Theatre games in the corporate world

So my job, it appears, entails me to learn many new skills. I am learning organisational (or is it industrial) psychology theories; a little bit of graphic design; website management; and how to be a drama... a drama person.

Yes, indeed, eventually, after having been repeatedly (for the four years at University) introduced as "Lauren, a drama student" I am actually, really and truly for the first time, going to be doing drama. In the corporate world in fact. I am going to heading drama games workshops with management and other employee teams. For interest, sake bellow is the workshop brief #1 that I am presenting to the company.

Listening with all your senses

– theatrical workshop for Exxaro leadership and/or employees

Games for actors and non-actors, based on the work by Augusto Boal and his work in forum and images theatre (Theatre of the Oppressed). All games are aimed and breaking down barriers between people, to encourage creative thinking, facilitate group bonding, deeper understanding of behaviours and most importantly to have fun.

A. Workshop Session Plan 1:

1. Introduction of all participants and facilitator to each other – who am I, who are you (building momentum to a shout – imagine an army situation with the commander in front demanding an explanation, striding purposefully up and down and the respondents answering loudly and confidently)

Games

1. Warm up games
   – Names and gestures: standing in a circle each person says their name accompanied by a gesture. The whole group repeats the name and gesture. This goes around the whole circle until everyone has done. Then it is repeated just with the gesture. The each person steps forward and the rest of the group do the gesture associated with that person. (Listening and watching)
   – Bombs and Shields: each person chooses someone to be their bomb (without telling anyone). Then the purpose it to move around in the space, filling the open areas, always moving, but staying as far away from their bomb as possible. When the coordinator says STOP they are supposed to be as far from their bomb as possible. Then everyone has to choose a shield. Now they must stay as far away from their bomb but as close to their shield with their shield between them and their bomb. When STOP is called they should be far from their bomb, behind their shield. (Quick thinking, generating energy and excitement, watching and being conscious of space)
   – Rhythm with chairs: Everyone has a chair. Five people are chosen and each creates an image with their chair. Each image is given a number. Now everyone moves around the space and when number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 is called out everyone must strike that pose. For a more interesting take, more than one number is called out at a time (generating energy, creative thinking, memory)
   – Colombian hypnosis: divide into pairs. One (A) is the hypnotist. The hypnotists holds their hand a few centimetres away from B’s face. At GO! A begins moving and B needs to stay connected to A’s hand. Be creative in your movement, up and down, and over and around. At some point the roles are switched. (Encouraging people to use muscles rarely used, loosening up body, the importance of concentration and following) (http://africanstorygatherer.blogspot.com/search/label/columbian%20hypnosis for video of Colombian hypnosis)
2. – Highway of Balls: all stand in a circle. You need three small balls like tennis balls or even just paper crumpled into balls. Begin with one ball. The facilitator starts and throws the ball to someone and that person throws it to another person. It is important that each person remember who they received the ball from and who they threw it to. The last person throws back to the facilitator who starts the route again. Picks up the pace. And then the second ball is thrown into the mix. And then the third. (Concentration, energy generation, working with other people)

(Length: approximately 20-30 minutes)

5 MINUTE BREATHER ONLY (So as not loose momentum) Information session

1. Soldiers and the skipper: 4 people are asked to march in a line from one side of the room to the other. Their objective is to keep marching at all costs. A fifth person is made the skipper and begins to skip and dance around the soldiers. As the skipper gets in the way of the soldiers they beat the skipper down and leave her/him for dead, continuing on their way. The marchers represent the oppressor and the skipper the protagonist. Having watched this repeated once or twice, the rest of the group are invited to take the role of the protagonist and try and prevent the oppression from happening.
2. Introduce basics of forum and image theatre
3. Brainstorming of stories and anecdotes and deciding of two short stories to play (can divide into groups)

(Length: 30-40 minutes)

Games honing Playback and Improvisation skills

1. Exercises for engaging:
   o Accepting game – creating a scenario where on person can only respond to the others with “I agree”, “Great idea” and “yes let’s go it”. A way to promote positive relations and agreement, in an environment where we often instinctively say “No”.
   o Complete the picture – an image is shown and participants need to fill in the story behind the picture and what will happen.
   o Advancing game - starting with a basic action each person chooses something to do and does it. When the facilitator calls “advance” they have to make their action more interesting but they have to keep with their action. This continues. For example – scratching your nose and then make that more interesting. Encouraging spontaneous creative thinking.
   o The adjective game - taking a story decided in number 5,, play the scene using different adjectives (sad, hyperactive, emotional etc)

(Length: maximum 20 minutes)

Playback and Forum Theatre performances

1. Listening to the stories again and assigning roles to “actors” and “spectators” and beginning the process of Play Back and Forum theatre
2. Final discussion

(Length: 30-45 minutes)

Total time for workshop: approximately 3 hours