Give and Take

Type: Focus, Improv, Ensemble Building

Purpose: This is a great game to play to help kids understand the idea of when to give focus and when to take focus. It’s useful when beginning an improv unit and you have a few kids who consistently tend to dominate the scenes.

1. Group walks around neutrally. 

2. Tell them that after you say “action”, there can only be one person moving (taking) at any given time. Everyone else must be frozen (giving).

3. Once another person starts taking, the current taker must freeze. The taker must continue his/her movement until someone else begins to take.

4. The taking should pass randomly throughout the group. There should be no sounds.

5. There should be no overlapping taking.

Continue this exercise until you feel the group’s are working seamlessly and everyone is taking an equal amount.

Variations 

2 people at a time can be moving
3 people at a time can be moving

Consider adding sounds in addition to movement.

For advanced groups, consider allowing them to have one sound taker and one physical taker at any given time. (i.e. one person must always be making a sound and one person must always be physically moving)

Play in 2 groups so one group gets to observe

Debrief
-  Was it difficult to wait your turn to take?

– How can this be useful when rehearsing a scene from a play?

– What skills were required to be successful as a group?

• What did you notice that made it easier or harder for

you? 

• How did it feel to pay attention to the all players in the room? 

• How did it feel when you made a choice to move in the room? 

• How was it easier or harder for you to move or watch for movement?