games and lessons
TALK TO THE HAND “Raise your hand and give that character a voice. The “two” of you are going to have a little fun.” I was directing an improvised show many years ago and there was only one person who hadn’t been on stage. I called her up and saw Read more
TREAT THEM LIKE CATS THE UNTEACHABLE STUDENTAs a teacher, I’ve always been interested in the “UNTEACHABLE” student. In schools where the staff say a child is impossible, or a boss in a corporate workshop says the employee is difficult, I want to meet those students. Cats are considered by many Read more
KEITH’S COMIC PANELS A practice with endings Keith Johnstone has a great little exercise for practising the art of ending scenes. He would hand out stacks of “comic panels” in workshops. Each panel contained 3 or 4 drawings, creating tiny completed stories from Charles Schultz’s, Peanuts or Berkeley Breathed’s, Bloom Read more
END AGAIN An Exercise to Practice Possibilities Ending your story CAN be easy. The first thing you have to do is stop trying to make it great. Pressure to make a great ending will stop you from seeing obvious endings. It will make you hesitant so that even if you Read more
Treat them like GORILLAS! One exceptional difference between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom is how much we hide and mask of ourselves compared to these other earthlings. By 9 months, we have already learned to ‘present’ our emotions in a way to manipulate others. By Adulthood, we’ve Read more
BEEP BEEP BEEP Why is it that some people seem to look into our souls while others feel like they are on another planet even though their eyes appear to be looking at ours? The idea of presence is a foggy thing. We’ve all had the experience where we talk Read more
IT’S ALL GIBBERISH TO ME “A different language is a different vision of life.” – Federico Fellini GIBBERISH – also known as Gromolo in parts of Europe, is hated by some, feared by others. It’s loved by those who do it well and it’s done poorly by many. GIBBERISH is Read more
Treat Them Like… How is a STUDENT like a MONKEY?How is a BUSINESSMAN like a DANCER? How can the inspiration to teach an IMPROVISER come from DOLPHINS? If you can imagine the answers to these questions, you will be a better teacher. TREAT THEM LIKE… is a new section in Read more
CHRISTMAS BALLS! Here’s a character exercise for moving like an old person. I’ve heard this nugget of character development repeated countless times from Dennis Cahill of the Loose Moose theatre. He learned it from Keith Johnstone and it’s easy to understand why it sticks in the memory. Many people play Read more
EVERYTHING IN ONE MOMENT “The Dragon flew with fierce intent towards the castle on Mount Lyre” You read that line and you’re pretty certain of what kind of story you are getting into. You have a fairly clear image in your head. You see the clouds in the sky. You Read more