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    Drama and Role-Play: Communication Games Without Words

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    Ludwig Santos-Mindo De Varona-Lpt
    Children and young people can develop social skills through role-playing activities. By taking on different roles, they gain new insights and sympathies. Role-play also allows them to practice life skills like communication, assertiveness, and conflict management. The document then provides examples of role-playing and drama activities that don't require words, like charades, as well as activities centered around themes like the circus or marine world. Shadow puppetry and making a shadow theater box are also described as drama activities.

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    Drama and Role-Play: Communication Games Without Words

    Uploaded by

    Ludwig Santos-Mindo De Varona-Lpt
    72 views8 pages
    Children and young people can develop social skills through role-playing activities. By taking on different roles, they gain new insights and sympathies. Role-play also allows them to practice life skills like communication, assertiveness, and conflict management. The document then provides examples of role-playing and drama activities that don't require words, like charades, as well as activities centered around themes like the circus or marine world. Shadow puppetry and making a shadow theater box are also described as drama activities.

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    Children and young people can develop social skills through role-playing activities. By taking on different roles, they gain new insights and sympathies. Role-play also allows them to practice life skills like communication, assertiveness, and conflict management. The document then provides examples of role-playing and drama activities that don't require words, like charades, as well as activities centered around themes like the circus or marine world. Shadow puppetry and making a shadow theater box are also described as drama activities.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    72 views8 pages

    Drama and Role-Play: Communication Games Without Words

    Uploaded by

    Ludwig Santos-Mindo De Varona-Lpt
    Children and young people can develop social skills through role-playing activities. By taking on different roles, they gain new insights and sympathies. Role-play also allows them to practice life skills like communication, assertiveness, and conflict management. The document then provides examples of role-playing and drama activities that don't require words, like charades, as well as activities centered around themes like the circus or marine world. Shadow puppetry and making a shadow theater box are also described as drama activities.

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    Drama and role-play

    6
    Children and young people gain social skills through acting out a story. As they take on different roles and
    pretend to be, for example, an elderly person, or someone living with a disability, or someone being bullied,
    they often gain new insights and sympathies. They can also practise and internalise life skills through role-
    play. They may learn and practise new ways to communicate, how to be assertive with regard to their values
    under peer pressure, different ways to manage conflict, and so on.

    Communication games without words


    ! What am I telling you?
    Divide players into small groups of even numbers, separated from each other. The groups each send a
    member to the play leader who tells them something to communicate to their group without using
    words. When the group guesses the message, a second member comes forward and asks for a new
    message and they have to guess that. This continues until all members have had a turn. The first team
    that finishes is the winner.

    Simple messages for younger players might be: “I am hungry/angry/tired/afraid/happy/proud/surprised”;


    or “I love you”, “leave me alone”, “come with me”, “stop”, “sit down”, “be quiet”. Older players can be
    challenged to act out “jealousy”, “disgust”, “excitement”, “boredom”, “impatience”, and so on.

    ! Guess what I like?


    All players stand in a circle. One by one they come forward and act out what they like most, without
    speaking. Whoever guesses correctly takes the next turn – or nominates someone else if they have
    already had a turn.

    ! Charades
    Divide players into small groups to act out a word, without speaking. At first, and especially for younger
    players, the word should have only two syllables. The group can choose a word themselves or the leader
    can give them a list to choose from (try cupboard, laptop, bookcase, suitcase, playdough, schoolroom,
    plateful, eyeball). They act the sound of the syllables (for example, rugby would be rug and bee) and the
    rest of the players try to guess the word.

    Part 2: Play activities 103


    Role-play
    Role-play can be introduced around many themes. These play activities are not aimed at a polished
    performance, but rather the fun of putting it together.

    ! “Idols” and performances


    A simple and popular theme is “Idols”, where participants take turns to sing or act. In groups they could
    be challenged to make up little skits on “The scariest moment in my life!” or “The funniest …”. Older
    children and young people may like to improvise a skit on a television programme or a fairy-tale.

    ! Role-play an issue of concern


    Form groups of about five or six players and give them each a brief scenario to act out for the whole
    group, taking only five minutes each. You can choose a relevant theme such “harassment and bullying”,
    where group one acts out a scenario of a group of boys teasing a girl; group two are boys teasing a
    young boy who is overweight and wears glasses; group three are girls excluding another girl from their
    activities because she wears shabby clothes; group four are children ganging up against a refugee child;
    group five are teasing a disabled child who walks with a limp.

