THEATRE GAMES AND EXERCISES

Ice-breakers

Hitman/Zombie
The den identifies one person and walks towards them. Before they are tagged the
targeted person has to call out someone else’s name to escape. The person whose
name is called becomes the den. If you are tagged before you can call out a name, you
are out.

Invader
Everyone except the den/invader takes a chair/block in the space. There is one empty
chair at one end of the room. The invader must walk slowly from the other end of the
room to occupy the empty chair. The rest of the room must prevent the den from
taking that chair by occupying it themselves and then subsequently do the same for
every chair that is vacated. When the den is able to occupy a chair, the person who
vacated that specific chair becomes his/her replacement.

Assassin Bodyguard
Everyone chooses two people in the circle silently. One is their assassin, the other
their bodyguard. When the leader says “Go”, all participants must try and keep their
bodyguard between themselves and their assassin at all times. Physical grabbing and
manhandling should be discouraged.

Group Focus
 
You
Stand in a circle. Actors make eye contact, point, and call out “You” at someone else
in the circle. Progressively we remove the pointing, then the voice, then the word,
then the neck movement, till finally it is being passed only through eye-contact
 
Point, nod, and walk
Actors point to someone else in the circle. If that person nods, the actor who pointed
walks over and stands beside them. If they don’t react the actor must point to someone
else till someone nods.
Note: Actors must be told not to be childish in using the ‘nod’. The game is about
establishing contact in a group, not showing your resolve. If you feel the impulse to
‘nod’ don’t resist it.
 
Greetings and Apologies / ‘I don't believe you’
In two parts: first the actors walk around the room and greet each other. One actor
says “It’s very nice to meet you.” If the other actor believes the first actor is being
genuine they respond with “Thank you”, otherwise they don’t respond. Play the
exercise till everyone has both greeted and responded to each other.
Now repeat the whole exercise with the actors apologizing (“I’m sorry”) and the other
actor either saying “It’s alright” (if they feel the apology is sincere) or not responding.
Variation: A partner variation of this exercise is to have the actors pick up a few
random lines from their texts and to say it to each other, with the other responding
with “I don’t believe you” if they don’t feel the line has been said insincerely. Watch
the exercise carefully because sometimes an insincere or masked statement is more
interesting than a truthful one.
Note: Again, tell the actors it’s important to play the exercise towards its effect and
not to refuse to respond all the time just to be difficult.
 
Cross the line 
Prepare a bunch of pre-existing statements (don’t make them up on the spot!).
Examples:
I consider myself a happy person.
I think I am too fat.
I am in love.
I have wanted to run away from home at some point.
Etc …
Actors are placed on one side of a line. If someone agrees or identifies with the
statement they must cross the line.
Note: Begin with more trivial statements and move towards some that are more
private and intimate. Encourage the actors to be honest.
 
Invisible balls
Form a circle and get actors to pass around an invisible ball. When someone passes a
ball, he must call out the name of the person he is passing to and declare the nature of
the ball, for eg: “Kriti – Basketball”. When the person receives the ball they say:
“Basketball, thank you.” All the players must act as if the ball is real, paying close
attention to weight, size, temperature, texture etc. The ball can be changed every now
and then by the players but only after it has been passes around a bit. Get them to be
creative and pick glass balls, snowballs, cactus balls etc.
Note: Be strict about what is said in the act of the passing. Actors will be lazy or
forgetful about that and it is part of their focus to remember the ritual. Also point out
when an actor is not being true to the nature of the ball as defined.
 
Zip Zap Boing.
In a circle, pass around a packet of energy. Call out “Zip!”  if you are passing it to the
people adjacent to you and “Zap” if it is to anyone else in the circle. If you wish to
pass it back to someone who has Zipped it to you, you must send it back with a
“Boing!”, using your whole body. If it is a large group plays a few trial rounds and
then begin to eliminate the people who make mistakes.
Note: Keep the energy up. The exercise is redundant if played without pace.
 
