BENEFITS OF DRAMA GAMES :
- Theatre games have no restriction on age or profession
- You will enhance your acting skills while developing imagination and group synergy
- Develop self-awareness and creativity
- Strengthen self-expression and build confidence
- Work with a diverse group of people
- Enhance emotional intelligence
- Develop interpersonal communication
- Improve focus and concentration
- Enhance/improve your physical ability/development.
1. 1-2-3 WORD
Players stand in a circle.
Going around the circle, each group of two simultaneously count to 3 and say a word.
The goal is for them both to say the same word at the same time.
If the words are not the same word, the next two players think of a word suggested by the two previous words.
You just shout any word that comes to mind. Say it with confidence.
If your words match, you celebrate.
2. 8 COUNT SHAKE
Count 1-8 whilst shaking your left hand then right hand then left foot, then right foot.
Stand in a circle if you’re in a group.
- Left hand shake – “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8”
- Right hand shake – “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8”
- Left foot shake- “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8”
- Right foot shake- “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8” 2
You do the sequence again but this time count up to 7. 3.
You repeat this decreasing every time and on the last set of 1 you jump up and shout out “shake down!”
Cool right!
3. ABOUT ME
Played in groups.
Get a paper or a black/whiteboard.
Then members write something unique or unusual about themselves.
Eg. I can sing very well. Or My favourite actor is Denzel Washington
Then all the answers get put into a bowl or pot.
Mix it up and then take one answer and try to guess who’s answer that was.
This game helps to know a lot about the group members.
4. CIRCLE STORY
This is a cooperative and collaborative storytelling game!
Get together with your friends in a drama circle and use sentence starters like “ happily” and “ regrettably” as the first word of the sentence.
You can also start by telling a story about an Ethiopian Adventurer who travelled halfway across the world to end global warming …or your friend who ate a chicken sandwich and turned to a chicken!.
Story Circle is a storytelling game where players are encouraged to open the floodgates of imagination and work together to create a fun (and often silly) story.
A group can perform the story that has been developed in the circle, either by improvising as the story is being told, or using it as a stimulus to develop afterwards.
Also, Give the story a title.
5. COUNT TO 20
Sit or stand in a circle.
The group members must count to 20.
Each going one after the other.
If at any point 2 or more people speak at the same time, counting must start again from the beginning.
Also, Try counting back from twenty to one. This is also challenging.
6. CHANGE THE CHANNEL
First pick 2-4 students.
Give them a scene to start with.
The teacher calls “Action!” and the students begin acting.
After sometime the teacher calls “Freeze!”. When this happens the whole scene must freeze.
Then the teacher selects one new participant and they go tap any of the people onstage to go sit down and they will take that actor’s position.
After this happens. The scene must be completely different to the scene that was happening before.
This is where Improv skills are tested.
7. JUST A MINUTE
This game is beneficial for concentration and relaxation.
It’s very simple.
Participants are to find a space and focus on a blind spot.
Then they try to estimate when 1 minute has passed by. They can do this by raising their hand or speaking.
Focus is key.
8. PARK BENCH
This game develops your improvisation skills.
Explain that there is a park bench and that the students are to take on a character who comes into the scene and interacts with others.
Pick one person to sit on the “park bench.
They can pretend to be on the phone, watch the fountain, etc.
Select a second person to be the pedestrian.
Their job is to try to get the park bench occupant to laugh or leave the bench. Without any physical contact.
If the park bench occupant laughs or leaves the bench, the pedestrian takes their place.
They become the park bench occupant and the game starts over.
9. ONE-WORD STORY
This is a game where a member or a teacher starts the story with one sentence (i.e., “Once upon a time, there was a king beloved by all his disciples ”).
Moving clockwise, each student adds one word to the story.
The circle is repeated until the teacher/member feels the story is finished.
10. PARTY QUIRKS
One player is the host of a party.
They exit the room while the other players (the guests) are given character quirks by the audience, for example, Thomas Edisson, a celebrity or performing an action whenever a certain thing happens.
The host then comes back to the stage and the guests enter the party one by one.
The host has to guess the quirks while playing the scene of hosting the party.
Tips
Give focus to the host, don’t all talk at once.
Have the guests interact to help the host out.
11. GREETINGS, YOUR MAJESTY
One student is selected to sit on a chair and face away from the rest of the group/class.
He/she will then be asked to shut his/her eyes.
Then a few students from the remaining group will take turns standing behind the chair and saying “ Greetings, your majesty” in whatever voice they like.
Make sure on one gives away who it is.
At last, the student in the chair must guess who each one was.
CONCLUSION
Drama games enhance students’ artistic and creative abilities.
Drama games also help improve improv skills, concentration and physicality.
You should practice these drama games and more, to improve your overall skill set.
Leave a comment with your opinion or any questions you may have below…
