soft) by varying the size of your gesture.
You can divide the group so that trusting ensemble and develop spontaneity the pre-requisite for creativity.
they are doing different patterns and pitches. lt doesn't matter what the
music sounds like, the fun is that they are all responding to your conducting.
Pick a student to conduct when you think they are ready. The ones who
volunteer are ALWAYS ready. Nei/ Ginsberg
lump
Objective: group focus and physical warm up for large groups that
is easyto manage, Plan: participants stand in rows, one behind another
with equal numbers per row Standing in neutral position, the rows jump
up and down (like a bounce) 8 times in perfect synchronicity, counting
aloud together: " | ,2,3,4,5, 6,7,8". When the parlicipants have flnished
jumping B times they immediately jump to the right and jump eight times
(they will now be in a new row), then again to the right and then one more
time (counting aloud each time), until they are facing their starting position
(having bounced 8 times in each direction), Participants now repeat the
sequence, counting from I to 7 (ump a total of 7 times x 4 directions).
Participants continue the sequence, with one less jump per sequence until
they are only jumping once in each direction. Tips/outcome: Parlicipants
must really concentrate on staying synchronised with each other. lt's a great
physical warm up for big groups and watch out as they speed up towards
the end, I've done this activity with 100+ studentsl Steve Reyno/ds
Falling leaves
This is an "old" Grotowski exercise, developed furlher and modifled.
The ensemble spreads out in the space, Eyes closed, aware of breath,
Every minute or so a word is called out. Each ador should try to reflect the
qualities of the words. Sample words: falling leaves, electricity, rock, lighting,
thunder, mud, gentle breezes etc, Should this work well, the terms could
become more abstract: harmony, neglect, jealousy etc.Joochim Motschoss
Points in space
It's really great to get started with this high dynamic activity which brings
the participants right into their bodies and enhance a strong mental focus.
Everyone finds a parlner. The couples move within the whole space.'The
flrst one focuses on points that they want to touch. The second one follows,
having the task to touch exactly the same points in the space that their
partner did. The flrst one does not wait for the second one, they keep doing
their task of touching points in space, The second one should not imitate
the movements of the Tlrst one, just focus on the points. We starting slowly
by walking within the space and touching points, After a while we speed
up. This normally comes once the walking and touching points become a
bit boring for some as it seems too easy, Once we speed up from walking
to running it becomes much more interesting as the second one needs to
pay more attention while at same time keeping up with the same speed as
their partner. A nice image is that the second one is a big cold shadow and
that the flrst one wants to get rid of this shadow. But the shadow needs the
person, This ensures that the first person tries as fast as possibly to touch
the points and that the second one needs to stick to the flrst one. After
a while you can sayi "Change", and the first one now follows the second
one who leads now. I always like to give this "change" more than once as a
challenge for the participants. Æ the end the activity should not be flnished
by an abrupt stop. lt should end by stopping to touch points and just walking
slower and slower until the breath calms down. We are already experiencing
physical theatre which is about feeling the body which is guaranteed through
this activity (with great fun as well)l Ulrich Gottlieb
Touch
Objective: to change physical position/posture as quickly as possible
spontaneously, whilst staying in physical contact with other group members.
This exercise is adapted from a Playback Theatre warm up and I've played
it with around 125 students together, Plan: all parlicipants stand close
together and ensure they are touching at least one other person, so that
the whole group is physically connected. When the facilitator claps her
hands, the parlicipants must instantly change to a new position/pose and
freeze, ensuring they are still touching at least one other person, so that
the group remains wholly connected. When the facilitator claps again (wait
4-5 seconds) the participants change position again, freeze and remain
connected to at least one other person. This pattern continues with the
claps gradually speeding up (getting closer) each time .,. until the facilitator is
applaudingthe group (going sofast) and change is no longer possible. Tips/
Outcome: it is very interesting observing students who change position
instantly and spontaneously and those that are compelled to pause and think
- even just for a second - as they decide which position/who to connect
with next. The exercise is a great way to break down barriers, build a
l0 lssue2l20l4-l5January | Scene
All the tension is in the body andis seen in the face, especially in the eyes.
Steve Reyno/ds
lnstant collaboration
There are few things more affecting at an ISTA festival than the image
of a very large group of young people all per{orming one simple action
together. lt's just so powerful to see so many people united in one moment,
With this in mind I often work with full groups to find this synergy. I like to
ask them to practice tuning into each other - things like walking together,
stopping together, even jumping at the same time. Sometimes I will also add
in small opportunities for instant collaboration - asking them without talking
to create a cerlain number of shapes only usingtheir bodies: 6 circles, 3
triangles, I zigzag. I flnd it's a good way to create a language without words
and build a rapport that will lead them through the festival, Jess lhorpe
Dancing puppets
I love this activity and though it is essentially a pair exercise, it can be
done with a large group, a decent sized space and some speakers. Divide
the group into pairs and explain that this is a completely non-verbal activity
and that neither parlner should be discussing what they are doing, Ask
parlners to decide who is A and B. As will be the puppets llrst and when
you say, they should all close their eyes and not open them until instructed.
Bs are the puppet masters, Once the music starts, they will operate their
puppet through touching a parl of their body e.g. head, elbow, knee,
shoulder. When As feel that part of their body being touched, their job is
to isolate and move that body parl in time to the music. Bs can continue
by touching another par1. As need to keep the first part moving, while also
moving the new body part in time to the music, but independent of the flrst.
This can build up as long as B wants. However, they can also reset their
puppet at any time by touching their lower back. This signals to A that they
should stop all movement and get ready to start the process again. Once the
instructions are given, put on a piece of music, with a decent beat and start
the exercise, After a couple of minutes, swap round so that B is the puppet
and A is the puppet master. This is a great warm up and lots of fun to see a
big room of dancing puppets. Jo Scott
Breathe to ten
Getting an ensemble to breathe together and not be scared ofthe
power of stillness and silence is a must. I simply ask the students to lie down
in neutral and find a deep yogic breath. This is initially achieved by the
workshop leader counting them in and out on the breath. They breathe in
through their nose and out through their mouth, In for 2 out for 4; in for 3
out for 6 ... When the out breath reaches l0 they produce an ensemble
"ahh" sound. The workshop leader can play with volume, Moiro Arthurs
Ensemble relays
Sure this will be used a lot but I always enjoythese as they are high
octane and work as ensembles builders whilst still working as a full group
exercise. My favourite relay is to line up each ensemble against each other:
The first person at the head of each line then has to run up to a designated
point, As soon as they get there, the second person runs up and has to go
through the following sequence: touch their left toe to the first person's left
toe, righttoe to righttoe, left knee to left knee, right knee to right knee,
elbow to elbow shoulder to shouldeç air kiss left, air kiss right and then has
to singHoppy birthdoy, As soon as they have flnished the Tlrst person runs
back (leaving the second behind) and tags ihe third person who runs up and
does the whole routine to the second person - who then runs back and tags
the fourth. All the way through until everyone has been, and you should
have a winning ensemble. You may need to put an umpire with each line to
stop cheating and you can offer any variations on the theme to the routine
depending on the participants, /on Pike
Seven stages of tension
There are several versions of this exercise based on Lecoq's original
states of tension. lt is essentially an energy building process. The version I
am most familiar with is that which begins with walking around the room at a
neutral speed, then explaining the seven stages:
| . Floppy. This might be describes as being like a Jellyf)sh,,There is no
tension in the body at all, Begin in a complete state of relaxation, lf you
have to move, it is a real effort.
2. Laid back. Too hot as if you were in Nevada.
3. Takes us backto Neutral or Economy. Nothing more, nothing less. The
right amount.