Counting
Get the group to sit in a circle with their eyes closed and count from 1 to 30, with one
person saying one number at a time. The moment two people say a number at the
same time begin from 1 again. If they reach 30, tell them to keep going till 50 and
further.
Note: Remind the actors that the objective is not to race to the target but to listen to
each other and be patient. It requires extreme focus and patience.
 
Bodies in Space / Partner Focus  / Trust
 
Sitting, Standing, Lying Down
Most effective in groups of three. The three actors must at all times occupy one of the
following positions: sitting, standing or lying down, creating a single still ‘image’.
They must move silently from tableaux to tableaux, holding each ‘image’ for at least
15-20 seconds, roughly. Actors must keep each other in their peripheral vision so as to
be sensitive to the impulse that will change the image.
Note: 1) Actors must be told that they should each take the same time to shift from
one position to the other. 2) Actors should be instructed not to assume deliberate or
pre-decided dramatic or narrative poses. There should be no compulsion for them to
tell a story.
 
One breath One move
Ask the actors to sit in a neutral position and to focus carefully on their breathing,
separating the inhalation and exhalation. Explain that they are only allowed to make
single moves involving only one body part and that that movement must last the exact
duration of either an inhalation or an exhalation. They are not allowed to move on
successive breaths and each move must be separate from the next by a breath.
Begin by allowing the actors only to move specific body parts – one at a time. Begin
to use these physical restrictions to create manipulations. For example: if two actors
can only move their necks, get a third to move their limbs. You can build from here to
include emotional and psychological motivations. Eg: Actor A wants to exchange
seats with Actor B. Actor C is dying to lie down on the floor. Actor D is in love with
Actor E and wants to be near him … etc. Try and make it physically difficult and
frustrating for the actors to fulfill their motivations.
 
Colombian Hypnosis
One actor leads another around the rehearsal space by getting them to maintain a
continuous standard distance with one of their body parts (for eg. their palm). Ask the
leaders to use height and pace, movement and stillness but not to use any jerky
movements. Get them to begin slow and then to challenge their partner without
making it impossible for them to follow.
Note: Actors must be told to take care of their partners in the space by being aware of
walls and obstructions, including other playing actors.
Remind the actors to be aware of the limitations of their partner, physically.
Variation: This exercise can also be done in threes, with one person leading the other
two using two separate boy parts (eg. palm and knee).
 
Musical eye-contact
In pairs, get the actors to establish eye-contact and then move around the space
without ever breaking the eye-contact. Get them to use distance, to challenge each
other (as in the previous exercise) and to be playful. Using music often gives them a
dramatic score to work with.
 
Mirror
The actors stand opposite each other, establish eye-contact and carefully mirror each
other’s movements, as if one is the reflection of the other. Get them to work very
slowly and precisely, without one specific person leading the exercise. Tell them that
ideally one should not be able to tell who is leading and following. They must never
break the eye-contact.
Note: Be careful that this exercise does not get reduced to silliness with the actors
using the opportunity to lead each other into ‘funny’ positions.
 
Sculptor
One actor is the sculptor and the other is the clay. The sculptor carefully moulds his or
her partner into different shapes while being sensitive to their body – its proportions
and limitations. The clay must be open to their partner’s touch and impulse without
being completely limp or leading the movements themselves. The sculptors must
return their partners to a neutral position as they found them. Get them to do the
exercise for 7-10 minutes and then switch roles.
Note: Remind the actors to be aware of the limitations of their partner, physically, and
to be aware of their whole body at all times, particularly when lifting their partner or
moving them down to the floor.
 
Contact Impulse*
Get the actors to work with giving each other impulses through touch and getting their
bodies to react to the impulse – first normally and then in an exaggerated manner.
Once this has developed the actors could simply suggest the impulse without touching
but continuing with the same sequence of reactions.

