Ideas for improvisation

Mime - the goblin's castle

Pupils have been captured by the Goblin King and are confined to his dungeons. They have to escape!

You talk them through the escape procedure which they must mime.

* Describe the confined cell (size of a small square) and how they must break out of it, by scrabbling and so on
* Next they creep and crawl through a hole in the wall- very small, very slimy, on their stomachs.
* They walk/crawl through various tunnels filled with all kinds of revolting substances: cold water, rats, slime, hot coals, broken glass, gravel, bones and dead bodies, glue, low ceilings, boiling oil, nails, ice and snow.
* Vary levels and heights when appropriate.
* Freedom- they have to run as the drawbridge is being pulled-up, they must run and jump...will they make it?

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Mime - walking with beasts

In this mime, pupils become creatures in an alien or prehistoric environment. They can do this individually, or several can join to form one large animal. Ask them to contort themselves and make their faces ugly, scary or unusual. You will talk them through a series of activities:

* It is night - they must stay still, so predators cannot see them, but may make occasional strange noises, as they sleep and dream.
* Gradually, light begins to grow as the day breaks - creatures stir and wake.
* Now fully awake animals may move around, mark territory, look for food
* Animals may attack or prey on one another
* It begins to rain - creatures find a place to shelter
* Creatures explore environment, find a mate and so on.

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Silly voices

Give students simple texts to read aloud, say, advertisements, passages from novels, magazine articles or poems. The catch is that they must use someone else's voice. Better still, you can combine two or more voices. Read the text:

* As the Queen
* As a Teletubby
* As someone who is out of breath
* As someone who has inhaled helium
* As someone who is drunk
* As someone who speaks with the accent of a city or region of the UK
* As a French, German or other foreign person
* As a French Teletubby who has inhaled helium and thinks he or she is the Queen

As an extension you can ask students to do things like the Queen's Christmas message, using the Queen's accent but in the style of Ali G.
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Tableaux and movement

Do this in groups of four or five. Each group has three titles:

* The Feather is Falling.
* Moving the Piano.
* Stretch that Jumper.

Encourage the pupils to think laterally and produce frozen moments which are original - avoid the obvious. They should link each picture with movement, counting the steps. Everyone should be in time and synchronized. Think about arms as well as legs and facial movements.
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Titles for spontaneous improvisations

Use titles from this list to inspire or challenge students:

* Quick Change
* Excuses
* Wanted: trainee
* No Smoking
* Pardon me, but could you...?
* Change in status
* Waiting
* Engaged
* Help!
* Room
* Stuck
* Keep off the grass

In groups of two or three pupils devise three short scenes based on a title, each scene should look at the title in a different way. One scene should be mime. Pupils should try to synchronize transitions (movements) between scenes.
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Scenarios for improvisation

These are ideas for scenarios with two performers - so students should work in pairs (or trios, with one directing). The situations work best if the pupils get straight into them and avoid long discussions.

* Director instructing rather useless, awkward, overpaid actor.
* Fortune teller and client.
* Hairdresser and customer (after hair disaster).
* Photographer and awkward supermodel.
* Traffic warden and driver about to get a ticket.
* Married couple watching TV - channel arguments.
* Casualty - nurse informing family of bad news.
* Two tramps arguing over box/newspaper/bench.
* Two strangers on a train - one lights up in a no-smoking compartment.
* Suspect being interviewed by the police.
* Boss giving employee the sack.
* Door-to-door salesman and lonely pensioner.
* Pregnant woman and claustrophobic stuck in a lift.
* Job interview.
* Parent and teenager - teenager three hours late, parent waiting up.
* Two cars meet coming from opposite directions down a narrow country lane. One belongs to farmer, other a wealthy businessman - who moves?
* Boyfriend proposing to girlfriend - she's trying to dump him.
* Pupil sent to head for bad behaviour.
* Doctor and patient, patient is hypochondriac.
* Mime - two wrestlers warming up, or two men on the moon.

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Prop boxes

Students prepare spontaneous (no time for prior discussion or preparation) or polished improvisations in groups of two, three or more using objects in prop boxes as stimulus (can be made up of any object eg hat/book/ball ).
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Titles from teacher

* The Letter
* Good News
* Get Your Hair Cut
* The Doctor and the Patient
* Frou Frou, the Wonder Dog, or The Dog that can do Amazing Tricks
* Crime
* The Eavesdropper
* The Baby
* The Girl with Green Hair
* Kidnapped
* Gangsters
* Marooned on a Desert Island
* The Green Paper Bag
* In the Middle of the Night
* A Fairy Tale
* Family Matters
* The Secret Formula
* The Box of Chemicals
* The Key
* The Door Marked 'Private'

