Games Organized By Core Concept
(You can reach the games organized alphabetically by clicking on the words:
GAMES ORGANIZED ALPHABETICALLY.)
SEARCH FOR A GAME BY SCROLLING THROUGH THE PICTURES BELOW. THEN CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS AND A DEMONSTRATION VIDEO.
YOU CAN ALSO SKIP DIRECTLY TO A CONCEPT AREA BY CLICKING ON THE NAME OF THE CORE CONCEPT IN THE FOLLOWING LIST:
WARMUPS: An actors tools of the trade are their bodies and their voices. Make sure they’re ready to go!
BODY AWARENESS AND VOCAL PROJECTION: Knowing how to stand and move appropriately on stage to convey character, and knowing how to speak and be heard.
STAGE CONVENTIONS AND TECHNIQUES: Knowing basic stage vocabulary, and knowing how to stand and move on stage so you and others can be seen.
CONCENTRATION AND LISTENING: Knowing how to focus on the task and hand, and how to be “in the moment”—listening and responding spontaneously to others on stage.
COMMITMENT: Knowing how to give yourself fully to your character and your character’s action, and how to perform with energy.
TEAMWORK: Knowing how to cooperate and work as an ensemble.
CHARACTER: Knowing techniques to create an interesting and convincing character appropriate for the role you are playing.
MOTIVATION: Knowing how motivations and objectives shape the movement and speech of a character.
IMAGINATION: Knowing how to bring creativity to your choices as an actor, and knowing how to envision an environment in order to react to it in character.
STORY: Knowing how to recognize and create narratives that have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Warm-ups
CONCENTRATION CLAPS
A concentration game played in a circle requiring precise rhythm and rapid response.
CONCENTRATION POINT
A very simple concentration exercise that stresses focus and listening.
COUNT TO TEN
With eyes closed, students count to ten as a group with only one student speaking at a time.
DROP AND GIVE ME 10
Students go from standing to lying on the floor and back on increasingly shorter counts.
FIVE THINGS
Actors are given a category and must quickly name five things that fit.
THE KNOT
Students hold hands across a circle to create a “knot,” and then try to untangle themselves to form a single circle without letting go.
ME MAY MA MOE
A simple vocal warm-up exercise to teach proper breath support.
MORPH THE MOTION
Students receive and mimic a rhythmic motion and sound, then change or morph it into a different motion and sound before passing it on.
NAME GAME WITH GESTURES
A game for learning names in a group by connecting each student’s name with a specific action improvised by that student.
SIREN
A simple vocal warmup.
SOUND BALL
Students pass an imaginary ball around a circle with improvised sound effects.
SPLASH
A creative warm-up game for learning names.
TEXAS SHAKEDOWN
An energizing physical warm-up.
THROW YOUR VOICE ON HAH
A lesson in vocal projection and breath support.
TONGUE TWISTERS
A simple vocal warm-up.
ZOOM CAR
A multi-leveled warm-up game that requires concentration and quick responses.
Body Awareness and Vocal Projection Exercises
BODY WALK
BODY AWARENESS: Students explore character movement as they walk with different parts of their body leading—parts named by the game leader.
ME MAY MA MOE
VOCAL PROJECTION: A simple vocal warm-up exercise to teach proper breath support.
MIME EMOTION
BODY AWARENESS: Students take turns acting out an emotion without words for other students to guess.
MIRROR
BODY AWARENESS: In pairs, one student mirrors the movements of the other as precisely as possible.
MORPH THE MOTION
BODY AWARENESS: Students receive and mimic a rhythmic motion and sound, then change or morph it into a different motion and sound before passing it on.
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
BODY AWARENESS: A concentration exercise where students must maintain frozen positions while a leader tries to catch them moving.
101 WAYS TO PAINT A WALL
BODY AWARENESS: Students mime painting a wall, each using a unique and creative method.
SCENE SETTING
BODY AWARENESS: Actors improvise a mimed scene that includes both characters and scenery, building it one actor at a time.
SIREN
VOCAL PROJECTION: A simple vocal warmup.