    After each role-play, discuss what happened and how the players felt – the powerful and the victims
    each have a turn to talk. If there are any players who obviously enjoyed being bullies, repeat the role-play
    and let them be the victims – but all in good fun! Let them discuss what the victims can do to protect
    themselves. Discuss the role of good friends. The players may like to repeat the role-plays with a just and
    fair outcome.

    Let the players make up and chant slogans about being fair as they march and toyi-toyi round the room:
    “Fair’s fair – don’t scare! We all belong to the human race!” or “It’s not cool to be cruel!” or “Stop
    bullying!”, “Real men don’t hurt girls!”, and so on. If possible, let the players make posters.

    ! Puppets
    Hold conversations, act out situations, make requests, all through the face of a puppet/ mask.
    – Find pictures in magazines and newspapers of large faces and other items (such as food, cars,
    homes, animals).
    – Stiffen the picture by sticking it on scrap paper or thin card and then cut out the picture shape.
    – Roll up a tube of paper and paste it on the back of the picture as a holding stick.

    104 A Chance To Play


    Drama themes for acting out
    A dramatic theme or “story-line” can give focus to a play programme and be very appealing. Many games
    can be adapted to fit in with the theme.

    Some suggestions:
    ! The Circus – with clowns, performing animals, tumblers, balancing acts, balloons.
    ! The Game Reserve – with wild animals and birds, tour guides.
    ! The Olympics – with team banners and medals.
    ! Marine World – tag or catchers with fish and sharks (see page 85), penguin-race (feet hobbled),
    octopus tangle (see page 31), rope games on board a ship (see page 41), and so on.

    ! Boot-sale drama
    You will need an assortment of odd items (the funnier the better) such as an egg-whisk, umbrella, one
    sandal, a potato, a ball, notebook, birthday-card, comb, cake of soap, can of beans, old key, tin mug,
    paper plate, pencil, kitchen sieve, cap, sock, bath towel, old toy car.

    Divide players into small groups and give each group five or six of the items you have collected. (Have
    them ready in shopping bags to save time.) Each group has to invent a story that involves every item
    they have been given, and they act it out for the whole group with every person taking a part.

    Celebrating with art and culture

    The Feast of the Clowns festival, organised by the Tshwane Leadership Foundation, is held every
    August in Burgers Park, Tshwane. Dance, poetry, music, visual arts and play is celebrated and
    promoted in a week-long programme that seeks to renew and celebrate the life of the inner-
    city.

    Many children contribute performances that


    have involved long hours of practise and
    dedication.

    Children’s right to play includes a celebration


    of arts and culture, and in this demonstra-
    tion, the formalised and disciplined learning
    of skills to express it.

    For more information visit www.tlf.org.za.

    Part 2: Play activities 105


    Shadow plays
    Shadow play actors (or mime artists) act out their skit by standing between a bright light in the background
    and a sheet between themselves and the audience. Their movements are close to the sheet and the
    audience sees their shadow through the sheet on the other side. Shadow dramas depend a lot on defined
    and exaggerated movement, and the room should preferably be darkened.

    Equipment needed for the shadow play stage:


    ! One or two white sheets.
    ! Rope across a room on which to peg or pin the sheets.
    ! At least two bright desk lamps (a spot light is even better).
    ! Long leads are needed to put lamps in the correct place.

    ! Miming
    Use your body to mime different actions: talking and gestures; falling, walking with a limp, ranting and
    raving; sobbing and sad; do things like tying a knot, getting dressed, graceful dancing, marching, and so
    on. Provide music to stimulate movement. Experiment doing the actions face towards the sheet and side
    on. Discuss together which works best. Experiment with placing the lights behind the actors.

    Props can also be used to create shadows such as pieces of furniture or shapes cut out of card (a giant
    insect, flower, tree, giant ice cream, and so on). Shapes can be stuck on sticks or backing so they stand
    upright. If you use split pins, parts of the cardboard prop will be able to move; for example, a bird’s wing
    moves up and down as if flying. Use wire attachments to make this happen.

    ! Drama and storytelling behind the sheet


    Actors make use of the things they have learnt and prepare a skit to act out behind the sheet. The secret
    is bright lights behind them and acting close up to the sheet to get a sharp image or shadow on the
    other side.