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* Fire
* The Hijacker
* In the Aeroplane
* The Time Machine
* The Secret
* Grandad
* Beauty and the Beast
* The Dream
* The Man from the Council
* Mother and Son
* Father and Son
* The Boy (or Girl) Who Wouldn't Speak
* Old Uncle Bayram
* The Thieves
* Danger at the Zoo
* The American Girl
* Robbery with Violence
* The Stranger at the Door
* The Doctor
* The Forbidden Planet
* The Bomb That Wasn't
* The Birthday Surprise
* The Conflict
* Robots
* Bad News

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* The Bully at the Bus Stop
* Shock
* Gunman City
* The Visitor who came to Tea
* Rat Poison
* In the Year 2100
* Planet X
* Accident
* The Black Box
* The Special Dress
* Incident at the Bus Stop
* The Nagging Mother
* The Monster
* Ebenezer Scrooge
* The Hat
* Dial M for Murder
* Two Workmen
* The Haunted House
* Whodunnit?

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* World War II
* The Gipsy Fortune-Teller
* The Nightmare
* Grandma
* Spoilt Children
* The Truants
* Teacher's Pet
* Mother and Daughter
* Father and Daughter
* I Can Read Your Thoughts
* Pauline and the Pop Star
* Divorce
* The Invisible Man
* Baby-Snatcher
* Poison Gas
* The Man-Eating Plant
* Grandad's Will
* Please Don't Tease
* Round the Flats
* The Telephone

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First or last lines from teacher

* “Money, money, money”
* “It's just not fair!”
* “Why don't you ever listen to me?”
* “My dog's just died ”
* “What's the big idea, then?”
* “Go on! Amaze me ... ”
* “You've been talking about me behind my back, haven't you?”
* “I saw you hit my little brother.”
* “Don't go on and on and on about it.”
* “Please don't tell her I told you.”
* “What ever possessed you to do it?”
* “You jealous or something?”
* “He's/she's packed me in.”
* “Why do you tell so many lies?”
* “That's an excellent piece of work, but there's just one thing ...”
* “You've been chosen for a mission from which you are very unlikely to return ...”
* “I don't want to go to school today.”
* “How can I tell him/her that it's over?”
* “Do you know something? You really get up my nose. Why are you always in such a bad temper? Why did you tell Mum on me?”

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* “Dad's mad with you.”
* “Don't be such a greedy-guts.”
* “Stop pretending to be something you are not!”
* “Don't be a dog in the manger!”
* “Why can't you ever see it from my point of view?”
* “Why did you hurt Mum's feelings like that?”
* “You've got things out of all proportion.”
* “Mum said, 'Never accept lifts from strangers.' ”
* “ What a waste of money!”
* “How dare you treat your pet like that?”
* “I told you before, you must not bunk off school.”
* “You're all mouth and no trousers. ”
* “It's easy to be an armchair critic - don't just sit there, do something.”
* “Why do you give up so easily?”
* “ Why can't you take any criticism?”
* “Haven't you got any manners?”
* “Get up out of that bed immediately!”
* “If you don't mind my saying so, you need to go on a diet.”
* “I hate to say this, but I think you've got anorexia nervosa. ”
* “Look, I'm only giving you a warning.”

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* “Haven't you got any ambition in life?”
* “Let them talk - who cares?”
* “Shouting about it won't help.”
* “This is absolutely the last straw. ”
* “You are so gullible.”
* “I'm going to give you a piece of my mind.”
* “You're getting a bit above yourself.”
* “You haven't been very discreet, have you?”
* “What do you mean by that sexist rubbish?”
* “You're always making excuses! What is it this time?”
* “Mum, I want to go abroad this year.”
* “You really are very, very selfish.”
* Scream! followed by “You frightened the living daylights out of me.”
* “I've had it up to here with you.”
* “Grow up, will you? Act your age!”
* “You're not old enough.”
* “You are under my authority until you are eighteen.”
* “You don't own me.”
* “I'm sick to death of your prejudiced remarks.”
* “Thanks for ruining my reputation.”

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* “You've let the cat out of the bag - that was supposed to be top secret.”
* “Don't be a Scrooge.”
* “Why are you always so nasty? Why can't you ever be nice?”
* “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, didn't you know?”
* “Look, Miss, you've got a grudge against me, haven't you?”
* “What am I going to do? I'm heavily in debt.”
* “Mum/Dad, can I have some more pocket money?” (Second line: “More?”)
* “You're going to ruin your health.”
* “I am not going to Nan's eightieth birthday.”
* “Mum, I'm not coming home for Christmas this year.”
* “You don't appreciate a thing I do.”
* “No foul language in this house!”
* “Sorry's just a word.”
* “Don't be so pessimistic - look on the bright side.”
* “Good grief! How petty can you be?”
* “But, please, Mum ... ”(persuasion against will)
* “How can you be so deceitful?”
* “Promise you won't tell anyone. ”
* “Right! I've caught you now.”