4, Alert and Curious, Whilst you walk, you look at things as if for the flrst
time.
5. Suspense. lsthere a bomb inthe room? The crisis is aboutto happen.
Rhythm circles
6. Uber suspense. There is a bomb in the rooml There is a lion sitting on
your sofal There is a snake in the shower!
7. Catatonic. Your body can't move. You are petrifled. The body is solid
tension. Becky Potterson
Group charades
I lovegroup charades. lt works really well in a large space with a
large group, Basically, it's a single game of charades done by four groups
simultaneously. The first group to finish wins, lf you have 100 students, divide
them into four groups of 25 and place them each in the corners of a large
space. Have four teachers stand in the middle of the room, facing a grouP,
with lots of distance in between, Teachers will have a lisi of 25 words (that
can be related to the theme of the festival) and each student must sprint to
the teacher to get the word, spring back to the group and act it out with no
words, Once the word is guessed correctly, another student sprints up to the
teacher, tells them the word the group guessed. lfthe charade is successful,
lhe student receives the next word, lf it is not correct, they must go back and
repeat the previous charade. The first group to finish wins,Jesse Foctor
Raising ghosts
Dim lights (if possible). All the students are flat on the floor with their
eyes closed. You are standing, You quietly touch a student on the floor on
the shoulder "raising" them up to walk with you around the room, Between
the two of you, identify the one person who will be kept to the end. Do this
silently pointing and crossing arms (in other words no touching). You both
then creep around the room silently touching each student to "raise" them.
They can immediately open eyes and wander - BUT don't forget to point to
the person to be left otherwise someone will accidently raise them. When
you get to the last person lying down (the "victim") all of you creep close but
not too close, Trying not to breathe heavily or be remotely heard and on a
visual (fingers) count to 3 - all scream the victim's name at once (if known
or "lSTAl" if you don't know everyone). The response no matter what age is
fab. Tons of laughing and tension broken. Anno Porr
"The Rock-Off"
Ladtes ond gentlemen, boys and grls, welcome to the 296th onnuol Rock-
OffWorld Championships! I know oll of you hove been troining doy-in day-out
procticing "rock, poper, scissors" with your friends, mum, dod ond even dog tn
the run up to this event but todoy there can only be one winner! Fkst though,
let's remind ourse/ves of the rules. .. The Rock-Off, is a great way to warm
up voices and team spirit and the larger the group the better. Basically it's a
"rock, paper, scissors" tournament. Before you start, clarifr the calling order
you will use, for example "rock, paper, scissors, SHOOI' for when to
reveal your weapon. Then everyone finds a partner in the room to be their
first opponent. They play the best ofthree rounds ofthe game to decide
the winner. Next is the key bit as the loser of the battle then becomes the
winner's cheer squad, chanting their name and supporting them in their
next battle. The pair then flnds another ready pair and the two winners
(flanked by their loud and supporlive cheer persons) then go head-to-head
in another three rounds, The losing pair then joins the cheer squad of the
winner and the four set offto flnd another four,
And so on and so on until you have just two competitors left each
with large cheer squads. Keep an eye out for this moment and pause the
proceedings just before this happens. Get the cheer squads on opposite
sides of the room with the competitors in the middle. Build up some hype
with some more "announcer voice" talk, get the squads to cheer the loudest
for their competitor etc, then let the battle commence. After the best of
three rounds give a huge flnal cheer for the runner-up and then the winner
is crowned The 296th Rock-OffWorld Champion, Corl Robinson
Clear the space...
A simple game to be used early on in a session. The group walk around
the space and follow simple instructions, "Clear the space" means run and
place a hand on the nearest wall and stay there. From there onwards lots of
other instructions are given. "Change" means run to the opposite end of the
room to another wall, "Reach" means freeze and reach your hands out to
the flrst person that you make eye contact with and send'them some love.
"Point" means freeze and point to your favourite object in the room. The
facilitator can introduce any instructions that they like, for example if there's a
clock in the room, "clock" could mean run to a position in front of the clock
and sit down. The whole game is played at a quick pace and I flnd helps the
whole group with focus and energy without exposing any one individual,
It also.has a great sense of chaos with a hundred people running around
avoiding each other. Jon Mods
www.ista.co.uk
Starling in a full-group circle I starl off a four-count beat which everyone
has to make with their feet. lt is important that no-one speeds up and that
we are all moving at the same time. From that point on, no-one's feet are
allowed to stop. I then ask them to move into smaller group circles and flnd
a clapping rhythm that they can do collectively, lf they all sound the same I
run around the groups and ask them to change them, by listening for what
they can hear already and trying to fill up the gaps rather than imitating.
Depending on how that goes, I will sometimes ask them to also add a vocal
noise to that (it's already quite noisy by this timel), Then after we've listened
to that for a few moments, I ask them to drop the vocal noise, then drop
the clapping, then move back into the original full circle and then I will count
down so that we alltome to a dead stop at exactly the same time. Very
very loud. Zaro Nunn
There's a smell of theatre
learning in the 'AiR"...
As part of ISTAs mission to ensure that as many international
schools as possible can benefit from unique theatre learning
experiences, our AiR programme offers schools the
possibility to have one or more arlists visit your school to
provide specific theatre learning for students or professional
development for teachers, staff or entire faculty.
So far this academic year we have 145 AiR days booked
across four continents with new bookings coming in almost
daily. So if you are a teacher in Africa or Antarclica, do get in
touch.
AiRs can be arranged on the back of festivals and TaPS which
reduces the cost to the school as flights are already covered;
so if there is an event in your area which you are unable to
attend, this proves a great alternative.
The feedback from the programme so far this year has been
great:
"Our Artist ln Resldence rnErred ond enthused everyonewho
she corne into contoctwith: her professiond/lsrn ond possion
were evrdent throughout,"
Corin lames, Harrow lnternational School
'AiR is importont because it grves students who ore not lucky
enough to ottend o festivol o chance to get d toste oflSlA.
Also, it really excites ond motivotes the students, "
Emma Hughes, Koc School
"When you portner with.on /STA AtR, you con be certoin that
your students will discover their own ortistic brrlliqnce ln the
honds of outst onding pro ctitioners. "
lohn Mulhall, Hong Kong lnternational School
So what are you waiting for? Let's get some amazing aftists
into your school to provide some unforgettable theatre work
for your students and teachers.
For more information and to view our artist direclory please
visit: www.ista.co.uk/what-we-do/air/ or contact me by
emailing: air@ista.co.uk. We invite:schools gnd artists to
arrange all AiRs through the ISTA offlce,
Tom Scott, ISTA
Scene I lssue2 | 2014-l5January I I
o
Ensemble building
aet rvl t res
o o
o tracton a conceited sports caç the old cart nobody
lacob's walk
This game is in a way a skeleton that can be
fleshed out in a virtually infinite number of ways.
The facilitator begins by asking the participants to
walk through the spacé, to meander through it,
not walking in clumps or pairs, but balancing the
space as a homogenous, flowing whole, Then
the flrst instruction is added: "Stop". This. is usually
followed by a staggered, cluttered stop in which
everyone looks a little confused. "Go!" you yelp,
and gradually the bodies lurch back into their initial
walks. Again: "Stopl". Now it's time for some
sharpening. Get them to start and stop together,
"Like pausing and un-pausing a video", "active
freeze", " complete focus", whatever termi nology
you decide to use, make sure thatthese basic rules
are respected, and that all actions from now on
are performed simultaneously as a group. Next
comes: "Clap!". Repeat as necessary until the
sound is that of a large tree branch snapping in
half, Then: 'lump!". Again everybody in the space
should leap and land at exactly the same moment.
lf you shout: "Hello!", they should shout it back
as an ensemble. The same for "Goodbyel" You
can make up any number of additional pairs of
instructions e.g. "sky" and "ground", could mean
point straight up or touch the floor, You can get
them to "clear the space" or "clump" in the middle
Once the group is comfor{able following these
instructions as an ensemble, you can start giving
them more difficult sequences: "Hello, clap, clear
the space" etc. Once they have mastered this
level, it's time to take it up a gear, by reversing
the meaning of all the pairs of instructions: "stop"
now means "go", "go" means "stop", "clap" means
"jump" etc. You can have a lot of fun with this.
