Drama game: Question Time

Age: 8 to adult

Players: Whole group

Time: 10–20 minutes

Skills: Improvisation, Speaking and Listening

This amusing activity is based on the improv game Press Conference. One player leaves the room while the others choose a famous or fictional character. Once decided, the player returns and the rest of the group take on the roles of interviewing journalists. Through the questions they ask, they give clues about the character's identity, which the player tries to guess.

The online version is closer to BBC Question Time than a press conference and is played using Zoom or other video-conferencing software. The teacher mutes all students and a volunteer is asked to turn their back on the camera/screen. The teacher holds up a sheet of paper with the name of a character (Harry Potter, for example) so that the rest of the class can read it (use a thick felt tip). When all the students are ready, the player turns to face the screen. Now any student can ask a question by signalling to the teacher (for example by raising their hand or clicking the ‘thumbs up’ sign).