Drama Menu E-Book

Glyn Trefor-Jones

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Seitenzahl: 243

Beschreibung

Drama Menu is a brand new concept for planning and delivering dynamic, progressive drama lessons and workshops. Packed with over 150 tried-and-tested theatre games, exercises and improvisation ideas, it's an essential resource for any drama teacher or workshop leader – guaranteed to deliver delicious drama sessions every time. Simply make a selection from each of the three courses, and your whole drama session will come to life with new-found energy and focus: Appetisers are fast-paced warm-up exercises to energise and enthuse the group; Starters are the intermediary course to challenge the players and encourage creativity; Main Courses provide the central part of the session, culminating in a final performance piece; And a few Desserts are also provided, if you have some space at the end of your session for something sweet. Drama Menu is the recipe book that will relieve the stress of planning lessons and workshops. Now you can get on with what you do best: delivering creative drama sessions that will have your groups hungry for more. Join the online Drama Menu community, browse and share other recommended menus, and download a comprehensive Resource Pack and selection of sound effects, providing everything you need to start playing straight away. www.DramaMenu.com

Leseprobe

Glyn Trefor-Jones

Theatre Games in Three Courses

NICK HERN BOOKSLondonwww.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Dedication

Introduction

Appetisers

Starters

Main Courses

Desserts

Appendices

Suggested Combinations

Exercises by Category

Index of Games

To my students,who have been the inspiration and driving force behind this book

Introduction

Drama Menu is a comprehensive collection of theatre games and drama exercises designed to be combined into fun-filled and fulfilling drama sessions.

Taking inspiration from a culinary menu, Drama Menu combines games and exercises into three distinct courses: select an Appetiser, Starter and a Main Course – combine them together and ‘Hey pesto!’ (stay tuned for more gastronomic puns!), you have a ready-made hour of tried-and-tested activities that will engage and inspire your drama group.

Appetisers – Fast-paced warm-up exercises designed to energise and focus the group. For ease of use, the Appetisers have been divided into circle and non-circle games. Choose one, two or more of these to enthuse and motivate the group.

Starters – An intermediary course, designed to challenge the players and encourage creativity. One Starter should be enough to channel the group’s energy and fire their imaginations (but, if you have a particularly hungry group, you might like to choose two).

Main Course – The main body of the session, culminating in a final performance piece. Choose one Main Course to release the creativity of the players and allow them to express themselves fully and freely.

And finally… enjoy your meal! The stress of planning lessons and workshops has been lifted from your shoulders, and you can now get on with what you do best: delivering creative and progressive drama sessions that your group will love.

Who is Drama Menu for?

Drama Menu offers a compendium of exercises and activities that can be enjoyed by a broad range of ages and abilities: schoolteachers (secondary and primary), drama groups/societies, theatre companies, weekend theatre schools, after-school clubs, playgroup leaders and drama-school students will all find useful and inspiring stimuli to further learning or just have some fun. All Drama Menu activities have been tried and tested on performers between the ages of seven and twenty-one.

With one hundred and fifty-eight exercises – and one million possible menu combinations – you are sure to find a wealth of activities that will enhance your drama sessions and release the creativity of your group.

Why Use the Menu System?

The Drama Menu system has been developed and honed over several years and has consistently produced energised, focused, productive and – of course – fun drama sessions.

The system brings variety to your workshops, introducing the right element at the right time. The participants will experience a fast-paced and energised session that will inspire, focus and challenge their creativity.

Today’s young performers respond well to a variety of activities and an array of stimulus – Drama Menu offers this in abundance. Each course has been carefully selected and categorised in order to provide the most progressive and productive learning environment.

The three-course approach allows you to engage and enthuse the group before embarking on a series of increasingly challenging exercises that will channel the creative energy of the participants and further their experience.

What are the Combinations that Work?

Drama Menu has been developed alongside an interactive website that enables users to get the very best out of the book. Once you have found the combinations that work – share them online.

Visit www.dramamenu.com and tell us all about your menu selections. What worked well? What energised/inspired/focused the group? By using the ‘Suggest a Menu’ tool, you can let others know about your successful three-course combinations and even suggest your own ‘side orders’ (exercises that complement the chosen menu).

The Drama Menu website brings together a community of teachers/actors/group leaders who are able to share ideas and offer exciting new ways to utilise the menu to its full potential. By sharing menus, ideas and resources, you need never be stuck for inspiration again.