Keep saying: "Go", and it will take a good 4 or 5
attempts before people manage to suppress the
urge to move, Conversely, repeatedly shouting:
"Stop!" at a room full of young people who know
that you really mean "go" can be really funny, and
you can pretend to get angry saying: "Why won't
you stop? Please stop!" However, as soon as you
sdy: "Go", they should all instantaneously freeze.
These four or five "opposite" rules can continue
bubbling away as you introduce new aspects to
the game, "3 knees!" means that everyone forms
into groups of threes in which each member
puts a knee in the centre ofthe group, so that
there are three knees touching in the middle. "2
toesl" Everyone finds a partner, and touches the
ends oftheir feet together, "5 people: a house",
means they should get into groups and together
form the shape of a house with their bodies. " l0
people: a ship" or " 15 people: an ar1 gallery"
etc the possibilities are endless and can even be
adapted to ïit with images or themes relevant to
the project. You can push a group even fudher
by initiating whole-group improvisations using the
l2 lssue2l20l4-l5January | Scene
o from themes or the work. General fun things can
all..." instruction e.g. "Let's
"Let's all go hunting in
the forestl" answered with the group responsel
is
"Yes, let's!" quickly followed by 30 keen huntsmen
stalking through an imaginary forest or perhaps a
deer or two, or a particularly animated tree. "Let's
all go to work in a really boring offlcel" "Yes, let's"
and suddenlythe foresttransforms into desks,
potted plants and fax machines, phone calls and
photocopying, but before they know it: "Let's
all become deep sea creatures!", These are all
just examples of how you can expand the basic
structure of Jacob's walk, lt is one of my absolute
favourite exercises because of how adaptable it is
and because ofthe gradual increments offreedom
from the highly structured/prescriptive "stop" and
"go" to the completely open-ended: "Let's all go to
the beach!". lf you increase this freedom gradually
enough, your participants will get lost in the
excitement of the activities and won't realise that
by the end ofthe exercise, they are performing
complex improvisations together that they may
not have had the confidence to join in with at the
beginning. BenVardy
Mill and seethe
This one has many variations. The version
I
employ has students slowly moving about a room
exploring the space. Æ any moment a student can
state : " l' m fal ng backwards/fowards/eft/right" or
I i
"l'm ascending". Upon this bold declaration the
other students respond by catching the student and
setting them back on their way. As with all trust
exercises, this one has to be carefully explained
and rehearsed beforehand. Daniel Heffernon
lmportant moments in history
I like to help students find their common
ground and look for ways to get them to problem-
solve together. One of my favourite activities is
to divide parlicipants into groups of 7- 10. I ask
these subgroups to brainstorm for flve minutes
about important moments in history | then visit
each group and side coach, encouraging them to
flnd moments in history that all group members
know about and/or recognise, I also push them to
think of world history the history of human kind,
from prehistoric to present day. I ask them to look
for how we mark history (sadly, war is the most
common delineator). What about great inventions,
moments ofgreat change, even pop culture?
After the brainstorming period, I ask each group
to choose three moments in history and create a
tableau for each one, By tableau, I emphasise that
while there is no movement, there is great action,
After a brief rehearsal time (5 - l0 minutes), we
share these moments in history with each other; and
see if they have created a clear, identiflable theatrical
image. We discuss what works and doesn't work
about each tableau and I side coach on the ideas of
essential image, focus, iconography, composition
and emotional,Ârisceral response, Bill Bowers
In/out
# I turns to
Players stand in a circle. Player
player #7 on the right and says simply: "Elephants
are in". Player #2 looks at player # I and says
something like: "Elephants are out", Then s/he turns
to player #3 and says: "Ball bearings are in", Player
#3 turns to player #2 and says: "Ball bearings are
out". Then player #3 turns to player #4 and says
whatever comes to mind flrst is "in". This game
continues to go around the circle until an easy and
immediate flow
is established. Morlorie Duffield
Paper chase
The group divided into pairs, A piece of
is
paper is given to each pair. Starting with the paper
between their foreheads they must get the piece
of paper down between their bodies to their feet
and then back up again, They can't use their hands.
lf they drop the piece of paper then they need to
start again. An addition to the game is that then the
paper is used between parts oftheir body and they
have to move around the room, increasing their
speed where possible. The group size is gradually
increased from 2 to 4 to B then as many as
possible, The key is the papers must be in different
places between each member of the group i.e.
you can't have two people with paper between
their heads. They must work together to move
around the space, I have built in a next level ofan
obstacle course, lf the paper is dropped they must
starl again, Cotherine Ronkin
Worst student ever
I ask students to work in groups and devise
me short scenes entitled "Worst student you
could ever meet at an ISTA festival". The end
results usually model all the behaviours we want
to avoid e.g, precious princesses, gum chewing,
being late, too cool for school etc and are often
sharply observed and very funny, lt's a fun way to
build some positive values and agreements about
acceptable behaviour and makes it clear that it's the
group, not individuals, who are building the culture
of the ensemble .len Tickle
Statues
Splitthe group into pairs, One person will be
the sculptor and one will be the clay. The sculptor
fashions the other student, the clay, into the shape
that s/he wants and the second student has to
stay in that position, I usually give the group a title
to work from, the more general the better e,g.
victory defeat, love, hate, thirst, envy etc and of
course any themes that you might be leading to,
The seemingly impossible can be liberating e,g.
darkness, music, lB exams (as distinct from the
reaction to them). I usually let each pair work four
or six times so that they get two or three goes
each. A very enjoyable variation on this is for the
clay to make a shape and then the sculptor has to
speak briefly on his/her new piece of work and
give it a title, themes, material used kids get great
here: "Forthis piece I have used plastic/polished
glass/old bottle tops/dead fish/road kill etc", After
a few turns in pairs I join pairs together making
groups of four, flve or six. Now the group has to
work together all as clay to create the objects
I
name. Again, you can chose objects that derive
be a yacht in sail, any animal, a drum kit, a flower
in a pot etc. The next step is form moving and
working things - a steam train, a working cuckoo
clock and motorcar,truckltractor etc, A variation
on this can be to give the objects attitude: a tired
wants etc the possibilities are endless. Now that
the group have worked through pairs and then in
smaller groups, I like to llnish with them working
as a whole group. I challenge them to get together
and make an oblect that I will have to guess and
leave the room for a couple of minutes, This
object often ends up being a picture (the dreaded
"basketball game" leaps to mind) but never
mind - the point is for them to be working and
cooperating together as a group. There is a good
hour of material right here and it develops well
from pairs to whole group and through growing
complexity and creativity. Mike West
Off my chest
The ensemble stands in a circle, ln random
order, the members "throw" whatever is bothering
them "off their chest" and into a pile at the centre
of the circle. Use a physical motion to do that. All
items are piled up and collectively moulded into a
"ball" and "rolled out the door" Joochim Mctschoss
.