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* “I've got an apology to make.”
* “Please don't do that to me.”
* “I've got a dreadful pain in my stomach.”
* “Excuse me, I hope you don't think I'm being nosey.”
* “I don't expect you had much chance to meet girls when you were at boarding school ...”
* “Trust you to spoil everything!”
* “Is it the measles?”
* “Look, snap out of it!”
* “I don't believe it.”
* “I beg your pardon.”
* “It's disgusting!”
* “Will you lend me .. ”
* “Don't you dare bring my mother into this!”
* “Guess what happened to Mandy.”
* “Chicken!”
* “I'll give you three guesses what happened.”
* “I've just lost Mum's purse.”
* “What has your mum got against me?”
* “I've told you before - the answer is no.”

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* “Stop that at once!”
* “Johnny's been fired - did you know?”
* “Can you keep a secret?”
* “Don't you ever bring up that subject again!”
* “Would you mind repeating that remark?”
* “What on earth is the matter with you today?”
* “Why can't you be punctual just for once?”
* “Don't bite the hand that feeds you.”
* “Why are you always picking on me?”

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Eventually students should be in a position to use skills acquired and their own imaginations to create group improvisation lasting between three and five minutes. If you wish to impose a more rigid structure consider:

* Three-scene performances for all improvisations.
* Freeze frames at beginning and end of performance, and possibly of each scene too.
* A check-list of techniques, for example, one scene must be mime or involve talking to the audience.

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Starters and fill-ups

Use starters for warming up before a session. Fill-ups are useful activities to fill in extra time.

Sometimes warm-up games are useful for starting a session. They can raise the energy level of a group, calm down a boisterous group and improve concentration and focus. They can also be used at the end of a session as a way to bring a class back together, or simply when you have a spare ten minutes because it is not worth starting new work at the end of a session.

You may wish to use some of the games and exercises to help students improve their skills in improvisation, observation, listening or inventiveness for example. If so, make the aim of the exercise clear to the class, as an overdose of seemingly pointless game playing is demotivating for students in the long run. Try to keep a balance between fun and serious activities.
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This section is divided into two parts:

* Games for the whole class (warm-ups and calm downs).
* Starting points for small group work.

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Games for the whole class

Invisible objects | Name that person | Change places | What are you doing? | Status game | Authority | The lost key | Lines and proverbs | Group shapes
Invisible objects

The class are seated in a circle.

One person is chosen to mime holding a cardboard box, placing it on the floor in front of them and opening the lid to take out an imaginary object. The person then handles or uses the object for a moment before placing it back in the box.

The rest of the group are then invited to put their hands up if they think they can guess what the object is. The person who guesses correctly can then open the next box and the game begins again.

As a variation on this, or if the imaginary object is hard to guess, it may be passed around the circle. The leader may give clues as to its identity by making comments such as “Be careful, it can bite” or “Mind, it's slippery/cold/wet/sticky” etc.

This game is very useful for getting to know a new class.
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Name that person

This activity becomes tedious with a group larger than twenty, but it is a surprisingly effective way for a teacher to learn new names. This game is useful for a group getting to know one another.

The class stand in a circle and everyone says their name in turn. One person is chosen to start. This pupil must look at someone in the circle and call that person's name. Once it has been called, the caller walks across to the other person's place.

Meanwhile the person whose name has been called must look at a third person, call that person's name and walk towards her/him. No one must leave his or her place before calling the name of the person whose place they intend to take. Make sure that everyone moves at least once during the game.

Pandora's Box

This section contains guidance on teaching drama, using the classical myth of Pandora's Box. These sessions include activities for individuals and small groups.
Session length

* Two one-hour sessions

Aims

* To reinforce freeze frame, rôle play, thought tracking, reflection and evaluation.
* To introduce mime/gesture/realism and story.
* To introduce polished improvisation.
* To continue the drama diary.


Synopsis or outline for these sessions

The students practise mime skills. Then they use these skills in their improvisation work which is based on finding a box which they are not allowed to open. A moral dilemma is introduced, whether or not to open the box. The story of Pandora's Box is told and the class have to make up a modern day version of the story.
Resources

* Copies of the story of Pandora's Box.

Room layout

* The tables pushed back and the chairs in a circle.


Pandora's Box - session 1

Whole class discussion in a circle. The teacher introduces this with some such statement as:

“Remind me what you did in Drama last week. What did you learn?”

