “Bop.” If the player he pointed to repeats “Bop,” he is out because he’s only supposed to say “Bop” in response to “Boppity Bop Bop Bop.” Once students have the basic game down, it’s time to add pictures. Each ‘picture’ uses three students. The leader points to a player and calls out a picture instead of saying “Boppity Bop Bop Bop.” Here are some ideas for pictures, but it’s always fun to invite students to come up with their own. Pictures! Elephant That player pointed to forms the trunk of the elephant by extending his arms in front of him and the players to his right and left create huge elephant ears by extending their arms in a ‘C’ shape facing away from the ‘elephant.’ Bowl of Jello In this configuration, the player in the middle throws her arms up in the air, waving them and saying “Watch it wiggle, watch it wiggle,” while the players to the right and left of her use their arms to form a circle (bowl) around her. Movie Star The player in the center poses for the camera, waving and blowing kisses while players on either side become paparazzi, snapping pictures like crazy. Charlie’s Angels The person in the middle strikes a model pose while the players to the right and left of her turn sideways and pretend to be holding guns. Hula Player in the center does a hula dance while students on either side raise up their arms and wave them as if they are palm trees. Big Wind Blows (Ideally requires chairs or some way of marking places). Someone in center declares something that is true about themselves. For example: “A big wind blows for everyone who loves to sing.” Then, everyone who loves to sing must run from their place and find a new place. Someone is then stuck in the middle again.


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Or try this! From One Side to the Other One of the challenges with Big Wind Blows is that everyone is so concerned with finding another spot that they often don’t notice who shares their interests. Try having the class stand on one end of the playing space. One person goes to the other side and declares something that is true about them. Anyone who shares their interest joins them. Players are then able to notice who is with them and who is left behind. This version of the game lacks the frenetic energy of the traditional Big Wind Blows, but it allows participants to actually get to know the other players (which is the point of the original game). 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! Categories In a sitting circle, lead all players in slapping their thighs to a rhythm. Next, name a category such as: colors; fruit; types of cars; words that start with ‘b’; etc. One at a time, going around the circle, each person must come up with something that fits the category and say it in rhythm. If a person stumbles or duplicates another player’s answer, he must offer a new category and start again. Change Three Things In pairs, actors observe one another. Say, “Notice everything you can about your partner. Look at her clothes, her hair, her eyes, really observe the other person.” Next, ask all players to turn away from each other, back to back. Tell players that each person must change three things about him/herself. Players can remove jewelry, change their hair, take off shoes, etc. Next, have the players turn back toward each other and take turns noticing what has changed. 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. Continuing Emotions Drama Notebook has a long list of emotions in the Lists section! Start a neutral scene with two players. For example, a customer goes into a store to return something. Have the two players act it out straight. Then, have them do it again, using emotion suggestions from the audience. For example: in the second round of play, the customer is fearful and the clerk is jubilant. (They can each have a different emotion, or both the same.)


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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 Drama Notebook has a long list of environments in the Lists section! Played in small groups onstage, or simultaneously with several groups scattered about the playing space. In this game, a group of players silently creates an environment within a few seconds. The players can be objects, characters, weather, etc. The lead player calls out a place such as ‘the beach.’ The stage players have ten seconds to form that environment without speaking. The lead player may count backward from ten to one aloud as the actors get into place. Extraordinary Objects In a circle, introduce an object such as a pool noodle. Declare that it can be many things. An ‘elephant’s trunk’ for example. Pass the object around the circle. Each player turns it into something new-no repeats. players who are stuck can say “Come back to me.” Normal class rules apply: something that isn’t gross or violent, for example. Repeat with other objects. Similar games are: Two Sticks, and A Scarf. Gibberish This game is on Video in Drama Notebook! Gibberish is the art of using sounds and utterances in place of normal speech. Put the group into pairs and invite each pair to carry on a conversation as if speaking in an unknown language. Players should converse as if making perfect sense. (Note: Before presenting the concept of gibberish to your class, practice using gibberish with family or friends.) In class, keep the conversation going until everyone participates. Some students find it easy to speak in gibberish, while others struggle. Invite students who are having trouble to start with making simple sounds such as: ma; dee; dah; doo; etc. This will help them become more at ease with vocalizing nonsense sounds. Side coach: Use as many different sounds as possible! Exaggerate your mouth movements! Try chewing movements! Vary the tone! Keep usual speech rhythm! Let the gibberish flow!