Manhole cover
Students stand in a circle. Everyone bends
down together and in unison they lift a giant
manhole cover which happens to be as big as
the circle. lt may be that, for no apparent reason,
there are a dozen raw eggs in the middle and as
a group they will have to lift the giant metal disc
without letting any of the eggs roll ofl Concentrate
on keeping the shape, weight and plane consistent,
Stephen Finego/d
Chairs
Version L Everybody gets a chair and places
it equidistant from others in the space, Place one
additional, empty chair in in the space. The goal
for the leader is to sit down, The goal for the
ensemble is to prevent the leader from sitting
down by filling the empty chair which of course
opens another chair which must be lllled before
the leader sits etc. Basic rules: once you start to
get out of your chair you must get out. Once
you leave your chair you must sit in a diferent
chair. No physical contact, No running, The
ensemble's initial goal is to keep the leader standing
l5 seconds, Side coaching, Sometimes the most
logical solution will never work, Sometimes the
most illogical solution is the most effective. After
playing for many rounds, encourage the ensemble
to all stand at once, Then start the game. Watch
how much better they do. Version 2. Remove the
empty chair. Now the goal is to switch chairs with
other members of the ensemble before the leader
sits down. You can only, and you must, switch
chairs when you make eye contact with another
seated member of the ensemble. Consider that
there are varying levels of risk: switching with
someone near you, versus someone on the
other side of the room. The rules are the same,
One addition is that you can only switch with
each person once, The goal is for all ensemble
www.ista.co.uk
members to switch chairs flve times before the
leader sits. lf it is a good group, or if you play it
frequently, when the leaders sits the person Ieft
standing is the new 'it'. Mike Coemmerer
Gifts and gripes
I often create "ritual" type settings (candle lit,
darkened spaces with recorded chanting in the
background). Objectives: partici pants are given
the opportunity to share openly and honestly the
things that the group most love and dislike, Plan: a)
The group sit in a circle. They are given a set time
(e,g. five minutes) to verbally share their "gripes"
that is anything that they reol/y dislike. They can '
work on various levels from more universal ("1 hate
bullies") to more padicular ("1 don't like that my
dad spends all his time at work" etc). Parlicipants
can contribute in any order and other participants
must listen but no conversation (verbal responses)
is allowed. When one parlicipant finishes their
contribution another in the circle begins. Students
might choose not to participate verbally and sit
silently, ln this section, participants are NOT
allowed to directltarget gripes at anyone in the
group. b) The same exercise as above, except that
the participants have the same amount of time to
share their "gifts", anything they really love, Some
may work more universally (e.g. "l love freedom
of speech") to more particular ("1 love chocolate"
or "l really love my mom"). ln this section, students
ARE allowed to target gifts at others in the group
(e,g, "l really love how X is supportive in group
work" etc). Tips/outcomes: almost always,
this activity generates a new level of trust and
bonding in groups I have worked with. However,
CONFIDENTIALITY is the key, Participants must
agree at the start of the exercise that evefihing
said is confldential and will not leave the space - a
tough one, but it usually works. Students do have
the option of less personal/revealing contributions
("1 love swimming") to enable them to participate.
Also key is the teacher modelling potential levels of
sharing. I tend to contribute/model quite personal
comments and almost always theatre students
respect and take this as their lead, Though one
might expect the "gripes" to be intense, it is often
the "gifts" that is more emotional, Steve Reyno/ds
Paper island
Each person begins by standing on a sheet
newspaper in a circle, The group then walks round
the circle to music (a bit like musical chairs) and
take a sheet of paper away each time, When the
music stops, the group has to make sure every
person's feet are on the paper and not touching
the floor: As the paper reduces the challenge
becomes bigger for the group but they need to
continue to work together to flnd solutions that
are about community and not about competition.
Jess Thorpe
Group jump
Students stand in a circle and jump, they
must land at exactly the same time. At flrst the
group will need a countdown (3-2- I) to achieve
the jump and the landing at the same time. Once
they get the hang of this they must jump in unison
without any prompting or counting, they must
feel it. When they have mastered this they must
then jump in unison and then land without making
any noise with their feet. How high can the group
jump while still landing silently? Stephen Finegold
Circle of knots
Gather the group in a circle and ask them to
hold hands, Break the circle by disconnecting two
of the students. Slowly lead the group by leading
one of the parlicipants (who in turn takes the
entire group with them) around the room, moving
over and under other group members' hands and
twisting the circle into a knot, Once the group is
truly tangled, ask the two participants who let go
of each other's hands at the top ofthe exercise
to re-establish their hand clasp, Ask the group to
work together to get back to the original circle
without dropping hands or changing their grasps,
Jillian Campana
Painting the picture
This activity allows the ensemble to contribute
to an imaginary visual piece of art, An empty wall
or floor is ideal. Some visual image linked to the
theme of the festival is a good starler. With a large
stick/bamboo cane individuals in the ensemble
point to a space and suggest what should go there.
A visual image gradually builds up in everyone's
head. There are times when suggestions are made
and the ensemble may {ind itself in disagreement.
This is a great opening discussion on how we can
offer criticism without offence, how we contribute
to the ensemble and how theatre involves
collaborative negotiation. Moiro ArthurS
Eye contact
You will need chairs and tennis balls equal to
the number of students in the group,
A I . Set up a circle of chairs, one chair for each
member of the group.
2. Ask the students to look around at their
peers and make eye contact with each other.
3, lfeye contact has been made, they can
stand up and walk slowly, crossing each other
and changing seats. You should let a few
rounds of this happen before moving onto
the next task, Usually you will see that once
eye contact has been establish for exchanging
chairs and the students stand up and start their
journey to swap places - they drop the eye
contact and focus on the goal of sitting on their
friend's chair.
B. I n order to keep the eye contact ask the
students to stop at the crossing point and make
eye contact again lust when they are about to
go offto take the seat,
C. To multiply the qualities and effect of eye
of contact you can now give each student a tennis
ball, They will repeat the same task of switching
chairs, only this time they will hold a ball in
I
their hand, You will ask them to switch balls
when they are at the crossing point. lYake sure
students do NOT drop their eye contact to
the tennis ball - they can see it even when they
are not looking at it. The goal is to keep eye
contact throughout the journey from the chair
to the crossing point and to have a moment of
separation when they have to turn their backs
to each other to go to the other chair.
D, After a few rounds you now ask the students
to switch tennis balls twice. First, at the
crossing point. Then, they need to take 2-3
steps away from each other and then look
back over their shoulder, make eye contact
again and slowly rotate to face each other
from a few feet away. When eye contact has
been established they need to throw the ball
at the same time and catch each other's tennis
ball, A high level of concentration is needed to
do this task.
E. You can continue the exercise without the
chairs, In a very simple and effective way the
Scene I lssue2 | 2014-l5January 13
 combination of eye contact and tennis balls can
provide concentration, experience and attitude
to the fundamental action of eye contact, Once
we draw attention to this simple daily action we
can start using it as an "extra-daily-poetic-action"
that combines aesthetics and day-to-day human
behaviour. Avitol Monor Peleg
Tallest to shortest/oldest to youngest
A useful yet really simple ensemble building
focus exercise that can be great for establishing
contact in a very quick way. lt all has to be done in
complete silence so it is a good one to throw in if
you feel you need to calm things down a bit or get
brains going. As a pre cursor to the main event, get
them to line up in height order with the tallest at
one end of the room down to the shortest without
any talking and it having to be done in thirty
seconds, This should get them all quickly checking
heights against each other and working together
to beat the clock. Then get them to line up in the
opposite direction from oldest to youngest in age
order and again in complete silence. They will have
to communicate in sign language, helping each
other to work out the age order, the fun starting
when two of them discover they were born on
the same day and having to work out who came
into the world first. /on Pike
The magic stone
I have adapted this from an idea I saw a ïhe teacher divides the group into
colleague use when trying to explain the idea of
"suspension of disbelief". lt also illustrates how
important it is to "buy in" to the group work and to
any ideas that are offered by anyone in the group
so that we all feel valued, lt requires the facilitator
to set the tone, usually by using the voice in a
conspiratorial voice and asking the group if you can
trust them because you want to share something
very special. I place a small bag (like you might
receive a small crystal or piece of jewellery) in my
pocket, There can be a small stone in there but
this is not necessary The group should be seated
in a tight circle. Once the atmosphere has been
established, ask the group to raise their right hand.