There is also a comprehensive Resource Pack available to download through the website as an A4 PDF, which contains all the resources required to get the very best out of each exercise. If there is a script/worksheet/printout needed it is indicated at the top of the page, just below the game number, with the following: *RESOURCE. Find it in the Resource Pack and print out the required number of copies, making it even easier to unlock the true potential of the book and quickly deliver engaging and inspiring drama sessions.

And what’s more, the website also offers a free sound-effects pack. Simply subscribe to our newsletter and we will send you a selection of dramatic sound effects that can be used to enhance several games within the book.

How Long Should Each Course Last?

The games and exercises in Drama Menu have been selected so that each course delivers an increasingly challenging activity that will take a little more energy, a little more focus and a little more time. Whilst it is difficult to provide exact timings for each exercise (as this will vary greatly depending on the size and ability of your group), here is a guide to how much time you should allocate to each course:

Appetisers

These fast-paced exercises bring energy and excitement (or, if required, focus) to the start of each session. Appetisers will usually be completed in five to ten minutes. It is a good idea to select more than one in order to make the start of your session as active and varied as possible. The challenge of several short, fast-paced games will usually engage the participants and encourage them to remain actively involved in the session.

Starters

The Starters require a little more thought, concentration and cooperation and, thus, will take a little more time than the Appetisers. As a guide, you should allow fifteen to twenty minutes to complete each exercise.

Main Courses

Main Courses should be allocated the most time as they provide the biggest challenge and demand the greatest level of creativity, cooperation and preparation from the players. It is advisable to allow twenty to thirty minutes for the preparation (and performance) of this most important course.

It is very easy to lose track of time during a particularly enjoyable and creative drama session, but this can often lead to a rather rushed and unsatisfactory conclusion. It rarely works to return to a performance piece in the following session as the energy, creativity and drive will have been lost, so it is recommended that you complete all courses in the allotted session time. By keeping a close eye on the clock, you will always be able to provide a rich, varied and complete learning experience.

And remember – if you finish early and find yourself with ten to fifteen minutes to spare, help is at hand. At the back of the book, you will find a small selection of Desserts – these are exercises that have been designed to fill the end of your session quickly and creatively with improvisational activities that require no prior preparation and no additional resources. So, if you have the time, choose one of these simple, inclusive exercises and you will have a positive and creative conclusion to your drama class.

Delivering the Perfect Menu

While you will have your own methods and techniques for delivering the perfect drama session, what follows are a collection of hints and tips of my own that may enhance your teaching experience and enable you to get the very best out of Drama Menu.

Drive the session

Young performers – actually, not just young ones – tend to be at their best when stimulated by a number of different challenges and constrained by tight deadlines. This combination helps to keep the session energised, creative and driven.

Group leaders should always be aware of the energy of the group and strive to maintain the focus and drive of the participants at all times. Use your instincts: if you sense that the group has finished preparing – it’s time to perform (allowing them to continue for another five minutes will only serve to derail the session and affect a loss of drive and urgency).

By constantly challenging and driving the group, you will find that the participants will be at their most vital and creative.

Be creative

You constantly ask creativity of the group so don’t be afraid to display some of your own. If you think of an idea that may enhance the session – three simple words: GO FOR IT! Those spur-of-the-moment, off-the-cuff ideas often create the most enjoyable and memorable moments in the session.

No one is looking over your shoulder to ensure that you are following the menu system to the letter. If you have an idea for an additional ingredient that may improve and enhance the creative experience – try it out. Remember, nothing is wrong in the drama session, so keep your mind open and alive to the possibilities. If you create a particularly interesting variation, please share it online at www.dramamenu.com.

Choose appropriate material

Choosing the right three-course combination is key to getting the most out of your players, so give careful consideration before making your menu selection. Not all exercises will be suitable for everyone – people’s ages, needs and abilities will vary wildly from group to group, so use your judgement to pick exercises that suit yours.

Set time limits

If you state to a group of performers, ‘I would like you to prepare a one-minute piece entitled “Betrayal”… GO!’ – you will often find that nothing much happens. The participants will talk amongst themselves, become distracted, etc. However, if you state: ‘I would like you to prepare a one-minute piece entitled “Betrayal” – you only have five minutes to rehearse. GO!’ – you will invariably find that the group jumps to attention and will quickly set about creating (or if they don’t, a simple ‘Four minutes to go!’ will soon have them clambering to their feet).

If at any time during the exercise you feel the energy of the group slipping, give another countdown call – ‘Three minutes to go!’ – you will soon see the participants re-energised and refocused.

