Drama Game: Shake a Shape

Shake a shape

• Age: 7 to adult
• Players: Whole group
• Time: 15 minutes
• Skills: Improvisation, group dynamics

Tell everybody to walk around the space in different directions, filling up the space. When you clap your hands, everybody else should jump into the air and make a random shape with their body when they land. They should freeze in this position. Repeat the exercise a few times, encouraging everyone to experiment with different kinds of shapes each time. You can encourage them to explore different levels (low, medium or high) and smooth or angular, wide or narrow, light or heavy, open or closed shapes.

Now explain that this time everyone will walk around and you will call out one person's name. That person should jump into the air and make a random frozen shape. Everybody else must look at the shape and add themselves into the scene in any way they like by making a still shape with their body. They should do this as quickly as possible and without talking. Players will often interpret the original shape in many di?erent ways – one person might think the shape is a rocket, another may think it is a volcano or a sumo wrestler! They should add themselves in as a relevant shape or if they are not sure, just choose a shape to complement the first one. There is no right or wrong answer. It is fun to ask people what shape they have added in and what they imagined the original shape to be.

Afterwards you can discuss how performers need to work instinctively and imaginatively and how teamwork is an essential part of working with other actors.

David Farmer runs www.dramaresource.com – a site that offers a wide range of ideas, games and courses for drama practitioners. He is the author of several books including 101 Drama Games and Activities, from which this game is taken.