Look-Touch-Dance
Two partners stand opposite each other making eye contact for ten seconds. In that
time they mist decide whether they will commit to any, all or a combination of the
following actions with their partner – look, touch dance. Then the wordless interaction
begins. Both people may have made different choices which will influence the
interaction. Try a variation where the participants are allowed to change their mind
during the interaction and add/subtract actions
 
Blind man*
Make pairs. One actor is ‘blind’ (eyes closed) and the other actor leads them carefully
through the space by placing their flat palm below their blind partners flat palm.
There should only be surface contact between palms and the leader must not hold or
grab their blind partners hand at any time. Leaders must be extremely careful
particularly when close to edges and walls and be aware of their partner at all times.
Once the trust has built up they can gradually increase pace or work with levels and
obstacles. Leaders must find their own way to communicate a change in level (such as
a step), obstacles, the difference between short and long steps etc. without verbally
instructing them.
Note: Be very careful in supervising this exercise. Actors who are unfamiliar to it can
be both terrified (when they are blind) but also callous (when they are leading).
 
Trust falls
Get an actor to plank his or her body (stand straight without bending at the waist or
knees) and free fall either backwards or to the side. The remaining actors must
support them by catching their fall. In a group of three the actor can fall forward and
backward with support on in front and behind him. In a circle the other actors stand
around and the actor can fall in any direction.
Note: Falling actors must be gently urged to keep their body straight and not bend or
mover their feet at the time of falling. This makes it difficult to catch them.
Actors are nervous and several actors have great difficulty with letting themselves go
during this exercise. Encourage them to push themselves without being pushy or
insensitive to their fear. If they are unable to commit to the falling move to someone
else and ask them to have a go later, or gradually build their confidence over a few
sessions.
Supporting actors must always be conscious of their own strength and the weight of
the actor. Find the best way to support them (the hands are not always the best way)
and take help if you cannot manage their weight. Get the actors to support each other.
 
Snakes and Tunnels
In a group of six or more: Get all but one of the actors to form a human ‘jungle gym’
by holding each others limbs, bending and joining their bodies together. They must
form a structure that has openings and loops and tunnels that the remaining actor must
crawl like a snake through every single opening or tunnel. Actors forming the
structure should make sure their tunnels and openings are large enough for a human
body to fit through without making it easy for them. Everyone must have a go at
being the snake. This is an exercise that helps with physical inhibitions between
actors. In the words of the person we learnt it from: “By the end of it, everybody has
touched everyone everywhere.”
Note: Actors forming the structure must be careful not to get into positions that are
difficult to maintain or that cause stress to any parts of their bodies. The snake must
also be sensitive towards the others actors bodies. There must always be someone
monitoring.
 
Body Hide
In a largish group: the entire group use their bodies to hide one member from sight
completely. They are given a fixed amount of time – say two minutes – to do this and
then a judge looks at the structure to see if they can see any part of the hidden
member’s body or clothing without moving anyone in the structure. If they do then
the group must try again; if they succeed then they repeat the same exercise with one
person less in the structure. The exercise keeps going till the group are no longer able
to hide someone. 

Physical Exercises / Body work

 
Cleaning the bubble
Actors are instructed that they are inside a bubble  - the dimensions of which are the
determined by how far their hands will stretch on either side with their feet stuck to
the floor. The bubble is very dirty and they must clean it thoroughly with an
imaginary soap sponge and drying cloth in each hand. They cannot moved their feet
and have to stretch around to clean the parts of the bubble behind them. Once they are
done they must prick it and step out.
Note: Make sure the actors push themselves physically. If they are not exerting
themselves tell them they are not doing it right.
 
Pulled by a part of you*
Get the actor to stand straight and focus on his or her balance. Then tell them to
imagine they are being pulled by an invisible thread that is attached to their nose –
first very gently and then with increasing strength until they are no longer able to
stand in one place. Keep building the strength of the pull till the actor begins to really
struggle to resist it and stay in one place. After a while shift the direction of the pull to
other body parts – knees, shoulders, hands, feet, stomach, butt, forehead etc.
Eventually the actor should be able to imagine a shift in the body part that’s being
pulled themselves. Actors must really struggle against the strength of the pull and use
their body to both imagine that force and counter it. The exercise is working only
when actors are exerting themselves both physically and emotionally. Let it run till
you sense the actors are approaching exhaustion and then release them.
Note: Actors should be well-warmed up before attempting this exercise or the
stretching and exertion  may lead them to pull a muscle.
 