Now, this is a top-secret tip:You do not have to stick religiously to the set time scale. The period between three minutes to go and two minutes to go could be three/five/six minutes, as long as the group is focused and creating. The moment you see that creative drive dropping, hit them with another countdown and then a final ‘One minute to go’ and ‘Final rehearsal’ call for that last creative push to the finish.

Using the urgency of time will focus the participants and allow them to get the best from each activity. The pressure of the countdown puts them ‘in the zone’ and focused fully on the creative task at hand.

Be clear

Before commencing any exercise, make sure that the participants have clearly understood what is required of them. Uncertainty amongst performers can cause a lack of confidence and ultimately an unfocused and unsatisfactory session, so ensure that your instructions are fully understood before giving the green light.

Position yourself correctly

A simple but effective tip: when observing a session, always position yourself in the corner of the room (this doesn’t work in a converted lighthouse). This will give you the best possible vantage point and allow you to pinpoint the groups that need assistance or guidance.

Be flexible

It’s always a good idea to prepare a couple of ‘back-up’ exercises so that, if the group are not receptive to a session on focus, you have a high-energy session up your sleeve (or at least a game to expend some energy before moving on to more focused work).

This ability to be flexible and respond to the energy of the group is essential for modern teachers and will allow you always to get the very best out of each drama session. You may suffer a short-term setback, but in the longer term, this flexible approach will bring out the best in the participants and allow you to maintain a positive and progressive atmosphere during the session.

A rigid approach of ‘You will learn this’ can often be counterproductive. By being prepared to alter your plans, you will quickly learn to steer the energy of the group in the direction of your choosing and you will then be free to pursue your set agenda.

Offer coaching

No matter how inspiring your session, there will invariably be some groups who struggle for ideas and inspiration. Try to identify these groups as soon as possible and intervene quickly to get them up on their feet and creating. A group that says ‘We haven’t got any ideas’ will invariably have lots of them, they just need to be coaxed out.

Try your best to encourage the players to offer their own ideas and develop what they have rather than coming up with solutions for them. Very often, by coaxing out one simple, suggested idea, the group will be sparked into life and the creativity will start to flow freely.

Give feedback

Watching others perform is one of the most vital learning tools for all performers, and post-performance feedback sessions offer an essential opportunity for participants to share ideas and engage positively within the group.

During feedback sessions, don’t settle for ‘It was brilliant’ or ‘I didn’t like it’ – demand a little more detailed analysis. Explain to the group that we learn through feedback and that criticism isn’t necessarily a bad thing (but do stress that constructive criticism is always the most valued).

It may take a few sessions for the critique to reach a suitably acceptable and progressive level, but the group will soon learn to criticise constructively and will become much more engaged in the work of others, making for a much more focused and progressive drama session.

Once you have taken the feedback of the group, give your own critique and offer advice and coaching tips where required.

Be positive

One of your main responsibilities is to motivate the group and a good dollop of positivity never goes amiss. There is always a positive to be found in every performance, so make sure you look for it and, more importantly, point it out. This will engender confidence amongst the performers and ultimately lead to more creative and productive drama sessions.

This is not to say that you shouldn’t criticise or point out any weaknesses where necessary, but if you accentuate the positive, the confidence of the group will soar, as will the standard of their work.

Maintain order

If a session is driven and the participants are creatively stimulated, you will have very few behavioural problems – but if discipline is needed, make it quick, to the point, non-humiliating and move on.

If an individual is disrupting the session, don’t ask questions of the offending person, e.g. ‘Why are you talking, Jack?’ or ‘Why were you throwing that book?’ This opens up a debate with Jack and risks the potential escalation of the issue.

Try making statements instead – ‘You’re talking, Jack.’ This offers no opportunity for Jack to respond. You have noted his behaviour, pointed it out and swiftly moved on with the session.

If the whole group is becoming disruptive, issue a firm and urgent call for all participants to sit down where they are. This is a fantastic teaching tool as it brings immediate order to a chaotic situation and gives you the all-important high ground.

While they sit, remain standing and reassert the values and expectations of the drama class before ushering them back to their feet and continuing the session.

And finally… Enjoy!

A drama session is often the highlight of a young person’s week and, more often than not, it will be yours too. Keep finding the joy in delivering engaging drama classes and workshops, and that joyous enthusiasm will be reflected in the attitude and ability of your group.

There is nothing more exciting than a creative group of young people firing on all cylinders – it is both inspirational and electric and will leave you with moments to treasure for ever.

With Drama Menu by your side, I hope that you will create several such unforgettable moments – and fill your drama sessions with creative, progressive, unbounded joy.

Circle Appetisers

The classic way to begin any drama class… Call out the time-honoured words…

‘Okay, everyone… let’s make a circle!’