Then to place their left hand out, palm up. Then
place their right hand palm up, on top ofthe hand of
the person to their right (sounds more complicated
than it They have now created a chain. The
is).
facilitator removes their hands from the chain for a
short time to explain that in their pocket, they have
something very special they want to share. The
imaginary "magic stone" is then removed from the
bag, held in the hand and placed very carefully in the
palm of the person sitting to their left, The facilitator
then askes the group to pass the stone around
the circle and back to them. lt is impoftant for the
facilitator to maintain the pretence and the tension
by using facial expression and holding their breath
(remember that trust is crucial to this exercise).
When the stone has been passed around, allow the
group to relax and discuss what has just happened.
Think about the atmosphere and the tension that is
usually evident and the sense oftogetherness that
has been created. Becky Potterson
Shoal of fish
ln a shoal if flsh all the flsh move together
but you can't tell who is leading. This is a great
ensemble exercise. Whole group runs together:
Try not to have a leader. The ensemble moves like
a shoal of flsh, Start marching, Ensemble leader
taps one actor on the shoulder and they have to
change the rhythm. This person can be anywhere
in the "shoal", The change of pattern will be
14 lssue 2 | 2014-15 January | Scene
ripple through the "shoal". Once the ensemble is
working cohesively sound can be added, created
bythe "shoal" and matchingthe rhythm of the
movement, Joo chim Motschoss
Grand right and left weave
I recently did this with a middle school
group that would burst into cheers and applause
whenever they completed the full task. You
need an even amount of bodies, so ifthe group
is uneven, I join in as we learn, Students should
Ïind a partner and stand next to their partner as
the group makes a large circle facing in. Have
students turn to face their partner and then shake
right hands with their partner and stay connected.
Students then gently pull, passing their partner right
shoulder to right shoulder (clockwise partner goes
outside of the circle, counter clockwise parlner
goes inside), Students will now be facing a new
person in front of them, They shake left hands and
pull across (clockwise person goes inside, counter-
clockwise person outside) to flnd a new person in
front of them. Repeat the R and L crossing with
the entire circle until you are back in your original
places. Every time the group hits a snag, start over.
Once the groups has it slowly without music, you
can use music, choosing songs that get faster and
faster, Jesse Foctor
Stop! Call! Act!
equal
parts, The teacher then picks one person in each
group to be the caller. The caller then gives each
group member a number, The caller then says
a number and a word or phrase which could be
acted out e.g. Ionely boy, standing on one foot,
smiling. The person who has that number must
act out the word or phrase without words but
may use movement and sounds. After the actions
have been perlormed, the callers yell outr "Stop!",
and then moves on to the next number and word
or phrase. The game continues until everyone in
the group has been called to perform. An extra
challenge for the group could be that they are
given two minutes to put all the words or phrases
into a story without words. They could per{orm
this part before the other groups. Romeo Bryont
Clear the room
Walk the space. 100 is normal pace (above is
faster and below is slower) Change the numbers
to get them going - explain in side coach mode
that you will give them instructions to follow.
Æsembly: sitting at the front of the room (arms
and legs crossed). Clock: all moving fast as an
ensemble near to the clock and pointing with the
same arm at the same time, Togethen as close
as you can in the middle of the room shoulder to
shoulder. Purple: ïinding the colour somewhere
and staring at it. Cosyr finding a cosy place in the
room. Clear the spacei to move as fast as possible
away from the middle to the sides of the room,
Encourage a sense oftiming and urgency to the
work, A great focuser too. Use music here to help
with the energy. Anno Porr
Points of contact
In groups offive or six inform the students that
there are many points of contact to the ground.
Your hands - yourfeet your head your bottom
-your back and so on. Each one ofthem counts
as I (ifyou lieflaton the floor-thatcounts as l).
Give them a range of points of contact now. Starl
quite high (easier) and then work down to very
little, lt inevitably leads to people being carried
- lyric, structured so that the first line is repeated
people on backs - lots of physicality and lots of
laughing e.g. it might be 6 points of contact and
only 3 feet - to encourage them to think creatively
about what else they can use. They must always
be connected to the group too. Then it might go
lower 4 points of contact only I foot and then
3 points of contact - no feet. Contact, laughteç
concentration and fun. Sorted. Anno Porr
Yes, no, maybe, crap
Both this and the next game (ou, name,
animal, colour) are based on the concept of a
"closed system", Setting this up is the hardest part,
but also a good chance to work on names. Set-up:
have the students sit in a circle. Stand in the centre
to set up the game, Point at a student and have
them tell you their name, "Pat", Then point to a
student across the circle and have them tell you
their name. "Sally". Pat is watching Sally. That's all
Pat needs to remember, John now stands, because
he knows who he is watching. Repeat. "Sally is
watching Dinos" (Sally stands). "Dinos is watching
Ted", And so on until everyone knows who they
are watching. You want to make sure that the last
person is standing across the circle from the flrst,
not directly next to them. Play: level l- first, you
have to test that everyone was paying attention
and knows who they are supposed to watch, As
they are now all standing, say: "When the person
I told you to watch sits down, sit down", Then
tap one person and ask them to sit, Hopefully
they all end up sitting. Repeat by getting another
person to stand and hopefully they will all end up
standing. Level 2 now, to demonstrate that it's
a closed system, tell them: "When the person
I told you to watch claps, clap". Tap one player
and get them to clap, The clap should travel
around the circle, without stopping, when it
returns to the flrst person they clap again. Once
something is introduced into the circle, it should
never go away. Level 3 - now the ensemble
will attempt to keep four distinct sound/gestures
moving simultaneously around the circle. They
are: "Yes!" (said with enthusiasm while pumping
your flst in the air), "Nol" (said emphatically while
pointing at the ground). "Maybe?" (said uncertainly,
while shrugging your shoulders). "Crap!" (said
emphatically while crossing your arms across
the chest). lt's important that the "cues" are very
clear, both physically and vocally (this is a great
connection to make to performance in general).
The leader introduces the cues, one at a time, into
the circle, How quickly you can do this depends
both on the ability of your ensemble to all stay
focused on just the person they are supposed to
watch and also the size of your group (the more
players, the easier it is to keep more cues going,
as there is more "lag time"), Rather than stad over
each time a cue drops out, have the ensemble
keep what they have going and add the missing
one(s) back in, until the group can sustain all four.