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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. 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 Stop This game is on video in Drama Notebook! 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 all of 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. Hot Seat In this classic drama game, one student goes up in front of the class and assumes the role of a character or a famous person while the audience players interrogate him/her. The hot-seated actor must stay in character! This may be played as an history integration game, with real historical characters and students having to give accurate answers, or as a fictitious game during which actors may play any type of character and improvise their answers. The game may also be used as a rehearsal warm-up during which actors portray their characters from the play.


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Hot Spot This is a classic drama exercise that teaches quick thinking. With everyone in a circle, one actor goes into the middle and begins singing a song or telling a story. At any time, another actor can enter the center, tap the first actor on the shoulder and start singing a song or telling a story that the first one made him think of. 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! 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. 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. The Line Game This game is on video in Drama Notebook! This is a great first class icebreaker. Come up with a list of ways for students to line up. Call them out one after another, but tell students that they cannot speak to one another. This is a silent game! When the line is finished, go along the line checking their accuracy. Make comments if something stands out. For instance, if a student has 25 pets, bring her up in front of the class and ask about them. Stopping every once in a while to ask questions or point something out helps kids learn more about each other. Ways to line up: “Line up according to height. Tallest on this end, shortest on this end, go!” “Line up according to your birthday. January on this end, December on this end, go!” “Line up according to number of brothers and sisters. Most on this end, least on this end, go!”


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Or Try This! Divide the students into two equal groups. Announce an order that you wish them to line up in, first group to finish their line correctly wins. Machines This game is on video in Drama Notebook and members of Drama Notebook have access to a list of 30 different types of machines.! 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 kids 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. Memory Bring in a tray with about twenty random items to class. (Rubber band, comb, fork, an eraser, flower, pencil, rock, Band-Aid, etc.) Pass the tray around, or set the tray in the middle of the circle and allow kids to observe the tray for about one minute. Then take the tray away and have the kids list as many objects as they can remember on a sheet of paper. For younger children, have them take turns one at a time naming items. 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. Mirror This game is on video in Drama Notebook, and there are nine variations of this game listed! 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 © www.dramanotebook.com

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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?

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! Park Bench Create a bench onstage using an actual bench or three chairs. Choose three players to be in the scene and ask them to think of a famous person to portray, or allow them to choose a famous character out of a hat. Have the three players start a scene on the park bench in which the goal is for each character to try and figure out who the other two characters are. Once a player thinks she has identified another character, she should say a line that indicates that she knows who he is without actually naming him. For example, if she suspects that one of the players is the president of the United States, she might say, “I didn’t vote for you, but I think you are doing a good job anyway!” Once a character has been identified, he makes an elaborate excuse to leave and a new player takes his place. Pass the Clap Have students form a standing circle. Tell students that they will be passing a clap around the circle, but that it will go around the circle two students at a time. Choose a starting point and have one person turn to the next person and have them both clap at the same time. The second student then turns to the next person and they clap at the same time. Key to success is eye contact, and watching each other’s hands in the beginning. If the game gets sloppy, ask students to slow down. Once the game is going smoothly, tell students that they may reverse the clap by remaining focused on the player who passed the clap, and clapping again. Another clap may also be introduced at another point in the circle so that there are two claps traveling around the circle. 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.


