Creative Drama
What is creative drama?
• An improvisational, process-centered form of
theatre in which participants are guided by a
leader to imagine, enact, and reflect on
human experiences.
• Improvisational – non-scripted and
spontaneous
Formal Drama
• Theatre that focuses on a performance in
front of an audience as the important final
product.
Discuss
• How are creative drama and formal drama
different?
• How are the two similar?
• Why is creative drama an important form of
theatre?
Replaying
• Two step process
– Evaluate the creative drama activity focusing on
items that were very good and ideas that could
make the activity more effective or believable.
– Act out the activity a second time using the
changes that were discussed.
DISCUSS
• What is the purpose of replaying?
• In what ways can replaying be useful?
• If a group chooses NOT to replay a scene,
what could be the possible affects of this
choice?
Side-coaching
• A method by which the leader talks you
through an activity by making suggestions or
giving ideas.
• Helps to provide an internal monologue
• Helps incorporated important actions or
meaningful concepts that might be missed.
DISCUSS
• In what ways can side-coaching be useful?
• What qualities should a good leader have if
they are expected to side-coach?
ACTIVITY #1
Reflections
• Partner activity
• Partners face each other. One partner reflects
(mirrors) the motions and facial expressions
on the other.
• Use slow motions and your peripheral vision
to follow movements. Keep motions smooth.
• The goal is to move in unison– NOT to trick
your partner
Activity #1
Follow Up
• In what ways was this activity difficult?
• How did it feel when you were able to be
EXACTLY together with your partner?
• How did it feel when you noticed your
movements were NOT together?
• Can you imagine a story that explains why two
people are mirroring each other? In what
ways could this activity be used in
performance?
Activity #2:
Dr. Smart
• Teams of 4 or 5
• One team stands in line in front of the class. This team forms ONE
PERSON called Dr. Smart, who can answer any question.
• Each team member helps answer the question– ONE WORD AT A
TIME. When the answer is complete the last person says, “Period.”
• The goal is for the team to speak as ONE PERSON.
– Team members must listen carefully to the words said before their
turn to speak.
– Team members must think carefully about where the answer is going.
It is like predicting what the group will answer about a question.
– Team members must insert their word quickly, without stalling.
Activity #2
Follow Up
• In what ways was this activity difficult?
• How did it feel when you were able to give a
good, smooth answer?
• How did it feel when you noticed you were
NOT together with your team?
• In what ways could this activity be used in
performance?
Activity #3
It’s a What?
• Sit in a circle as a class.
• An object will be passed around the circle (ex.
Ball). Students pass object around the circle. Each
student pantomimes using the object in an
environment named by the teacher.
• Students must use their imagination to turn the
object into something DIFFERENT when it’s their
turn. The goal is to be creative and find new ways
to imagine a single object.
• Class guesses what the object is based on the
student’s movements.
Activity #3
Follow Up
• In what ways was this activity difficult?
• Why is it important to be able to imagine new
ways to use something?
• In what ways could this activity be used in
performance/theatre?
Activity #4
What are you doing?
• Stand in a circle as a class
• One student begins pantomiming an activity.
The next student asks “What are you doing?”
While still performing the activity, the 1st
student tells the 2nd student a different
activity. The 2nd student begins doing this
activity.
• Go around the circle in this manner WITHOUT
repeating an activity.
Activity #4
Follow Up
• In what ways was this activity difficult?
• Why is it important to be able to imagine new
possibilities quickly?
• In what ways could this activity be used in
performance/theatre?
Activity #5
Story Bag
• Table activity
• Teacher gives each table a bag of various items.
One student draws an item from the bag and
begins a story using that item. Student holds on
to that item and passes the bag to the next
person. Next person draws an item and
CONTINUES the story and involves the NEW item.
Story and bag go around the circle until all
students have played. Last person finishes the
story.
Activity #5
Follow Up
• In what ways was this activity difficult?
• Why is it important to be able to imagine
possibilities and create a background for the
new possibilities?
• In what ways could this activity be used in
performance/theatre?
Activity #6
Dictionary Mania
• Groups of 4 or 5
• Each group opens a dictionary to a random page.
The group chooses 5 words ON THE SAME PAGE
to create a improvised scene.
• DO NOT WRITE A SCRIPT. Team has 7 minutes to
plan a scene with a beginning, middle and end
that uses the 5 words.
• The class will guess which 5 words the team used.
– Do NOT stress the words in the scene. Make them fit
naturally in the dialogue so that it is more challenging
for the audience to guess.
Activity #6
Follow Up
• In what ways was this activity difficult?
• How can improvisation be useful?
Activity #7
Situation, Problem, Solution
• Large groups (about 9)
• Each group divides into 3 smaller units:
Situation, Problem and Solution. 1st team, SIT,
improvises a situation or challenge. 2nd team,
PROB, improvises a problem for the situation.
