Age: 8 to adult
Players: Pairs, threes, or groups
Time: 10 – 20 minutes
Skills: Storytelling, Improvisation, Speaking and Listening
Fortunately/Unfortunately is a useful warm-up for improvisation work or storytelling and requires quick-thinking. To introduce and demonstrate the game, ask two participants to read out the following example:
A: Yesterday we went to the zoo.
B: Unfortunately some animals escaped from their cages.
A: Fortunately we managed to climb a tree.
B: Unfortunately some monkeys followed us up there.
A: Fortunately we made friends with them by giving them some bananas.
Now, everybody divides into pairs or threes and labels themselves ‘A’, ‘B’ (and ‘C’). Announce a starting sentence. The first player says the sentence. The next player continues with any sentence beginning ‘Unfortunately…’ and the next player follows on with a ‘Fortunately…’ sentence. The pairs/groups should try to keep going for a minute or until one of them comes up with a good ending. If playing in pairs, swap around so that ‘B’ starts a new story and they both get a turn at ‘Fortunately’ and ‘Unfortunately’.
Tips and Variations
- Don't let the game go on for too long – ring a bell or clap your hands after 45-60 seconds
- Have a competition to see who can keep a story going for the longest
- Players can act out the story as they tell it
- The game can be played with the whole group, going from person to person around a circle
- See if the group can retell a fairy story or historical event using the game
- Ask groups to re-enact or share their favourite moments.
Useful starting lines
- Once upon a time a ship was sailing through a calm, blue sea…
- Last week I found a diamond ring on the pavement…
- Two explorers were travelling along the Amazon river…
- The cat jumped through the open window…