SOUND BALL
BODY AWARENESS AND VOCAL PROJECTION: Students pass an imaginary ball around a circle with improvised sound effects.
SPACE WALK
BODY AWARENESS: Students imagine walking and moving through a series of suggested environments.
TABLEAUX
BODY AWARENESS: A lesson in how to make good stage pictures.
THROW YOUR VOICE ON HAH
VOCAL PROJECTION: A lesson in vocal projection and breath support.
WALK THIS WAY
BODY AWARENESS: Students cross the stage embodying the physical traits of characters assigned by the game leader.
Stage Conventions and Techniques
BODY SCENERY
The game leader names a random object and a team of 6-8 actors work together to represent the object with their bodies.
FAIRY TALE TABLEAUX
Actors create three tableaux to capture the beginning, middle, and end of a fairy tale.
MACHINE
Actors work together to create a single machine with mechanical movements and sounds.
MIME BASICS
A very basic lesson teaching some simple mime concepts.
101 WAYS TO PAINT A WALL
Students mime painting a wall, each using a unique and creative method.
PASS THE GIFT
Using mime, students take turns opening an imaginary gift of their choosing.
SCENE SETTING
Actors improvise a mimed scene that includes both characters and scenery, building it one actor at a time.
STAGE CONVENTIONS
A lesson in how to stand and move on stage in order to stay open to the audience.
STAGE DIRECTIONS
A lesson explaining the parts of the stage and stage directions.
TABLEAUX
A lesson in how to make good stage pictures.
Concentration and Listening Exercises
CONCENTRATION CLAPS
A concentration game played in a circle requiring precise rhythm and rapid response.
CONCENTRATION POINT
A very simple concentration exercise that stresses focus and listening.
COUNT TO TEN
With eyes closed, students count to ten as a group with only one student speaking at a time.
FREEZE TAG
Two actors improvise a scene until a third actor calls freeze, takes one of their places, and starts a new scene.
FREEZE WALK
Students walking in a circle attempt to stop, start, and change direction at precisely the same moment
GROUP MIND
Students mirror each other’s movements, changing from one movement to another spontaneously.
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
A concentration exercise where students must maintain frozen positions while a leader tries to catch them moving.
RANT
Actors in a line rant about a given topic, all speaking at the same time.
SPLASH
A creative warm-up game for learning names.
STORY CIRCLE
In a circle, students tell a story as a group, with each student adding one sentence at a time.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Pairs of actors challenge each other to rapidly mime actions they suggest.
WHO’S LEADING?
Students in a circle mirror the actions of one student, while a second student attempts to identify the leader.
YES/AND
A pair of actors improvise a three-line scene by accepting and adding on to their partners ideas.
ZOOM CAR
A multi-leveled warm-up game that requires concentration and quick responses.
Commitment Exercises
EMOTIONAL FRIENDS
A group of actors perform a scene in a series of emotional states supplied by the game leader.
FAMILY PORTRAIT
Actors pose to represent specific types of families suggested by the game leader.
HITCHHIKER
Actors pretending to ride in a car pick up the character quirks of one hitchhiker after another.
HOTEL DESK
Actors adopt strong specific characters and interact with a hotel desk clerk.
MAGIC CLOTH
Students take turns interacting creatively with a piece of cloth as though it were a prop other than cloth.
PROPS
Students take turns using random objects as props—but different from the objects they actually are.
RAISE THE STAKES
A small group of actors improvise a scene with escalating levels of emotional intensity.
SLEEPY COWBOY
Actors create a character based on a single adjective and a randomly assigned vocation.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Pairs of actors challenge each other to rapidly mime actions they suggest.
Teamwork Exercises
BODY SCENERY
The game leader names a random object and a team of 6-8 actors work together to represent the object with their bodies.
COUNT TO TEN
With eyes closed, students count to ten as a group with only one student speaking at a time.
FAIRY TALE TABLEAUX
Actors create three tableaux to capture the beginning, middle, and end of a fairy tale.