3rd team, SOL, improvises a solution to the
problem.
• Goal is to make the scene believable and
smooth.
Activity #7
Follow Up
• In what ways was this activity difficult?
• Why is it important to be able to think of
options quickly?
• How did you focus change when you were not
in control on the ENTIRE scene—just your
part?
– What strategies did you use to make your part fit
with the others?
Narrative Pantomime
• A creative drama activity in which a leader
reads a piece of literature while the ENTIRE
class plays the action in unison without words.
• In unison- at the same time
Freedom to Interpret
• Interpret- act out a meaning of a selection and
understand it in a unique way
• Narrative pantomime allows students to “get
inside” the story and make discoveries about
the character’s feelings.
• No right or wrong way to interpret a selection
as long as you are trying understand it.
Literary Merit
• That quality of a story that gives readers a
deeper understanding about the human
condition and human spirit just through
experiencing the story.
• Usually, the story’s protagonist must face and
triumph over internal and external obstacles.
• Protagonist- major character in a story
Developing your own
Narrative Pantomime
• Action is key. Must allow for continuous
movement from beginning to end.
• Written in the order in which you want the action
to happen (don’t skip around because it’s
confusing to the listener).
• Use good description words to make the
listener’s imagination come up with creative
movements.
• Have an introduction, problem (a story without
conflict is BORING) and solution.
Characters in
Narrative Pantomime
• Give character internal characteristics
– Inner, personal qualities, invisible to the human
eye
• Give characters external characteristics
– Qualities relating to a character’s outwardly visible
traits
Activity #1
Narrative Pantomime
Using a POEM
• Small group activity
• Select a favorite poem.
• Plan and act out a story using narrative
pantomime. One leader from the group
should read the poem expressively (with
appropriate emotion).
– Be sure that reading matches the movements. Do
not go too fast.
Activity #2
Narrative Pantomime
Using a FABLE
• Small group activity
• Select a favorite fable (story with a lesson).
• Plan and act out the story using narrative
pantomime. One leader from the group
should read the fable expressively (with
appropriate emotion).
– Be sure that reading matches the movements. Do
not go too fast.
Activity #3
Replaying a Children’s Story
• Small group activity
• One person in the group chooses a children’s
story to tell their group. The group acts out
the story as it is being told.
• Discuss changes that could be made and
replay the story again with a new storyteller.
Story Dramatization
• A playing/acting process to interpret and
share a story by using improvisation rather
than scripts
Choosing Stories for
Dramatization
• Story should be
– Interesting
– Challenging (but not so difficult that you lose interest
in playing it for others)
– Literary Merit
– Dialogue should be simple, yet interesting to act out
• Easy to remember or paraphrase ( put in your own words)
• Avoid stories with too much description. You cannot act out
a description (like a place or person’s appearance)
– Well-developed plot
Using a Narrator
• A storyteller
• Used to introduce the story and provide
transitions from scene to scene
– Describes what it is happening while the actors
pantomime the action
• Needs to be very familiar with the story and
should be capable of improvising dialogue
Success with Story Dramatization
• Evaluate the action that has been played
• ACTION is the focus of creative drama and the
goal is to be clear and believable
• When evaluating, comment on the characters
being portrayed NOT the actor playing the
part.
Evaluating Creative Drama
• What was the best moment in the play?
• What is the most important moment in the
play?
– Are there other important moments that lead up
to the big one?
• What changes could be made to make the
story and characters more believable?
ACTIVITY#1
Planning Story Dramatization:
Research
• Small group activity
• Research and select a suitable story to
dramatize in class.
• Take turns rereading the story until the story
line and dialogue are familiar to everyone in
the group (3-4 times)
Planning Story Dramatization:
Acting Plan
• Plan characters, scenes and events to act out
– How should the space be arranged for playing?
– How will the scene begin?
– What does each character for the story want to
do?
– In what order do the characters enter?
– How will each character sound and move?
– What events will be played out? What order?
– How will we end the story?
Planning Story Dramatization:
Play and Evaluation
• Play the story
– Do NOT use a script, improvise using your
familiarity with the story and the plan that you
have created.
• Evaluate the playing using the guidelines from
the lesson.
Replaying the Story
• Replay your group’s story with the changes
you discussed earlier
• Did the changes enhance the story? The
characters?
ACTIVITY #2
A Twist Ending
• Create a new ending for a familiar children’s
story.
• Play out the scene with your group.
• Discus the process (to enhance the story and
characters) and replay the ending again.
Activity #3:
Sequencing
• Small group activity
• Class selects a familiar children’s story.
• Each group is assigned a part of the story to
act out.
• Watch all the performances at random.
• Put the performances in order chronologically
and replay the performances.