 
Opposing vectors*
This is similar to Pulled by a part of you, except that the actors are being pulled /
stretched from two sides in ‘opposing directions’. Start simply – using, for example,
the instruction of the actor being pulled up from his right wrist and pulled down from
his left foot (while lying on the floor) and then get them to explore more interesting
opposing vectors (chest and butt / ear and knee / stomach and back of their head etc.
The exercise is working only when actors are exerting themselves both physically and
emotionally. Let it run till you sense the actors are approaching exhaustion and then
release them.
Note: Actors should be well-warmed up before attempting this exercise or the
stretching and exertion  may lead them to pull a muscle.
 
Minimum surface contact*
Instruct the actors that at any time they can only have two points of contact with the
floor, without standing. They must also be in continuous motion to avoid getting into
positions that are comfortable for them. Point out to them that each body part is
considered a separate point of contact. So, for example, someone lying down on the
floor is making contact with their head, shoulders, back, buttocks, thighs, calves and
feet. These would all count as separate points.
The point of the exercise is for the actors to struggle to support themselves on two
points of contact, thereby exploring their body’s possibilities and limitations. The
exercise is working only when actors are exerting themselves both physically and
emotionally. Let it run till you sense the actors are approaching exhaustion and then
release them.
Second Stage: Actors can be instructed to physically support each other, while still
maintaining the two points of contact each – in pairs, threes or fours.
Note: Actors should be well-warmed up before attempting this exercise or the
stretching and exertion  may lead them to pull a muscle.
 
Butoh Walk*
The actor should stand absolutely straight in a neutral position, knees slightly bent,
looking ahead. They should be at one end of the room. Get them to imagine that the
area of their pelvis and hips is a large bowl of water filled to the brim. Instruct them to
walk very carefully from one side of the room to the other without spilling a drop of
water from the bowl. Actors should be told to be strict with themselves and find a way
to take very slow and measured steps. At the end of the exercise get them to evaluate
whether they think they spilt water or not.
 
Stealth*
One actor sits on a chair towards one of the ends of the room. A large bunch of
jangling keys is placed under his or her chair. This actor’s eyes are closed. The rest of
the group must try and steal the keys from under the chair without making a sound. If
the blind actor hears a sound she is asked to point definitely in the direction from
which she thinks she heard it. If she is right (that is, if there was an actor who
genuinely moved in that position) that actor walks back to the end of the room to try
again. If the blind actor hears the key move at any time she must call out “Key!”. If
she is right they key must be returned to the bottom of the chair.
There must be a director/judge who decided whether the blind actor had identified a
sound accurately.
The key is counted stolen only when it has been brought back to the other end of the
room.
Note: Actors are not allowed to fool the den by making diverting sounds.
If it is a large group, not more than three or four actors should proceed towards the
key at any given point.
The blind actor will be able to hear sounds not perceptible to the others because their
eyes are closed and their hearing is more focused. They should be given the benefit of
the doubt even if the actor does not think he or she made a sound when they were
moving.
 
Plague*
The group is divided into two. One half is sent outside the room. The other half walk
around the room and are informed that they are infected with the plague. They must
gradually play out a disintegration / collapse of their body parts till they fall down
dead. The second group are then called in and asked to move the bodies from one side
to another carefully.
 
Tension*
See page 15 of the Complicite workbook.
Do not do this exercise for the first time without supervision.
 
 
Sound and rhythm
 
Sound Machine*
Actors are asked to build a ‘sound machine’ one by one by adding a single sound and
gesture/action. The machine must seek to emulate the mechanics of a real machine
without having any evident purpose. Actors must be warned not to duplicate sounds
or actions and find a place within the existing movement structure and rhythm.
 