When done properly this exercise has a nice Philip
Glass kind of musical text quality to iL Tom Schulz
You, name, animal, colour
Level | -the set up forthis game starts as
above, Each person in the circle has one person
who they point at, and say: "You" to. lt's a closed
system, and once "you" (point) is started, it should
never go away. Level 2 - it quickly becomes much
more complicated. After the "you" is established,
sit them back down. The flrst person now has to
choose whose name they will say (as the second
"cue"), but it can't be the same person who they
point and say: "You" to, Practice these two cues,
They need to keep track ol l) Who they say:
"You" to. (2) Who says: "You" to them. (3) Whose
name they say (4) Who says their name. Level
3 - now they need to choose a new person, and
"name them" with an animal. lt should not be the
same as either the person they say "You" to nor
the person whose name they say. lt's best to do all
these steps sequentially around the circle, one at
a time, They now need to keep track of: l) Who
they say: "You" to, (2) Who says: "You" to them,
(3) Whose name they say. (4) Who says their
name. (5) Whose animal they say. (6) Who says
their animal, Practice trying to keep all three "cues"
going simultaneously around the circle, At this stage
you can also let players repeat cues, ifthey know
their person has missed picking up and passing any
parlicular cue. This game demands extreme levels
of concentration, listening and cooperation to be
successful, Only advanced groups (or large ones)
are able to move to the fourlh level, which adds
another new person who you cue with a particular
colour, I have also used this exercise as a repeated
ensemble warm-up for smaller ensembles working
together in performance to good effecL Tom Schulz
Bombs and shields/triangles/stop sit...
Everyone has probably played bombs and
shields at one time or another but here I often
use it in a very parlicular way. Three games are
used, First the group play "bombs and shield" s
where you anonymously choose someone to be
your bomb and someone to be your shield. You
have to keep your shield between you and your
bomb with no physical contact. At a given point
I count from five to one and then the bombs
explode. This results in a frantic few seconds of
running and noise. We then play "triangles" which
is similar but participants choose two anonymous
group members and have to stay equally distant
from both forming triangles, this usually means
that everyone shuffles around sideways. Finally
the group walk around in silence and at a given
moment that everyone must simply "feel" with no
signalling or communication, the whole group must
stop, sit, freeze, stand and walk off again all at the
same time. I always ask the group for responses
and thoughts after each exercise which will
often be the first time that I ask people to make
individual contributions in a session, so that those
who wish to speak up can without pressure. At the
end we then put all three things together. Without
any communication or signalling the group move
around and just observe what they see happening.
lfthey think the group is speeding up, then a
game of "bombs and shields" is starting and they
must join in, lf they think that the group is shuffling
sideways then it's "triangles", if the group is slowing
down then it's "stop/sit". The whole thing is
allowed to run until the group are working silently
together like a shoal of fish changing seamlessly
from one game to another with nobody taking an
active lead,/on Moris
Speed song writing: the fifteen minute song
I normally do this in the flrst session,
parlicularly if after the group has discovered we're
going to be writing songs/singing they all look at me
like rabbits in headlights, I give them three minutes
in groups of 5 or 6 to llnd out some information
about each other or decide upon something about
them collectively or about the festival. Then I allowed to move at TOP Speed or absolute
teach them a really simple melody with a dummy
twice, followed by a rhyming couplet followed
by the original line again. They then only have to
come up with one line and a rhyming couplet,
which they then put in place of the dummy lyric.
lf they are particularly quick there is often time to
also put some "moves" with it. Finally we try all
togetheç to run the whole thing as one continuous
sequence ofverses. As each verse flnishes, the
whole ensemble repeats the "last line" back, which
not only links evefihing together nicely, but it
means they have to listen. lt also gives whoever is
going next time to prepare themselves. In theory it
should then be possible to run it without stopping,
Zoro Nunn
Giant's house
ln groups of five or six. Leader calls out objects
in the "giant's house" and the group makes these
things with their bodies on the count of ten seconds.
The only rule is that everyone in the group has
be physically connected e.g. "ln the giant's house
is the giant's toothbrush/chair/watch/sunglæses/
souvenir of Eiffel tower", Dlnos Aristidou
Stand, walk, sit, lie down, crawl
I |ove this exercise, lYany of the fundamental
principles of movement improvisation can be
experienced through this exercise. lt often allows
fruitful dialogue about group mind, individuality
and choice making to emerge. lt also quite quickly
gives a group and myself a movement vocabulary
that we can use when developing work further.
Exploring space and action. The task starts simply:
the group are informed that they are to move
around the room using the movements: walk,
stand, sit, lie down and crawl only, lt is worth
demonstrating this; encouraging ind ividuals to
commit to the movement they decide and make
clear choices to switch between one movement
and the next, The walking in particular needs to
be encouraged to be purposeful and with energy.
This task develops through layering in additional
information, How far along the journey you go
depends on the group and the amount oftime
available. Exploring relationship, The flrst thing
I encourage is for the group to start noticing
others in the room as they are moving, To enjoy
seeing the moments of connection arise, patterns
developing. Do they sit down at the same time as
someone else? Do they end up lying down next to
someone? ls someone walking in a similar pathway
to them? Do they follow someone else's pathway?
I encourage students to join any patterns they
see emerging, I also encourage students to leave
developing patterns whenever they choose and
make a different choice. I ask them to notice: what
makes you choose to join what someone else is
doing? What triggers you to leave? We don't stop
and theorise over it, I allow the question to land,
inform or be ignored. Allow time for the "game"
ofthis task to be discovered by the group. I can
usually feel when the group are starting to "play",
to enjoy the moments of togetherness, incidental
happenings, I usually join in and play alongside
the students. I hear moments of laughter when
moments of togetherness spontaneously arise e.g,
half the group lies down simultaneously or two
people travel and then drop to sitting at the same
time. Exploring dynamics. Time to switch it up.
pause the game for a moment and tell the students
that we will continue but this time they are only
stillness. I demonstrate, A lot of information can be
communicated through physically demonstration
- particularly quality of movement. Stillness when
chosen is immediate, travelling at speed when
chosen is immediate. Try to work towards these
two contrasting states being really clear:
. Fast enough that there is an element of risk.
We talk about the risks. Needing to be aware
of people at different levels: high, medium
and low. Staying aware of the space and our
relationship with other people. This needs to
take place for short bursts it can be exhausting
_ GREAT
. The contrast is being STILL,
Add in a change to moving SLOW when
called out, And when I say slow - | mean slow.
Slow enough that the tension and the control
of the muscles required can be felt, lt's great
watching students navigate and problem solve
how to sit down really slowly, Switching between
to top speed/absolute stillness and slow motion
demands the students engage with their body and
mind in different ways: at speed, information flies
in quickly; responses are reactive. Slow motion
demands a more internal focus - moves can be
predicted, observed in action. Finish off moving
as a group deciding when to walk, sit, lie down
or crawl all together: Be careful not to'leave this
for too long. As I bring the exploration to a close
we normally circle up and discuss what students
observed about themselves in the game, Their
preferences e.g, "l realise that I LOVE moving
really fast, my adrenalin is really high now", or
"The chaos in the room at high speed was quite
scary", or "l found moving to the ground in slow
motion hard", The choices they made e.g. "lt
made me laugh when everyone was following
me around the room. I lay down to see who
would follow me." Their emotional responses to
situations that arose e,g. 'At one point I went to
lie next to Chris and as soon as I arrived he got up
and left, lt felt a bit sad." Ruth Spencer
Moo!
lnvite the students to flnd their own spaces
in the room and have them get onto all fours on
the floor as if they are cows. Invite the students
to close their eyes, Tell students the rules are as
follows, | (the teacher) selectthe "Major Moo" by
tapping a student on the head. The f4ajor Moo
stands up, opens her eyes and stands in a wide-
open stance so that the rest of you can crawl
through her legs and join her by standing on the
other side to form one line. After the Major Moo
has been selected and is standing, she becomes
the strong and silent type and she does not ever
speak a word. Those of you remaining on hands
and knees and with your eyes closed try to find
the Major lYoo. Move around the room mooing,
lf you call out by mooing and hear another
"Mool" you know you have not been successful
in finding the Major Moo. If you "Moo!" and do
not hearthe response of a "Mool" you crawl
through the Major lYoo's legs and stand on the
other side creating a Major Moo "tunnel" through
which other students must now crawl. Once on
the other side, you open your eyes and, as you
are now assimilated into Major Moo, you remain
silent with your eyes and legs open. Eventually,
I the entire class is assimilated and standing in one
line. Of course, there are always a couple of cows
that cannot find the line. lt is important that the
line remains silent so that students can truly flnd
the line by playingthe game, The remaining cows
also need to go through the entire chain of legs to
come out the other side, Toro Brodin
Scene I lssue2 | 2014-l5January 15
o

Activities ba,sed on
to the imagination. The leader can then easily use
different aspects of the festival's theme and see what
happens. Parlicipants are spread out in the working
space, walking in a neutral way, relaxed but focused.
