For printable copy of HOTEL DESK instructions, click on the word: INSTRUCTIONS
To see a video of HOTEL DESK being taught, click on the word: VIDEO

·         Set up a “counter” on one side of the stage with two stacked blocks or a narrow table. Tell the students that the counter
is the front desk at a hotel, and you will be playing the part of the hotel manager.

·         Direct the students to adopt a strong character–with a specific age, attitude, background, and manner of speaking and
walking. Then ask them to approach the desk from the far side of the stage one at a time as that character, with a
problem that needs solving, e.g. they need more towels, they forgot a toothbrush, they need a new room key card,
they’ve lost something, the plumbing isn’t working, they’ve damaged something in the room, they want to switch rooms
because theirs is unacceptable in some way, etc. When they reach the desk, they should interact with the hotel manage
for a few sentences–long enough to reveal their character clearly and to get a response to their problem. 

·         Stress that they should be in character before they enter, and remain in character until they have exited completely.
Encourage them to take their time entering and leaving–and tell them they don’t have to speak immediately. They can
reveal a lot about their character before they say anything. 

·         After each student, ask the other students to describe what kind of character they observed.

·         Optional version: Have each student approach the hotel desk as a specific character and ask for a room key, without
talking.  The Hotel Desk Clerk responds, also without talking.  Character is communicated simply with body language,
facial expressions, and attitude.

© 2023, Friends of the Groom Theater Company

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.