Théatre AMERICAN CULTURAL CLUB Extra curricula activities ACTIVITY 1 / INTRODUCTION TO DRAMA

AMERICAN CULTURAL CLUB

Extra curricula activities

ACTIVITY 1 / INTRODUCTION TO DRAMA

Objectives :

·        Build group awareness and sensitivity

·        Acquire and use some key drama elements Speaking

·        Acquire and use the right intonation for the right type of question / statement

·        Become aware of nonverbal elements of communication (body language and facial expressions)

·        Use body movements correctly

Activities/games

1.      Count to ten/twenty: The idea of this warm-up is for the group to count to twenty, one person saying one number at a time. Not as simple as it sounds! Anyone can start the count. A different person says the next number. But… if two or more people happen to speak at the same time, counting must start again from the beginning.

2.      Lemon, lemon, lemon Give every member of the group a fruit except yourself. The idea is to “catch” their fruit by saying its name (e.g. melon, melon, melon) three times before they can say it once. If you succeed, you become their fruit and they have to catch someone else out. WARNING: choose short names e.g. pear or cherry.

3.      Building structuresStructures In teams make letters, numbers, objects or buildings (e.g.: Church, Fountain, Cuckoo Clock, Motor-bike, Helicopter) – you must use everyone in the group. Don’t be afraid to use different levels, lift people, stand on chairs, lie on the floor etc

4.      Trust Rocking Divide the student group into threes [approximately the same in size and weight]. Stand two facing each other and the third standing behind the one who will now be in the middle. The two outside people place their hands on the centre students shoulders and gently rock him/her backwards and forwards. The centre student should be able to rock back and forwards like a plank using their heels and toes as a hinge. Mirror exercises In a circle everyone copies you. Use simple action and do them slowly. Send one person out – he/she has three guesses to see who is the leader.  

5.      Count to twenty The idea of this warm-up is for the group to count to twenty, one person saying one number at a time. Not as simple as it sounds! Anyone can start the count. A different person says the next number. But… if two or more people happen to speak at the same time, counting must start again from the beginning.

6.      Mirror exercises In a circle everyone copies you. Use simple action and do them slowly. Send one person out – he/she has three guesses to see who is the leader.

7.      Story tableaux Get a student to hold a still pose with no dialogue – ask another to add to the pose. (you could add a third student if you wanted to) Get the other students to suggest what is happening in the picture and give the picture a caption – such as “ A teenager argues with her parents”.

8.      Tea break sketch