The leader will glve them different situations that will
that everyone has a chance to both perform and
spectate./o Scott
Group story
ïhe group are split into fours or flves. The
leader starts the story with a simple shoft sentence
your eyes and listen: to the sounds in the room, to
the sounds within your own body, to your thoughts
and to the space around you. After a period of
"stilling" your mind and of observation, open your
eyes and write. Do not allow the pen to lift from the

the theme of the

affect the way they walk, Here are some examples:
you are walking in the street, on the pavement.
The temperature is pleasant. A light breeze crosses
the street. There are more and more people and
you end up walking in the middle of a crowd. lt
which references the theme to be explored.
Avoid "once upon a time"-style beginnings, go for
something a little more abstract like: 'After falling for
what seemed like minutes, the pig saw the ground
coming up at it incredibly fast". The first group then
page, Try not to think consciously about what you
are wrrting. Allow for a fluid and open connection
to your responses and impulses. Write, Allow 2-3
minutes to pass, Continue writing, but start a new
paragraph beginning with: "When I grow up,.. ".

festival
o
Using three ideas/words
Sometimes to get ideas flowing, I get a long
piece of white paper and hang it up on the wall. We
write the theme at the top of the papeç and then
I ask one or two students to serye as scribes. I ask
the parlicipants to call out the words or images that
come to mind as they ruminate on the theme, The
scribes write down all these ideas. Then I break
the group into subgroups, and ask each group to
choose three of the ideas that are now written on
the paper. We circle them as they are chosen by
each group, Each sub group finds a place to work
and they create a performance inspired by the three
words they chose, They must use shape, sound and
movement in their per-formance (sometimes I might
speci! that no words can be used, only sounds).
Rehearsal time should be limited to 5- l0 minutes,
so there is a sense of urgency and purpose, We
Collage of images/phrases/inspirations
Creating a collage of images, phrases and
inspirations from the theme and gradually turning
these into song lyrics with the participants, who
each end up wrlting their own song on the theme
the festival in small groups. Rebecco Applin
Mental photos/sounds/conversations
to go on the out and about and
I like students
collect mental photos and snapshots ofsounds and
conversations. Fragments and impressions recorded
in the mind or possibly even on camera or phone.
Back in the ensemble we play with these memories
- making a slideshow of still images based on the
photos, creating soundscapes from the noises and
conversations we heard and overlaying the still
images on these. Depending on the nature of the
ensemble and what they are interested in we might
take patterns from walls, shadows and windows
The facilitator or the group decides on a
hierarchy relevant to the theme of the festival with
four or flve levels. For example, if the theme was
chocolate, the different levels could be:
of l, Cocoa bean
2. Melted chocolate
3. Chocolate bar
4. Human eating the chocolate
For each level, Ilnd a movement and a sound.
Everyone starts at level L ln orderto reach level 2,
a game of "rock, papeç scissor" needs to be played
with someone at the same level. Whoever wins
the game of "rock, paper, scissor" can then move
up to the next level and {lnd someone else at the
same level to play the game with, The person who
loses the game either stays where they are at level
I or moves down a level if they are at levels 2-4.
Once level 4 has been réached, one more game
stafts to rain, large puddles form on the pavement,
There is so much water it creates a sea. You walk
with water up to your ankles, then to the knees,
then to mid-thigh. You come out of the sea and you
wander on a sandy beach. The sand becomes hot
pebbles, lt is very hot. The pebbles become eggs
which gradually transformed into a thick mud, The
Tnud turns into hot tar, The tar cools down and
becomes compact. You're back on the pavement,
but it's increasingly cold, lt starts to snow. Now you
are walking in the snow. The snow melts, You are
on a wet and slippery ground. The sun comes back,
you are walking alone. The temperature is pleasant.
Cendrine Belleux
Signs
It always feels important to me that the young
people Tind a way to make a personal connection
with the theme of the festival. I always try to create
an opportunity for them to invest in the central ideas
we are exploringtogether and find real meaning in
the work we eventually create. In order to achieve
this I often use an exercise called Signs. For this I
give each individual a sheet of plain A4 paper and
a marker pen. They are then asked to create a
sign with an idea or question that they feel stems
have to act out the sentence without discussing it
between themselves. After this the next sentence
ofthe story is spoken and the second group act this
out and so on. Stephen Finegold
Theme machines
These are great for exploring themes and
questions and I'm always amazed at the creativity
of the ensemble. Everyone stands in a circle, One
ensemble member goes into the centre and begins
the exercise with a movement and sound that is
linked to the theme orthe proposed question, S/
he keeps repeating this until the whole machine
is complete, A second member joins the machine
with a movement and sound which complements,
One by one the rest of the group quickly joins in
until the machine is complete. This activity can
also be explored in groups with each group being
allowed time to prepare a machine which is then
shown to, or physically explored by, the other
ensemble members. lf appropriate, signals can be
devised to control speed and volume levels. This
is also an interesting active response to external
productions, Moiro Arthurs
Captain's coming
At a recent primary festival with the starting
Allow 2-3 minutes to pass. Continue writing, but start
a new paragraph beginning with: "l remember,..
". AIlow 2-3 minutes to pass. Continue writing, but
start a new paragraph beginning with: "When I think
of (devising topic, idea or theme) , . . ", Allow 2-3
minutes to pass, Stop. Take a moment and walk away
from the space where you have been sitting. Leave
the pen and paper behind. Let what you have written
wash back through your mind. Return to your paper
and read through the last response: "When I thrnk of
(theme or topic)... ".
Exercise two, After reading "When I think of
(theme)... ", try to locate two of the following in
your last response: a sound, an emotion, a thought,
a body sensation. Write these separate words,
phases or thoughts on a new piece of paper and
"dreaming" laterally develop a simple topic from
them, which involves: a loose event, a location, a
possible question the idea might pose or entertain.
Exercise three - devising task, Create a mini
piece of theatre, You will now use this topic as the
starting pointto direct a small piece of theatre. ldeally,
aim to work in groups of three. ln your groups
nominate A, B and C. A will direct their piece first,
B will then have time to direct their piece and C

share these pedormances and talk about how they
connect and support the theme, What did you ïind
surprising, compelling? What did you want to see
more of,,l There is usually a lively discussion that
ensues and we identify some ideas that we want to
pursue and enlarge. Bi// Bowers
Theme motifs
This is the clæsic exercise with the leader giving
instructions and the group following - standard is
North, South, East, West, climb the rigging, Captains
coming, sharks, scrub the decks etc, You can adapt
this for any story or theme e,g. Snow White.
Directions: mirror mirror, move to castle, skip
to cottage, run away from the witch, march in a
single line to the gold mine. Actions: witch offers
the apple, 7 dwarves (middle on knees), glass coffin
(one person lies and one person stands), Dlnos
Aristidou
Starting with the main elements
To begin with I usually take the theme of the
festival and break the idea down into its main
elements e,g, love, family, jealousy, friendship etc. Æ
a large group (or in smaller groups) we discuss these
elements and try to create a story based on these
themes, Once a story has been established - in the
case of smaller groups, the best ideas of each story
can be incorporated into make one main story | Think, pair, share
split the ensemble into smaller groups and ask each
group to perform the story using different acting
methods.