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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. 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. Slide Show This game is on video in Drama Notebook! 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 kids that they can be anything in each picture. If it’s an aquarium, some kids can be the tourists, and while others can play the octopus or the eel. As a variation, a topic or title is chosen, such as: The Recess Incident. Players onstage form a picture and the storyteller must improvise what is happening in the picture. Encourage players to use all levels of the stage and all kinds of body positions. Space Objects In a sitting circle, have kids imagine that they are holding a ball just big enough to fit in their hands. Invite them to imagine the texture and the weight of the ball, and to roll it around in their hands. Make it smaller, make it bigger. Make it heavier, make it lighter. Then invite the kids to slowly transform the ball into another object such as a pencil. Coach kids to make the transition slowly, scrunching the ball down, making it flatter and longer, until forms into a pencil. Repeat with other objects such as: a jar of peanut butter; a teddy bear; an egg; an umbrella; an IPod; a bowl; a flower; a banana; a quarter; etc.. Invite kids to offer suggestions! Keep coaching students to turn the object slowly into something else, rather than just switching to the new object. Space Walk This game is on video in Drama Notebook. There are also twelve variations listed and a collection of script for guided space-walk journeys! 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.


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Say!

Keep walking. Only now pretend you are walking through pudding. Think about what it feels like and how your body would move through pudding. For example, you might move more slowly now because pudding is thicker than air. After a while, pretend the space has turned into clouds. Think about what it feels like, and how you might walk through clouds.

Suggestions for different kinds of spaces: honey; snow; water; frozen pond; mashed potatoes; the moon; popcorn; feathers; mud; fire; taffy; pea soup,; cotton candy; marbles; a boat in a storm. Statue Maker or Sculptor There are eight variations of this game in Drama Notebook and a huge printable list of suggestions for types of statues! 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 all of 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. Tug of War Divide players into two teams and establish a “rope.” Then start a pantomimed tug-of-war. Two Truths and a Lie One at a time, players say two things that are true about themselves and one thing that is a lie-in any order. The goal is to trick the other players into believing the lie or thinking that the truth is a lie. Go around the circle one person at a time. After each person’s turn, the group guesses which one is the lie. What Are You Doing? This game is on video in Drama Notebook! 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?” Wink Murder Have all players sit in a circle with their eyes closed. Choose one person to be the Murderer by tapping him lightly on the head as you go around the circle. Next, announce that the space has been transformed into a ballroom and everyone is at a big party. Tell everyone that there is a killer in their midst! Players should mingle and make small-talk, but if the killer winks at them, they are to die. However, they must wait ten seconds before dying a very dramatic death. If someone thinks they know who the murderer is, they may make a guess. If they are wrong, they are out of the game. If they are right, they get to choose the next murderer and the theme of the party! Variation: instead of winking, the murderer can shake hands with a person and tickle the inside of their palm. In this version of the game, all of the party guests move about shaking hands with each other.


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Yes And! This is a classic drama game that teaches the concept of accepting each other’s ideas and cooperating onstage. The game may be played with players sitting in a circle, or in pairs onstage. Here is how to play if students are in a circle: Have students make eye contact with someone and utter a simple statement such as, “The sun is shining.” The player he made eye contact with then makes eye contact with someone else and says, “YES, AND we should go on a bike ride. ” The next player responds with “YES AND we should pack a picnic.” And so on. If students say “no” or “but,” they’re out. Be sure that the players make clear eye contact. Encourage students to respond and pass the phrase along quickly. Yes, Let’s Have all players scatter about in the playing space. One student calls out an activity for everyone to start miming, the rest of the group members shout out “Yes, lets!” and then they start doing the activity. For instance, if someone calls out “Let’s start jogging in place!” the group responds with “Yes, lets!” and they all start jogging in place until someone calls out a new activity. Zip Zap Zop This game is on video in Drama Notebook! This is one of the most famous theater warm-up games. Stand in a circle. Have kids practice saying “Zip, Zap, Zop.” One person starts by clapping and pointing to someone as she says, “zip.” The person she pointed to claps, and points to someone else saying “zap.” The person she pointed to then claps, and points to someone saying “zop.” Then it starts all over again with the next player clapping and pointing to someone saying “zip!” The game continues until someone gets out. If a player says a word out of order, he’s out. If a player hesitates too long, she’s out. When players get out, they can stay in the game, but turn into “land mines” by crossing their arms over their chest. If a player still in the game points to one of the “mines,” he is out too.

We hope you enjoyed this mini-collection of games! If you are teaching drama this year, be sure to check out the vast selection of high-quality, easy to play drama games, activities, lesson plans and more on Drama Notebook.

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Drama Games

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