The teacher now introduces the mime:

“I would like each of you to mime an object; it must be small and you must be able to pass the mimed object on to the person on your left. That person has to guess what it is, copy the mime and then change it into something else. If your neighbour cannot guess what is being mimed the rest of the class can try to guess. I will start the mime.”

If no one guesses the mime just ask what it is. Try to avoid making a big issue of it. This is supposed to be a confidence builder not destroyer! Again praise the good mimes i.e. those that are clearly defined and easily recognized.

Extending the mime skills

The teacher continues:

“I am going into the centre of the circle and I will pace out a large treasure box. I want you all to try and remember as much of my mime as possible. For instance what size is the box? Is the lid heavy? What size key did I use to open the box? If you can guess what I have taken out of the box, put your hand up, don't call out, and I will choose someone to answer. If the person is right I will give them the key.”

In mime you pace out the box - say two paces by three - take a key out of your pocket, unlock the box and lift a large heavy lid which you allow to thump to the floor. You root around in the box and take out a crown which you put on your head. You take it off and put it back in the box. Then you ask a person who has guessed the mime correctly to come into the centre of the circle and give this person the key. The student has to repeat the mime of opening the box, keeping the same shape and size, and take something new out of the box. The person in the middle invites someone from the circle to tell him/her what the mime was. Repeat this three or four times.

Rôle play with the emphasis on good mime and gesture

Bring students back in the circle. Now introduce the next stage:

“I would like you to work in groups of three. Imagine you find a box. You have to show clearly by mime, how big/how heavy it is/what it's like. You have three minutes to practise. Remember to start your rôle play with a Freeze frame. I want to see the 30 seconds before the moment that you find the box. Take a few minutes to discuss who you are, where you are and where exactly the box is. You have to give clues in your rôle play that there is something very special/strange about this box. There is an instruction on it saying: DO NOT OPEN.”

Go round the room checking that everyone understands the task and is getting on with it. If in doubt ask the group you are worried about to show you their freeze frame and thirty-second improvisation. If necessary give them advice on how to present their work better. When you have given them enough time to prepare their rôle play, choose a couple of groups to show their work.

Remember to get the freeze frame absolutely still before counting down, “3, 2, 1, GO!” You are reinforcing the control necessary for good drama.

Reflection and evaluation/preparation for the next session

Get the class back into a circle. Ask:

“What have you learned in this session? What makes a successful mime? Is a rôle play effective for the same reasons? Remember to find as much as possible to praise.”

Read the story of Pandora's Box ready for the next session. Think how you can make a modern day version of the Greek myth. What does the box represent? What might be released from the box today?

Pandora's Box - session 2

Recap on last week's session:

“What do you remember from last week? This week we are going to take some time to develop a modern version of Pandora's Box, using some of the ideas we discussed at the end of the last Drama session. What might be let out of the box today?”

List suggestions on the flip chart. Allow students to discuss them.

Planning the drama

Introduce this, as appropriate:

“In groups of four, plan your drama for this week. Take your time. I shall be looking for examples of good improvisation and an imaginative story line. You will need to discuss the improvisation in detail. Start your drama from the point at which you are deciding whether or not to open the box. There should be a great deal of tension at that moment, and then plan and practise what happens next. Each improvisation should last about a minute.”

Go round and question the groups to make sure that they are focusing on the drama. If you are in doubt about a group, make them Freeze frame, and then Thought track them. This helps to keep them on their toes.

Performance of polished Improvisation:

Get each group to perform their polished improvisations. Make sure every piece begins and ends in a freeze frame. Count all the groups in with, “3, 2, 1, GO!”

Discussion and evaluation

Get the class back into a circle and discuss the moral issues raised within the stories the children explored in their drama. Ask if there were any other stories/ideas that the groups discussed but chose not to use. Discuss why they were not chosen. Start to get the students to understand what the basic requirements for a good piece of drama. For example, some stories work well in writing but not as drama, why? This might be because drama needs tension, conflict and contrast to work well.

Give out the Drama Diary sheet.

The Story of Pandora's Box

Zeus, the father of the gods, was angry that humans had been given the gift of fire by Prometheus, making them far more powerful than he wished. To take the humans down a peg or two he sent his daughter, Pandora, to earth to cause trouble.

There she married Epimetheus, half brother of Prometheus. Epimetheus was given a box by Zeus. Unknown to Pandora, it contained all the diseases which could bring suffering to humans. Pandora's curiosity overcame her desire to obey her husband and to keep the box locked. She opened it and out flew all the diseases and sorrows which trouble humans. However, at the bottom of the box was Hope, who would help humans to overcome their suffering.