Type: Focus, Improv, Ensemble Building
Purpose: This is a great game to play to help kids understand the idea of when to give focus and when to take focus. It’s useful when beginning an improv unit and you have a few kids who consistently tend to dominate the scenes.
Procedure:
1. Divide the class into two groups.
2. Have the first group take the stage and form a semi-circle.
3. Tell them that after you say “action”, there can only be one person moving (taking) at any given time. Everyone else must be frozen (giving).
4. Once another person starts taking, the current taker must freeze. The taker must continue his/her movement until someone else begins to take.
5. The taking should pass randomly throughout the group. There should be no sounds.
6. There should be no overlapping taking.
7. Tell them that if you ever feel that the taking is being dominated by only a few students, or that too much overlapping is happening, you will say “Thank you” which means that group’s turn is over and they must sit down.
8. Have the next group go up and try the same thing.
9. Continue this exercise until you feel the group’s are working seamlessly and everyone is taking an equal amount. Make it a competition to see which group can stay up the longest.
VARIATION:
1. Consider adding sounds in addition to movement.
2. For advanced groups, consider allowing them to have one sound taker and one physical taker at any given time. (i.e. one person must always be making a sound and one person must always be physically moving)
REFLECTION:
– Was it difficult to wait your turn to take?
– How can this be useful when rehearsing a scene from a play?
– What skills were required to be successful as a group?
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