This instantly brings the class together and forms an excellent starting point for the session. The amount of fun you can have in a circle is seemingly endless, and what follows is a collection of tried-and-tested Circle Appetisers to focus, enthuse and ignite the energy of the group.

Action Names

The name game forms the bedrock of any first drama session and there are countless variations. Here is an old favourite that never fails to energise the group and is great for easing those first-day nerves.

Ask the group to form a large circle and explain that the aim of the game is to learn as many of the group’s names as possible. How is that achieved? By making each name as memorable and unique as possible.

Explain that each participant will enter the centre of the circle, in turn, and call out their name whilst performing an action. Once they have done so, the whole group will move to the centre of the circle and copy the action-and-name combination.

It’s a good idea to get the ball rolling yourself, so don’t be shy – move to the centre of the circle and deliver your own unique name-and-action combination (a spaghetti-armed gesture with a high-pitched ‘Glyn!’ is one of my favourites).

Once you have completed your name-and-action combination, encourage the whole group to move towards the centre of the circle and copy your vocal intonation/physical gestures as accurately as possible. Once they’ve got the idea, decide who will start, which way around the circle you’re going and – away you go.

This is an excellent name game as it’s very physical, involves all participants immediately and is achievable by all ages and abilities.

It may be a good idea to repeat this exercise as you will often find that the first round is a little tentative. I will often insist that the second round is twice as fast and twice as energised, this will produce a buzz of excitement that will help to break down the inhibitions of any new recruits.

Spaghetti

A high-energy and fun-filled Appetiser that encourages performers to connect emotionally and physically to the spoken word.

Have the group form a large circle and explain that you have written a script for this exercise which is made up of one word – ‘Spaghetti!’

At this point you may be greeted by howls of derision or a sea of bemused faces – ignore these (!!) and continue to explain that you are going to give each player, in turn, a specific emotion/character trait. The chosen player must then focus on that emotion/character trait, walk to the centre of the circle and say the word ‘Spaghetti!’

Angry spaghetti – In-love spaghetti – Shy spaghetti – Heroic spaghetti – Excited spaghetti – Bored spaghetti – Amazed spaghetti – Cool spaghetti – Rock ’n’ Roll spaghetti – Intelligent spaghetti…

Anything is possible, so be as creative as you can (a list of Spaghetti emotions is available in the Resource Pack). Encourage the players to allow the given emotion/character trait to colour the delivery of the spoken word and to drive their movement both into the circle and back to their positions (it is important to stay ‘in character’ at all times whilst inside the circle).

After everyone has had a turn, it’s time for the group round. During the group round, call out an emotion/character trait and encourage all players to move to the centre of the circle and say ‘Spaghetti!’ in unison. The group round can be a lot of fun as the participants will feel much less inhibited and far more able to ‘let go’. During this round, discourage players from copying other members of the group, explaining that they will all feel anger, love, boredom, etc., in very different ways, this is what makes actors unique and interesting.

Splat

A great opener to any session as it requires concentration, energy, and it’s also a great deal of fun. After a couple of quick-fire Splat rounds, the group will be focused and ready for action.

Ask the group to form a large circle and have the Splat Master stand in the middle of the circle (it’s a good idea for you to play the role of Splat Master in order to bring control and drive to the exercise). Instruct all players to have splat guns at the ready – by placing two hands together with index fingers extended.

The Splat Master ‘splats’ someone in the circle by pointing at them and shouting ‘Splat!’ That person must duck and the two players either side of him/her must attempt to splat each other by pointing their splat guns and shouting ‘Splat!’ The first to ‘splat’ stays standing and the ‘splatted’ must sit down (they are now out of the game).

Continue ‘splatting’ until only two players are left standing. Instruct the two finalists to stand back to back, ready to duel and ask the last person to be splatted for a magic word. Once the magic word has been chosen (don’t ask me why, but it’s usually ‘banana’), the Splat Master begins the Splat-Off. During the Splat-Off, the Splat Master says a number of words (preferably ones that rhyme with or start with the same letter as the magic word), and for each word spoken, the two finalists must take one step forward until the magic word is spoken. Then, it’s quick-draw time. The finalists turn and splat each other. The first to splat wins and becomes Splat Champion.

A simple game that’s lots of fun, and popular with all ages.

1–10

A simple exercise that is excellent for bringing focus to the beginning of a session.

Ask the group to stand in a circle and explain that the aim of the game is to count to ten. ‘Easy!’, I hear you cry. Well – not as easy as you might think.

