It’s been a while, but I’m back with part 3 of my series of articles on great theatre games. For this one, we’re focusing on teamwork and quick thinking skills. Drum roll…because it’s time to talk about… Location Creation!

Location Creation

This one could probably use a better name, but let’s go with it. I’ve heard it called the Martha Game, but honestly that name is worse than Location Creation. Who the heck is Martha? (If you know where the name comes from, let me know.)

How it works:

The entire group stands outside the acting area, ready to enter and be part of the game. The instructor gives them a location. Start with common locations, like a forest or a barnyard or a busy city street. Each student enters the scene one at a time and announces what part of the location they are creating. Then they adjust their body to approximate what they have announced. Speed is a necessity for this. The students shouldn’t spend time thinking about it – they need to just move into the scene and become something that fits with the location. By the end, your students will have created a complete scene using just their bodies. It is recommended that you only allow one ‘person’ to be in the scene – make them be objects as that will stretch those creativity muscles. Also, don’t allow multiple students to enter the scene at the same time – everyone needs to hear what the previous person chose to be because the most fun part of this is building off what the previous person did.

Example:

Let’s say the instructor gives the students the location of a beach. The first student runs into the space, saying I am the waves hitting the beach, and then approximates waves coming in and moving out from the shore. The second student says, I am a beach towel and lays flat on the ground. The third student says, I am a person sitting on the beach towel. A fourth student says, I am a person walking on the beach. The instructor says, Nope! Only one person per scene. Fourth student thinks quickly and says, I am the sunscreen the person is slathering over their arms. The fifth student says, I am a bird circling overhead. And so on. Each student continues to act out what they are until the final student enters the scene and completes the game.

The Why:

1. It forces the students to think quickly, an important skill for actors of live theatre, as one never knows what happen on stage.
2. It builds teamwork, particularly if you emphasize the idea of building on what the previous person did.
3. It helps student focus on their bodies and how they can use them creatively to become an object that is not anything like themselves. Becoming a tree or ocean waves or the planet Saturn (all things my students have become at one time or another) is not easy and forces them to think outside of the box.

This game is a great way to get kids moving and working together quickly. I find it energizes them for the more difficult games. And you can get really creative with locations. I’ve done Outer Space, on the set of a TV show, and Inside your Body. I think Inside Your Body was actually the idea of one of the students. They came up with great stuff for that one – blood cells, the pancreas, digested food, etc.

Next up: What Are You Doing?