There are wonderful, basic exercises that will assist the children in their development as young actors. Theatre games represent enjoyable “high play” that will help the students gain self-awareness on the stage even as they learn more about one another. Trusting fellow students is very important, for they will be dependent on each other when they step onstage to form a community of actors.
Warm-up Exercises
Before beginning any rehearsals or lessons on acting, have your students do some basic warm-up exercises as a group. This means loosening-up, stretching, and relaxing the body to rid muscles of any tension or nervousness. Here, you can explain to the children that an actor is not unlike a dancer or athlete who warms-up before beginning his or her work. Remember – acting is physically demanding, and this was particularly true in Shakespeare’s time. Actors had to be acrobats, dancers and trained swordsmen, moving comfortably and fluidly across the stage to meet the demands of the part.
With my students, I would often play music in the background for five minutes or so as we touched our toes, stretched our arms high above our heads, and twisted from the waist in order to limber up before our rehearsals. The body is itself an instrument, allowing each and every actor to inhabit their character. Keep it tuned!
The Mirror Game
This is an excellent exercise that teaches mutual give-and-take between young actors, which in itself mirrors the process that will take place in performance. Cooperation with one another is the basis of the relationship between actors both onstage and during the rehearsal period. Instead of trying to outdo one another, actors should build upon each other’s work and – in so doing – work together to bring the play to life.
Have two children stand close, facing each other. One is designated as the leader. He or she will begin to make a slow movement, such as raising an arm. The other child must mirror the leader’s movements exactly, with the pair gradually making more creative and elaborate motions. Have the children take turns leading and following.
Once parts are cast, pair the children who will be working together in certain scenes – for example, Romeo and Juliet; Oberon and Titania from A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Viola and the Duke from Twelfth Night. This “acting out” of body language between the children will help to establish a sense of trust and mutual engagement that will greatly enhance their on-stage rapport.
Improvisation with Character Cards
Improvs further develop the sense of trust first established in the mirror game. Where the mirror game calls upon a young actor’s sensitivity to his or her fellow performer’s physical actions, improvs demand a kind of conceptual* give-and-take. These are unscripted scenes in which only basic contextual information will be given to the performers: a place, time, or character trait. Each actor must respond to what the other says, and in so doing heighten or “flesh out” the fictional world. As a director/teacher, be sure to not let the improv run on too long! Once my young actors would begin to lose focus or energy, I would call out, “Wrap it up!” At this point, they would craft a resolution to the scene.
To begin: write down on index cards personality traits that relate to characters from the play/scenes to be performed. For instance, you could write “bossy” for Oberon and “defiant” for Titania from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Choose or create a brief scenario in which the children may display these traits in character.
As the improvisation unfolds, so too does the children’s realization that they are acting. They have entered a world of make-believe in character and are playing a scene not unlike the one they will perform on the stage. Also important here is the children’s sense of creativity and responsibility – they are in charge!