Players must call out one number at a time (starting with one and counting up to ten… obviously!). Any player can call out a number at any time, BUT – and here comes the tricky bit – if two players say a number at the same time, you must stop the exercise and start over.

This is a great exercise for encouraging performers to work as a cohesive unit – if you have a collection of individuals who are all desperate to have their voices heard, the game will invariably fail. Success is achieved by being aware of other group members and recognising that everyone has a right to contribute.

Note: Some groups will attempt to ‘cheat’ this exercise by simply going around the circle saying a number each in turn. Firmly discourage such behaviour – numbers must be called at random.

Energy Circle

A high-energy opener – great for promoting the giving and sharing of energy.

Ask the group to form a circle and explain that the game requires each player to create an action and a sound (it is important that it is just a sound and not a sentence). At this point, it might be a good idea to demonstrate a few action-and-sound combinations in order to give the group some inspiration (and the opportunity to marvel at your groundbreaking fusion of karate kick and chicken squawk, or fist pump and baby cry). Encourage the players to be as creative/wacky as they can with their action-and-sound combinations, and ask them to be as focused as possible when the exercise begins in order to build and sustain energy effectively.

Begin by performing your action and sound and encouraging the players to copy you, all the way around the circle. The golden rule is: once the action-and-sound cannon has started, it must not lose any vocal or physical energy, it should only increase in energy.

After the cannon has navigated the circle, the person who started the action and sound (in this case, you) finishes it off at the pinnacle of vocal and physical attack, and the next person in the circle begins a new action and sound. Let this run for a few revolutions before pausing the game.

Explain that energy is created and sustained by cueing-in fast and sharing energy with our fellow performers. Inform the group that from now on, as soon as a cue is dropped or a performer fails to sustain/increase the level of energy, the game will be stopped and restarted. You will probably have to restart two or three times, but pretty soon the players will get the hang of it and the actions and sounds will start to rocket around the circle in ever-increasing spirals of energy.

This inclusive exercise is excellent for encouraging attack from more timid performers or for channelling the energy of a particularly exuberant group.

Lake of Trust

An effective and inclusive trust exercise for all ages.

Have the group form a large circle and ask for a volunteer to close their eyes. That volunteer is now a ‘sailing boat’ and the circle is a ‘lake’. Explain that you are going to sail the boat across the lake by placing two hands on the shoulders of the chosen sailing boat and gently pushing it towards the opposite side of the circle.

Once the boat has set sail, the player must continue walking (with their eyes closed) until they are caught by a member of the group on the other side of the lake. The player who catches the boat then becomes the boat and the cycle is repeated (with the previous boat pushing the new boat across the lake).

It is absolutely essential that, before the exercise begins, you establish that no one is to allow a boat to sail past them. It is imperative that performers take the responsibility of caring for their fellow company members extremely seriously. Once this has been established, it should make it easier for the boats to sail uninhibited across the lake, safe in the knowledge that they will be caught.

It is quite a challenge to keep your eyes closed, as the lake seems to increase in size as you blindly walk, but it is great for developing trust within a group.

Variation

With larger groups or, if time is limited: once you have sailed six or seven boats, ask those who have been boats to line up on one side of the room as a protective harbour and the others to line up on the opposite side of the room. Now it’s quick-fire sailing time. Sail one boat at a time toward the protective harbour, who will (once again) gently stop the sail boats as they approach. Once the boats have been caught by the harbour, they become part of the harbour and the next boat in line sets sail. By completing the exercise in this way, you are able to sail a number of boats very quickly, thus ensuring that everyone participates. Bon voyage!

Heads Up, Heads Down

Promotes concentration, group awareness and is excellent for focusing a group at the beginning of a session.

Instruct the group to stand in a circle. If there is an even number, you can play (yay!). If there is an odd number, you must step out (boo!).

The rules are very simple: when you call out ‘Heads down!’, all players look to the floor. While they are looking down, they must decide (in their heads) who they are going to look at when they hear the call: ‘Heads up!’ The idea is to pick someone who they believe will not be looking at them.

Now, call out ‘Heads up!’ (accompanied by a clap to increase the urgency). If two players have chosen to look at each other and eye contact is made, they must let out a loud, blood-curdling scream and fall to the ground – they are both out. This continues until only one person is left standing – the winner!

Honesty is essential in this game. To avoid any foul play, forbid players from constantly looking at the same person and remind them that looking up, seeing that someone is looking at them and quickly averting their gaze is completely against the spirit of the game. I usually encourage the winner to make a victory speech.

Concentration Circle

A challenging concentration game more suited to older players.