FREEZE WALK
Students walking in a circle attempt to stop, start, and change direction at precisely the same moment
GROUP MIND
Students mirror each other’s movements, changing from one movement to another spontaneously.
GROUP SCULPTURE MASTERPIECE
One by one, students form and add to a group sculpture based on a prompt from the game leader.
THE KNOT
Students hold hands across a circle to create a “knot,” and then try to untangle themselves to form a single circle without letting go.
MACHINE
Actors work together to create a single machine with mechanical movements and sounds.
MIRROR TABLEAUX
Teams of students compete to see who can most quickly assume the exact positions modelled by a leading group.
PAPER BAG SCENES
Small groups of students improvise scenes using random objects in a bag as their props.
SCENE SETTING
Actors improvise a mimed scene that includes both characters and scenery, building it one actor at a time.
STORY CIRCLE
In a circle, students tell a story as a group, with each student adding one sentence at a time.
TABLEAUX
A lesson in how to make good stage pictures.
Character Exercises
BODY WALK
Students explore character movement as they walk with different parts of their body leading—parts named by the game leader.
CHANGE 3 THINGS
A game stressing observation—a necessary skill for creating characters— where students try to identify three small changes their partners make in their appearance.
CHARACTER PAINTING
Three character qualities are “painted” on an actor who then demonstrates them.
EMOTIONAL FRIENDS
A group of actors perform a scene in a series of emotional states supplied by the game leader.
FAMILY PORTRAIT
Actors pose to represent specific types of families suggested by the game leader.
HITCHHIKER
Actors pretending to ride in a car pick up the character quirks of one hitchhiker after another.
MIME EMOTION
Students take turns acting out an emotion without words for other students to guess.
MOTIVATED MOVEMENT
A simple exercise teaching actors to move on stage with the motivations appropriate to their character.
SLEEPY COWBOY
Actors create a character based on a single adjective and a randomly assigned vocation.
WALK THIS WAY
Actors practice moving as specific characters named by the game leader.
WHAT’S BEHIND THE LINE?
Actors deliver a line with the subtext appropriate for a character in a specific situation.
Imagination Games
FIVE THINGS
Actors are given a category and must quickly name five things that fit.
FREEZE TAG
Two actors improvise a scene until a third actor calls freeze, takes one of their places, and starts a new scene.
MAGIC CLOTH
Students take turns interacting creatively with a piece of cloth as though it were a prop other than cloth.
101 WAYS TO PAINT A WALL
Students mime painting a wall, each using a unique and creative method.
PAPER BAG SCENES
Small groups of students improvise scenes using random objects in a bag as their props.
PASS THE GIFT
Using mime, students take turns opening an imaginary gift of their choosing.
PROPS
Students take turns using random objects as props—but different from the objects they actually are.
SCENE SETTING
Actors improvise a mimed scene that includes both characters and scenery, building it one actor at a time.
STORY CIRCLE
In a circle, students tell a story as a group, with each student adding one sentence at a time.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Pairs of actors challenge each other to rapidly mime actions they suggest.
Motivation Exercises
EMOTIONAL FRIENDS
A group of actors perform a scene in a series of emotional states supplied by the game leader.
MIME EMOTION
Students take turns acting out an emotion without words for other students to guess.
MOTIVATED MOVEMENT
Actors are given three actions to perform on stage and must improvise the motivation behind each action.
WHAT’S BEHIND THE LINE?
Actors deliver a line with the subtext appropriate for a character in a specific situation.
Story Games
FAIRY TALE TABLEAUX
Actors create three tableaux to capture the beginning, middle, and end of a fairy tale.
PAPER BAG SCENES
Small groups of students improvise scenes using random objects in a bag as their props.
STORY CIRCLE
In a circle, students tell a story as a group, with each student adding one sentence at a time.
Curtains Up Curriculum by Friends of the Groom Theater Co. is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Curtains Up is a training program designed for young actors sponsored by Friends of the Groom Theater Company.
It is available to the general public for free under the terms of the Creative Commons License above.
TO REACH THE FRIENDS OF THE GROOM WEBSITE, CLICK ON THE LOGO BELOW.