. Narration only. Using chorus repetition and
and make them into pathways on the flool walking of "rock, paper: scissor" is played, The winner of
through them and possibly even creating some this game has reached the top ofthe hierarchy and
simple dance moves. But l'm not a good dancer so therefore can step out of the game, victorious. This
I'd have to have a really supportive ensemble before is a great activity when looking at themes with social
l'd dare tread that path. len Tickle hierarchies, as the ensemble can experience how
Performing a scene it feels at each level and explore notions of power.
Try the following ideas in small groups: Georgo Munnion
. Peform a scene in which no one is allowed to Tableau
touch the ground, I very often explore ensemble group dynamics
. Per{orm a scene in which all the text is taken or festival themes using tableau or Boal's lmage
from a newspaper, Theatre techniques, For instance, early on in
. Perform a scene in which all the performers are ensemble work I might ask the students to:
tied together. a) Work in groups to create a frozen group
. Perform a scene in which each character only imageltableau that show their understanding
has a one-sentence vocabulary of the theme itsell Each group presents their
. Perform a scene on a stage that is three feet image in turn and the ensemble discusses
square, their understanding ofthe theme and the
These starting points can give inspiration for effectiveness of the image form used to
interesting locations or situations. Sometimes communicate it.
they create a world similar to our own but slightly b) Students stand in a space individually, The
twisted. The most successful scenes are often the teacher asks them to simultaneouslylndividually
ones where people have turned the restriction into create a solo imageÂableau that communicates
an inspiration. When the restriction in the scene's their personal response to the theme, The
world becomes a metaphor for a restriction in ensemble then sits together and in turn, each
the real world things get really interesting. Joachim student comes out into the pedormance area
Motschoss and presents their image. They hold the image
for 4-5 seconds then return to the ensemble
This is a great exercise to see where everyone without comment. This process is repeated in
is interms of the theme at the beginning of the turn until everyone has individually presented
festival. Each person has a post-it, they get 45 their images. The ensemble then discuss their
seconds to write
few words down about the
a responses together (not doing so during the
from the theme - something that they find most
interesting or relevant and to then share these signs
to music with the rest of the group. ln this way each
person has the opportunity to position themselves
as part of the wider dialogue and to share their
thinking with the group. Jess lhorpe
Mini installations
An activlty I like to do to get thinking about
and making a relation to a festival theme is to get
students to work individually to generate their
own rolling installations. Æk participants to work
individually to formulate a movement in response
to the theme or an aspect of it - this can be abstract
or representational, but it should have a clear
opening, development and ending, so they can loop
it. After this, ask the students to develop a sound
which is also a response to or representation of
the theme or aspect of it. Finally, they are asked to
generate a line of text, which is again a response to
the theme, Once they have their material, students
are asked to formulate the three elements into a
sequence which can be repeated or looped exactly
and repeatedly, Finally, they are asked to position
their installation in the space. Once they have tried
this out a few times, separate the group into two
and ask the flrst halfto stay in position and the
other halfto act as audience. I often introduce the
performers as living artworks in a collection which is
exploring the theme and tell the audience that they
are encouraged to move around the space and get
close to the "artworks" but not to touch them. The
point of the ocean we played the lovely old warm
up game in both ensembles and full group of
Captain's coming, There are many variations but
these are a few instructions - when you shout:
"Captain's coming" everyone has to salute, When
you shout: "Starfish", five people have to make
a starfish shape legs sticking out of a circle. "Man
overboard" means three people have to look like
one person swimming under water. "Captains ball"
means that two people have to dance together.
"Captain's table" means one person is the table on
all fours with the other two eating off it. And finally
shouting: "Shark" means everyone has to runs
around panicking, A good icebreaker which forces
different per'formers to work together. /cn Plke
Connect and create one picture
We created an image of the Hong Kong skyline
and harbour front on the count of I to | 0 and back
to l. The students had to be connected and create
one picture. This could include the buildings, the hills,
the water, the lights and then dissolve. This can be
adapted to anywhere, ofcourse. Then worked on
a long railing in the park wrapping ourselves around,
on, over and under, all connected and able to stay
safe. The body shapes were then taken away from
the railing and recreated in the space only. This
created beautiful decisions to be made and brought
again into the drama space and reworked using lights
and silhouettes et voilal The ISTA dragon, Anno Pon
An approach to devising
Devising or creating theatre can sometimes be
will finish the exercise directing their piece. Recipe:
l0 minutes individual planning time, l0 minutes
rehearsal time with your actors. ln your groups of
three, each director will have two actors to work
with. At the end of the exercise each group will have
three pieces to present, Everyone will have directed
one and will act in two other short pieces. lngredients
(must include): flve scenes, Each scene can last
from | -20 seconds. Each scene will be defined by a
blackout (to be called by the director: "Eyes open,
eyes shut", the audience to follow the director's cue),
There are to be no words used. Theatrical poetry to
be employed. Deliberate use of tempo for theatrical
effect. A broken expectation. Deliberate use ofspace
and architecture to stage your piece, A revelation
of space. Clear beginning, middle and ending. You
must take the audience on ajourney. Try to work
on your feet by testing ideas and see if they work,
instead of using your time to talk about your idea.
After rehearsing all works, present the pieces, After
performing regroup and go "offline", Æk everyone
to close their eyes and to share aloud the moments
or images that stayed with them from all the pieces.
Often the images or moments that are strongest,
for a variety of reasons, will stay "burnt" in the minds
of those who viewed the work. In response to
each piece, elicit a question from each person that
they wish to pass on to the director of that work.
Encourage participants to find a way to phrase advice
on improving the piece as a question. This is neutral,
less imposing of individual aesthetics and opinions and

different levels to create drama.
. Tableaux/still images. Thinking about the
transitions from one picture to the next.
. MovementÆance, Restricted to abstract
interpretations of the story
. Free st7le. The students must use a
combination of ALL the above methods in their
retelling of the story Sydney Smith
theme. They get 45 seconds to discuss it with their presentation of individual images allows for a
neighbouç and then they have to tell the rest ofthe nice flow from one student to another - and
group what their neighbour told them. ldeally the is a safe format for students to share their
post-its can be kept, photographed, stuck up in the responses who are reluctant/lacking confldence
room so that participants can see where they were to share verbally). lt is almost like a physical
at the beginning and see how far they've come. mood board. Steve Reynoids
Body work/imagination
Jomes Copp
"Rock, paper, scissor" adaptation This is an activity using body work in relation
artworks themselves have to loop their sequence
continuously, so everyone has a chance to see
them. Once everyone has had a good look round,
there is an option to discuss what is emerging from
the installations - which aspects of the theme are
engaging, as well as discussions as to the nature of
performing/spectating in these circumstances, Once
this is done, swap round and repeat the activify, so
a tricky beast to navigate. Drawing from director
Anne Bogart's approach to devising theatre, and
from various sources on dramaturgical practice l'd
like to share a few short activities I often use to kick
offthis creative process and to start developing
"sparks" that will fuel the journey,
Exercise one - stream of conscious wdting, Find
a comfortable place to sit with pen and paper, close
provides the author of the work the opportunity to
decide what may be useful to answer. Asking the right
question may provide the key to help the creator
find the key to unlock the piece and to assist its
development into the nexi stage. Before going further
we discussed the process of the first composition
task and articulated some points to assist the process.
ShaneJones

l6 lssue2l70l4-l5January | Scene www.ista.co.uk Scene I lssue2 | 2014-l5January 17