The Tempest Workshop
Time
Activity
00 - 05
Introduction and Learning Contract
Required
Resources


05 - 10
Warm Up
Body Parts
1. Create a large circle, and in that circle form pairs
2. The leader names two body parts and the participants have to make these body
parts touch. I.e. If the leader says “finger to finger”, the participants have to touch
fingers. Repeat increasing the speed.
3. Eventually the leader shouts “swap partners”, at this point all participants, must run
into the circle raise their hands and shout “I need a partner”, then grab the hand of
a new person and return to the circle as soon as possible. The game continues.
4. Development: Add the superglue rule - whenever two body parts meet, they are
glued together.
10
(5)
–
25
Introduction to Character Work
Introduction to characters
1. Divide into pairs and select A and B
2. Explain that A is clay, and B must mould them into the shape of characters from
the play: Trinculo, Caliban, Stephano
Stephano/Trinculo/Caliban (Giant/Wizards/Elves Game)
1. Divide the class into two groups. Explain that we are going to have a battle of
power between Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban, and that we need an action for all
Pens and Large
Piece of Paper
The drum
Led by
(10)
25 – 45
three. Develop an action for all three and a sound. Practice. Explain that in this
power struggle there is a hierarchy (a bit like rock/scissor/paper/) Stephano beats
Trinculo, Trinculo beats Caliban, and because Caliban has the power of the
knowledge of the island, Caliban beats Stephano. Do a couple of test runs.
2. Designate a home area (a safe area which they can return to, if they lose) for each
group, and a “battle area” (A place where the groups can face each other).
3. Now explain each group must secretly select a character. Then they must face
each other and after a count of three, perform their characters as opposing groups.
Which ever group has selected the character that is strongest chases the other
group into their home area. Any participants caught, join the other team. And so
on, until one team has all the participants.
Plot Work
Telling the Story

Whoosh See script. A quick, physical, participatory telling of the story using
text and action to establish consensual understanding and invite participants to
play. Teacher uses a magic staff to direct the action, and tells the story of the
play in action. Players sit round a story telling circle and are asked to jump in
and create the pictures: characters/ places and things for the story. When the
circle gets too crowded, with a quick whoosh of the staff they are sent back to
their place.

Whose point of view? Groups of four players sit in a close circle, and name
themselves A, B, C, D. A is asked to start telling the story in the past tense, as
if looking back over the events of the story. The rest of the group must listen
closely and ask questions which will clarify and prompt the story that is being
told. After a short while, the teacher calls a stop and asks B to take over the
story etc. Each person tells the story from a character viewpoint. Prospero
talking to the court / Miranda to her children / Ariel talking to spirits / Caliban to
the animals on the island.

The
Script
Whoosh
45 – 1hr 10
Character Work

Role on The Wall:

1. Spread about the room, the full sized drawn outlines of: Prospero, Caliban,
Trinculo, Stephano, Ariel, Ferdinand and Miranda, with the coloured pens.
2. Divide the class up into groups of 6, and match each group with a
character. Explain that inside the outline of the character they should write
down any facts about the character, or the way that the character views
themselves (could also bring in major themes there). Outside the outline,
they should write down the way the character is viewed by others in the
play.
3. Explain that this will be done on a rotation system. Each group will have 45
seconds on each character, then have to swap to the next (maybe we
could play some speedy music…)
(10)

Drawn outlines of
characters
Multiple coloured
pens
Random props for
portraits (?)
The Portrait Gallery:

(15)
1 hr 10 mins –
1 hr 35 mins
Explain that in their groups they are going to make portraits of the characters
based on the information on their role on the wall.
 As in the earlier exercise, they are to sculpt members of their group into statues of
characters, using the information on the sheet. Alternatively, the class could
create tableaus of characters from the island in certain situations. They could
either use a moment from the play, or a moment that shows us about their
character that is not in the play.
 Each group must select one person to be the curator of their gallery to explain their
choices and what this tells us about the characters (teachers could take pictures of
these moments, and use in further character work).
 The class will tour the gallery, ensuring that they don’t touch the portraits, and
comment on the characters and their portraits.
Language Work
Whose Line Is It Any Way?

Lines from set
scene/rest of the
play for the leader
(10)


Place either students or performers around the room (with symbolic costume).
The leader stands in the middle (with list of phrases from the play). Each time the
leader reads out a phrase, the group have to run to the person that they think
says the phrase in the play. Then either the leader or the person, says the
phrase (this could also be put into context of why they say it and what it tells us
about the character/themes/use of language etc)
Soundscape Prospero’s Island.

(15)




2 hrs 20 mins
Discuss the kinds of sounds we would find on an island. Players each say one
sound they might hear. They then turn this into sound with eyes closed.
Players now read text descriptions of the island and discuss the kind of sounds
this suggests to us.
Players divide into three groups. Each group creates a different kind of island for
Prospero to arrive onto; one a welcoming island and one a hostile island.
To perform think of where to place your audience – do they have their eyes shut,
are they lead into the room, are they in a group or spread out individually, standing
or sitting?
Replay the soundscapes.
Workshop Finish

Round up ideas and themes discussed


Misc musical
instruments
Text sections for
soundscapes for
the participants