Warm Up

Action Evolve (quick)

The group stands in a circle. The first person turns to the neighbor on their left or their right and performs an action with a sound. This second player watches and listens and, as soon as the first player is done, turns to their neighbor in turn and performs the same action and sound, attempting to mimic the first player as closely as possible. The third player turns to the next person and attempts to mimic the second player (ignoring anything the first player did). The fourth person mimics the third player and so on. The action and sound should keep passing round the circle until the leader chooses to end the round and names a new starter. Note that in this version, slightly differently from Line Evolve, there should be a quick rhythm of the action passing round the circle and players should be discouraged from pondering or pausing. It is impossible to completely accurately mimic the previous person, so the performance will evolve as it passes around the circle. However, any changes should be accidental and not deliberately added.

I wonder if encouraging the first player to include their turn in the action would be helpful.

Name Game (thank you variation) with own name

The group stands in a wide circle. The first person points to another person, and says their own name. This second person says “thank you”, at which point the first person begins walking toward the second person. The second person then points to another person, says their own name, waits for the thank you and begins moving toward the third person and so on. The challenge is to make sure that a) everybody is getting passed to pretty evenly, b) to make sure that the name-thank-you exchanges are happening swiftly enough so that the recipient clears their space before the giver arrives, c) to move only after the thank you and to resist the temptation to move prior to that. Note that the challenges can be emphasized or de-emphasized to adjust the difficulty.

Of course, the main purpose of the game is just to keep announcing names so that everybody gets an introduction.

This is within the name circuit family of introduction games which would include Name Juggle, and Circuits

Name Game (thank you variation) with recipient’s name

This is the more conventional form of the previous game, albeit with the thank you variation still in there. The form is the same except that the names being announced are those of the players being pointed to rather than the person pointing. The additional challenge here is recalling the recipient’s name; if a pointer is struggling, the recipient should help them out by reminding the pointer of their name.

Character From Physicality Exercises

Spacewalk exaggerating own walk

Have the players walk the exercise space in a neutral manner. If you like you can remind them to fill the space evenly. As they walk, ask the players to observe their own walk and land upon some aspect of it that they notice. Ask them to exaggerate that one particular aspect. Ask them to inhabit the character who has that walk. Once they have their character, invite them to greet other characters as they move around the space. Then, invite them to stop and engage in short conversations with the other characters.

Spacewalk exaggerating borrowed walk

This is the same as the previous spacewalk, but start by asking the players to bring to mind a person that they know (could be anyone), then to adopt the walk of that person. Exaggerate the walk. Settle on a character who has that exaggerated walk. Start greeting other characters. Start having short conversations.

Spacewalk with weather condition

Start with a neutral spacewalk. Ask the players to imagine they are in some weather condition. Sweltering heat, snowing, etc. Allow the players to settle into a physicality that responds to the weather. Then start greeting others and having conversations with others as above. Side coach to remind them of the object work of what they are wearing.

Spacewalk with props

Start with a neutral spacewalk. Ask the players to notice some object around them that they carry. Start greeting others and having conversations as before. Players will have to be open to responding to endowments and allowing their object and themselves to change.

Three-line scenes

Form layup lines. Have each pair come to center stage in a neutral manner and give them a suggestion. Player A should adopt a character based on that suggestion. Player B should match that character a la two peas in a pod. Player A initiates dialog, and the players should attempt to establish the scene within three lines.

Break

Character From Physicality Exercises

Bus Stop

Place three chairs in a row center stage. This is a bus stop, where three-at-a-time, the players will be waiting side by side for a bus. You can solicit a suggestion to inform where they are going. Have two players sit in the two stage-right chairs, and have the third person enter stage left. The person entering should adopt a strong character, and the other players should mirror that character. The entering player sits, initiates and the characters have a short conversation. Then the rightmost player gets up and exits, the other two players move down a place and a new player enters stage left with a different character. The other players mirror this new character and a new interaction begins. Unlike freeze, this new interaction happens in the same scene, but the characters do change.

Freeze/Freeze-Tag

The group stands in a line at the back of the stage. Two of the performers are brought downstage and each individually given instruction to adopt a static pose (a letterform, for example). The two players initiate a scene that starts from this freezeframe position. At any point someone from the back of the stage can call “FREEZE!”, at which point the two performers freeze in whatever position they are in. The player who called freeze moves into the exact position of one of the previous performers, that performer moves to the back wall and the two downstage players now initiate a new scene based on the poses of the freeze. If two players call freeze at the same time, then both performers are replaced. Freeze is usually played with a high energy, the scenes are very short and the group should be encouraged to interrupt as soon as they feel the momentum of a scene begin to drop.

Blind Freeze

Same as Freeze, but the players at the back of the stage stand with their backs to the action, so that they can only hear the scenes being played out. They still call freeze in the same way, and may benefit from encouragement to interrupt sooner rather than later.

Close

Warm Up

Emotion Exercises

Emotion Evolve

Emotional Symphony

“Go” Scenes

Break

Emotion Room

Radio Show

Close

Warm Up

Considerations Circle

1-2-3

Archetype Exercises

Shared Monologues

Scenes With Archetypes

Given from suggestions. “Clowns”

Break

Status Space Walk

Scenes With Colleagues

You are doing a job. You used to have a very different job.

Close

Take Aways

In turn describe one thing that you will take away

Warm Up

Shakeout

Mirroring Exercises

Group Monologue

Comedy Cube

Break

Peeling The Onion

Character Swap

Warm Up

This Is How I Get Down

Scenes

3 Person Go Scenes

3 Person Merge Scene From Spacewalk

Break

Freeze Tag

Blind Freeze Tag

Blind Freeze Tag With Nominations

Scene Starts

Warm Up

Give Me Back My Son

Mapping Exercises

Half-life Monologues

Half-life Scenes

Break

Scenes

Mapped Scenes

Warm Up

Bunny, Bunny

Circuits

Inanimate Object Exercises

Same Object Scenes

Break

Scenes

Related Object Scenes

4 Thru The Door (Gauntlet)

Open Scenes

Close

Compliment Circle

Warm Up

Pass The Clap

Passing Mind Meld

Zoom With Clap And Meld

Exercises

Serious Scene

Scenes

Gauntlet

Break

Scenes

Gauntlet (cot’d.)

Close

Space Walk