    ! Finger and hand shadows


    Start off by experimenting with finger and hand shadows so that everyone gets the idea. You could also
    do hand shadows in a dark room with a strong torch.

    Rabbit Dogs barking Snail creeping Birds flying

    106 A Chance To Play


    ! A shadow play box theatre
    Try all the shadow plays in a miniature format. Make a box theatre and encourage players to create their
    own stories and characters, and to act these out. They could also act out traditional stories or fairy-
    tales.

    You could also make a puppet shadow theatre and work with the players to make their own puppets.

    MAKING A PUPPET SHADOW THEATRE

    Use a cardboard box and cut Cut out shapes of animals, The shadow puppet is held
    a front window in it. Paste people, birds, household up with strong thin sticks or
    or tape tracing paper or a objects and so on as props wire.
    piece of stretched cloth over and characters.
    the stage opening. Attach a separate wire to
    You could make an arm or any moving parts (one stick
    Shine a bright light behind leg move up and down by for holding up and another
    the screen. attaching a moving part with for the moving part).
    a split pin.

    Part 2: Play activities 107


    Dressing up
    Imagination play 7
    Shop at the next jumble sale and purchase garments that could transport children to another world: hats,
    caps, shoes, jackets, large gowns, silky dresses, saris, waistcoasts, old jewellery, wellington boots, belts to
    hold up too long dresses! Fabric scraps from a dressmaker’s shop or a fabric waste centre, that are tied or
    pinned around small bodies can be made into any number of imaginative garments.

    Granny kept her wedding dress and clothes from long ago and now
    her granddaughters spend many happy hours playing dress-up with
    them.

    108 A Chance To Play


    Play kits: Props for imaginative play
    Children love to imitate and act out life as they see it. Encourage role-playing and story-making by providing
    props to stimulate ideas and increase the fun.

    RESTAURANT KIT: KITCHEN KIT: SCHOOL KIT:


    Plastic or paper cups, saucers, Pots, pans, bowls, measuring Paper, pencils, old books,
    plates, trays, cutlery, menus, cups, whisk, baking sheets, chalk board, crayons, story
    tablecloth, tea pot, aprons. rolling pin, pastry cutters, books, tables and chairs.
    Make play food: for example, frying pan, playdough, jelly,
    cold tea or cool drink, papier- box made into a stove.
    mâché fruit and vegetables.

    SHOPPING KIT: CLEANING KIT: HOSPITAL OR CLINIC KIT:


    Toy cash register, sales slips, Small brooms, dustpans, Adhesive tape, plasters,
    play money, price tags, old dusters, cleaning liquid, cotton wool, stethoscope
    ATM cards, shop supplies bucket, cloths. (real or plastic), small bottles
    (empty product boxes, plastic filled with sweets (pretend
    bottles, papier-mâché pills), pretend thermometer.
    vegetables and eggs),
    baskets, invent a trolley.

    Ideas drawn from Learning Through Play written by Jean Marzollo and Janice Lloyd.

    Part 2: Play activities 109


    ! Ideas for more play kits:
    – Building: spade, bricks, mud, bricklaying
    tools, spirit level, string, tool box (allow
    children to use real tools if possible).
    – Camping: tent, sticks for a pretend fire,
    sleeping bag, cooking stuff, fishing rod, torch.
    – Hair and beauty salon: brushes, creams, clips,
    nail polish, ribbons, shampoo and water,
    towels.
    – Office: old computer, paper, pens, old phone,
    briefcase, stamps, stapler, punch, old files,
    stickers, in/out baskets.
    – Fire rescue: fire helmets, red clothing, red
    fabric for cloaks, gumboots, rope, hosepipe,
    buckets, chairs for a fire truck.

    “Strictly Come Dancing”


    These children were mad about “Strictly Come
    Dancing”, a ballroom dancing competition they
    had watched on TV. For days they practised
    their pieces and then held their own “Strictly
    Come Dancing” show for parents in the
    neighbourhood.

    Children’s play can be inspired by music, being


    able to observe the real thing in real life or
    even on a TV programme.

    These children had dressing up clothes, space


    to practise and access to music to pursue
    their dream of “ballroom” stardom!

    110 A Chance To Play

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