Mark Twain said, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life”.
It may not be the regular 9 to 5, but make no mistake, acting is a job! In the same manner, an athlete practices non-stop to stay ready, so too actors spend much of their time in classes and with coaches to keep their acting skills sharp. One major technique that coaches and teachers use is acting games.
Through games, students learn skills to improve their performance while still having fun. Acting games can be used at any stage and age. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been acting for many years, whether you’re an adult or a child, you can use these games to hone your abilities.
For building ensembles….
1. One-Word Story
2. Walking Blind
3. Send Back
4. Imaginary Basketball
For trust building…
1. Fall Back
2. Lift Up
3. Blind Jog
To improve observation, movement and focus…
1. Copy Cat
2. Clay Game
3. Walking on the Moon
4. Mirror
5. Me to you
6. Word association with clicks
To improve creativity and improvisation…
1. On the Spot
2. Gibberish Story
3. Statues
4. Car Ride
5. Store Owner
6. Freeze Circle
7. Space Jump
There are a host of other games that are available. Games can be used to introduce a team, to get a practice started, or to test the actor’s skills at listening, emotional response, vocal presentation, and so much more. The key to playing these games is to get the blood pumping and creative juices flowing. There are even games that can be used for line memorization. It doesn’t matter which games you use, just as long as your objectives are achieved.
At The Playground, we have students at all ages, so in order to bring out the best in them and prepare them for the roles they want, our teachers use many exercises to engage them at any level.
