Game: Tag Out Story

Number of players: 5 Tags: Performance, exercise, narrative

When: This is a game we do in performances, and it’s a good warm-up exercise

Overview: Five players line up one behind the other. Whoever is in front always tells the story. The person just behind will, at some point, tap the player in front. Immediately, the player in front stops telling the story (mid sentence, mid word if possible) and peels out of line, going to the back. All the other players take a step forward so that the person who tapped now becomes the in-front story teller, and they finish whatever the previous teller had started (finish the sentence or even the word where the previous story-teller was cut off). They continue until the person behind them taps them on the shoulder, repeating the cycle.

Introduction: "This group is going to tell us a story. The person in front will always be telling the story until they are tapped out by the person behind. Now, I need the name of a story that has never been told.”

Details: This is a narrative exercise where each story teller has to pick up the thread of the story told by the person before. The major technical challenge is to seamlessly pick up the story where the previous person left off, finishing whatever they started without repeating the last word or syllable that was cut off.

The minor technical challenge is to remember to step forward whenever the front story-teller is tapped out. This keeps the line circling in place.

However, there is an overall pacing to this exercise that makes it work in a performance. The first round through the players should each tell one or two lines of the story before they are tapped out. The second round through, the taps should come every half of a sentence of so. The next round should be after only a couple of words, and from the fourth round on, this should be like a one word story. The person in front should be tapped out immediately after they start. This requires that the person who is tapped out run to the back of the line, as the entire line should be cycling through in a fast round. The energy is high, the words need to be distinct, and the story should be built like any one word story exercise.

The director will call a curtain when the story hits some sort of ending line (button).

Game: Panel of Experts

Number of players: 4 Tags: Performance, exercise, character

When: This is a game we do in performances, and it is a moderately hard exercise

Overview: Three players are experts in a field chosen by the audience. The fourth player is the moderator of the panel and the host of the show where this panel is presented.

Introduction: "We are going to see a panel of experts. What is their topic of expertise."

Details: This is a character exercise. When the topic is selected, the three players who are the experts must select a character that fits the topic. It does not matter whether the player has any personal experience in the selected topic, their character is the expert, and whatever they say is the opinion of an expert in the field.

The moderator must define the show that’s hosting this panel, as well as the format. For instance, it could be a radio show that has a different topic week to week. Or it could be a TV show that regularly deals with this topic, etc. The player will be the host for that show.

The moderator introduces themselves and the show, and then allows each expert to introduce themselves. Each expert tells their name, and how they are an expert in the field. After the introductions, the moderator can ask a couple of questions to the panel, either about the topic or about something that came up in the introductions. After one or two questions from the moderator, the audience is then prompted to ask questions to the expert panel, either to the whole group or directed to a particular expert.

It’s important to play this recognizing that experts in any field would know other experts in the field. So all of these experts probably have some history, including professional disagreements, rivalries, romances, and personal grudges. Play that in the introductions and when responding to questions.

Variation: The moderator introduces the first expert, endowing that player with a name and a title. The player then fills out the rest of the introduction, saying a couple things about their history. The moderator goes on to introduce each of the other experts who also expand upon their histories.

Game: Counting Words

Number of players: 3 Tags: Performance, exercise

When: This is a game we do in performances, and it is an easy exercise

Overview: Each player in the scene is given their own number between 1 and 7 as assigned by the audience. This is the number of words that player must use each time they speak during the game.

Introduction: "For this scene, I’d like a number between 1 and 7 for Player A."

“Now a different number between 1 and 7 for Player B.”

“Another one for Player C”

“During this scene, each time a player speaks, they can only use that number of words. No more, and no less!”

Details: When selecting words for each player, try to get one with a small count (1 to 2), a medium count (3 to 5), and a large count (6 to 7).

A player should not do a set of words and then do another set of words without at least one other player speaking between the sets.

It’s important that a player should be allowed to get all their words out. Don’t cut off a player with 7 words after they’ve only spoken 4. They must speak all 7 before someone else says a line.

It’s helpful if players finish each other’s sentences, especially for those who have a small number of words.