Theatre games can be used in the EFL classroom to practice skills like group cooperation, improvisation, awareness of others, and having a sense of humor. Some suggested theatre games include Zip Zap Zop where students pass a word around a circle, Anything Fabric where students imagine what a piece of fabric could be, and storytelling games where students take turns adding one word to a story. The document provides descriptions of sample warm-up games and theatre games that develop skills through movement, dialogue, and scene work.

1. Use theatre games in the EFL classroom as part of the
process of putting on a play, or just as a fun way to practice
the domain of Social Interaction. Theatre games are used to
develop group cooperation, sensitivity to what is happening around you
on stage, quick thinking on your feet, among other skills. All you need are
the following:
Rules:
1. Follow the rules: just like in a football or basket ball game, you need to
abide by the rules.
2. Suspension of disbelief: pretend, imaginary props, decisions of who ,
what and where we are become reality, conflict, cooperation and
awareness or sensitivity to your partner – give and take.
3. Ability to improvise.
4. Ability to be spontaneous.
5. Ability to be aware of yourself and your own associations.
6. A sense of humor.
7. A need to warm up – just like in any game of sports, we need to warm
up our bodies, and our imaginations with warm up activities, to allow
ourselves to be creative, spontaneous, cooperative and attentive.
8. Commands to be used in some games: Action / freeze / cut
9. Have fun!
You can find lots of ideas over the internet (including video clips). Some
of the games we are doing today are from my repertoire after years of
doing this. Others were gleaned from the website: More Theatre Games
and Exercises among others.
So – let’s begin!
1 An Adventure in Drama: Take One – ETAI 2010 Adele Raemer

2. Warm ups: In a circle
Zip, Zap, Zop
The group stands in a circle. The player who starts points across the circle to another
player, makes eye contact, and says, ‘Zip’. The receiving player points to another
person, makes eye contact, and says, ‘Zap’. The new receiving player points across
the circle and says, ‘Zop’. The game continues with the words passed in this order.
Players should try to pass the proper word smoothly. This can also be played as an
elimination game (i.e., if the receiver speaks incorrectly, he or she is out of the game).
Anything Fabric
Participants stand in a circle. The leader shows the fabric to the participants, saying
"What could this piece of fabric be? We’re going to pass it around the circle and each
of you will show us something that it could become." The leader demonstrates,
turning the fabric into something and stating what it is. The fabric is passed from
person to person, with each participant sharing an idea. If an idea is repeated, such
as "a hat", the leader asks the participant to be more specific (a turban, a bonnet),
thereby making the participant come up with their own idea. If the number of
participants is small enough, the fabric can travel around the circle twice. A variation
on this game is to limit the ideas to a category such as clothing, or things that are the
color of the fabric.
Story Telling
With the players in a circle, the facilitator calls out the title for a story. The players
in the circle tell that story, with each player saying one word at a time as the story
travels around the circle. Story title: How I got here this morning
Gibberish Story Telling
Proceed as above, only give no title to the story. A player begins and passes the story
as before, only it is spoken in gibberish – no real language is used. At the end,
everyone can write down what they think the story was about and compare their
ideas.
2 An Adventure in Drama: Take One – ETAI 2010 Adele Raemer

3. Copy-cat
Standing in a circle. One participant initiates a rhythmic sound and movement which
is mirrored by the rest. Then, the next student transforms the sound and movement
into a new combination, again mirrored by the whole group.
Moving through Space
Participants begin to walk around the room. They must see to it that there are no
areas that have more people in them than others.
• The facilitator calls out physical states – such as a shift in tempo, heaviness,
lightness, larger, smaller, tightness, jerkiness, bubbles, traveling through a
cloud, etc. – and the players respond with their bodies as they move around
the space, keeping in mind an even spread around the floor (stage) .
• Have participants do different actions while walking around:
o sweep floor
o drive a car
o count to 100 by 2’s
o write a letter
o clean the windows
o dust with a feather duster
In pairs
Mirror:
Follow the leader – move slowly – without speaking , decide who will lead – switch in
the middle – try not to let me see who is leading. The slower you move, the better.
Theatre Games
ABC improvisation
Two actors improvise a given situation, but each sentence must begin with the next
letter in the alphabet . A member of audience starts saying ABC silently – letter they
stop, actors begin.
Situation: 1.complaining about hotel service
2. Parent / teacher meeting
3 An Adventure in Drama: Take One – ETAI 2010 Adele Raemer

4. Dramatic Dialog (pairs- see dialog)
Give them the dialog
Read the dialog out
regularly
angrily
happily
shyly
very quickly
in slow motion
Third Person Enters the Room
Two players are asked to improvise a scene and are given a relationship, conflict,
location, and time of day. Meanwhile, a third player waits outside the room. She or he
has only been told who they are and what information or fact they will bring into the
scene. When the facilitator lets the third player in, the players in the middle of their
improvisation will have to adjust. Lead a discussion about how the third player
affected the scene.
Situation: It is 10:00 a.m. The location: a big fancy office. A is a secretary for a big
tycoon and has been given orders not to disturb him. B wants to apply for a job but
needs to catch a plane that leaves in an hour and is VERY insistent about getting in
to see him NOW. C is the long lost child of the tycoon and has come to find her father
and really wants to see him NOW.
Telling a Lie
Two players face the group: They are children (siblings or best friends). The
facilitator asks a question and the two children share the explanation. One starts, then
turns to the other, who continues the story and passes it back, etc. The audience can
ask questions at any time. The more outlandish the story, the more fun. Situation:
“How did the dog get painted red?”
4 An Adventure in Drama: Take One – ETAI 2010 Adele Raemer

5. Scene in Reverse
Two players are asked to improvise a scene and are given a relationship, conflict,
location, and time of day. The players must play the scene in reverse – starting with
the last line, then the next-to-last line and continuing to the beginning of the story.
Situation: A & B are classmates. It is the middle of the morning. A wants to sneak
away from class. B helps him/her do it.
Machine
One participant begins to do a movement that repeats itself it should also include a
sound that repeats itself. One by one, the remaining members of the group come up
and add on to the machine that's being constructed by the first person. You keep
playing until every member has a chance to come up and add on to the machine. And
then you will have one big piece. It's a great warm up and exercise, because it gets
everybody learning how to work together and it's a lot of fun.
1. real machine
2. imaginary machine
5 An Adventure in Drama: Take One – ETAI 2010 Adele Raemer

6. Dramatic Dialog
A: Good morning sir/ madam. Can I get you your breakfast?
B: What is on the menu?
A: Whatever you want!
B: Lovely- I’ll have a cup of coffee, a chocolate croissant, two
scrambled eggs and toast with strawberry jam.
A: Well……. we DO have the coffee………
Dramatic Dialog
A: Good morning sir/ madam. Can I get you your breakfast?
B: What is on the menu?
A: Whatever you want!
B: Lovely- I’ll have a cup of coffee, a chocolate croissant, two scrambled
eggs and toast with strawberry jam.
A: Well……. we DO have the coffee………
6 An Adventure in Drama: Take One – ETAI 2010 Adele Raemer