Chants
A set of chants for actors to use as a rousing group exercise.
* Ask the mentors to teach you the chants.
 
Jack and Jill / 1-2-3
Get the group to stand in a circle and begin to recite a simple line together (eg: ‘Jack
and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water’.) After reciting it a few times and
establishing a rhythm, ask members of the group to replace words with sounds and
actions that signify the word. The group must continue to recite the line replacing the
words with these sounds and actions, while still keeping time with each other and a
steady rhythm.
Variation/ 1-2-3: In pairs: the actors count 1-2-3 repeatedly, each saying one number
after the other actor. Then they replace them with sounds or claps and continue, trying
to keep the rhythm moving quickly.
 
 
Storytelling
 
Viewing Gallery*
The entire group sits in a line at one end of the room. Actors take turns to walk to the
other end from this side, turn and walk to the centre, and then walk back facing the
rest of the group. After all the actors are done, get them to sit and discuss the exercise.
 
Morphing tableaux
An actor takes a still dramatic position/pose in the space without seeking to explain it.
Another actor joins the image and completes it with their own pose, based on their
understanding of the first actor’s position. The first actor moves out and a third actor
comes in to join/complete the second actor’s position, creating an entirely new picture
… and so forth, till everyone has had a couple of turns.
Variation: this exercise can also be used as a status game – with actors being asked to
assume a position that is either lower or higher in status to the one in the space.
 
Follow the leader
The entire group follows the actions, speech and behavior of one leader. The leader
keeps changing. Everyone is encouraged to be creative and not self-conscious while
leading and to accurately copy (not caricature or exaggerate) their leaders when
following.
 
3 picture story
Actors are given a scene or a scenario and asked to prepare three still images
representing the story – the three most significant images they have imagine for the
story.
A possible second stage of this exercise is to get the actors to join the images through
scene work and improvisation.
 
Story walk
The actors walk around in the space. Someone on the outside narrates a story – with
plot twists and turns. The actors react to the story as it is narrated, as if they were the
protagonists, focusing on themselves and not what the others are doing. The
instructor/storyteller must push them both emotionally and physically over the course
of the story and eventually bring the narrative to a conclusion.
 
Rounders
An actor establishes a location and a scene. Another actor joins her and they play out
an interaction. When a third actor joins in the first actor must find a logical reason to
exit the scene within a minute of the third’s entry. The exercise continues with actors
coming in and leaving according to this logic. The locale must never change and the
scene must play continuously without being broken.
Note: Actors must be instructed not to use easy gimmicks within the scene or to exit –
such as getting a phone call or going to the toilet.
Certain stock characters should usually be avoided – drunkards, deranged people etc.
to challenge the actors to be creative with their character choices.
 
Out of the box
Actors are given an empty box and asked to pull out imaginary objects from it and
state what the object is as soon as they remove it. They keep going till they stumble
and cannot think of something.
 
Slow Motion Improvs
Actors walk around in the space. Suddenly the instructor calls out a situation and
claps. It could be a location but should have some dramatic qualification (for eg.
station just as a train is departing OR public swimming pool as a boy is drowning).
When the instructor claps, all the actors are required to react to the situation (as
characters) in slow motion. While it is a playful exercise, actors must be encouraged
to play out the ‘slow motion’ seriously.
 
Instant Setting
Actors walk around in the space. Suddenly the instructor calls out a setting (hospital
emergency ward/public toilet/family picnic etc.) claps and counts to ten. The actors
must instantly find a role and place in the setting while paying attention to what the
others are establishing. Actors must be asked to review their final image/scene and see
whether it works as a complete picture.

Bodies
Actors are asked to build a scene with their bodies as the focal point in the scene.
They must focus less on dialogue and story and more on image, movement and
energy. Urge them to think about the physical shapes of bodies, their placement and
choreography in space, and tension.