DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/08 22:40As the administrator of this site and a performer with a resume dating back to the age of 7, it might appear that I am pretty comfortable with the crazy world of performing that we live in.
But I have a confession to make, and I hope no one will judge me to harshly.
I hate drama games. I HATE them. When I say drama games I'm not talking about improv, and the exercises that lead into improv. I'm talking about the getting-to-know-you, learn-to-focus, highschool-drama-class-warmup junk.
So what I want to know is - does this make me a hack? Am I less of a performer because I don't want to sit in a circle saying "This is a what?" or be someone's mirror, or guess what somebody changed on their outfit?
This question has come up because I recently attended my first rehearsal for a new show (all adult cast), and we were asked to do several different games as "warm-up" activities. While I hated every minute of it, most others seem to think this was great fun. I started to feel snobby because I think I'm "beyond" this stuff. Then I thought maybe I'm missing something.
Is this just me? Or is everyone else just better at pretending they like it?
Post edited by: triplethreat, at: 2008/01/08 22:53_____________ Kris MTA Admin
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Starlet_Actress21
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/08 22:47OMG, I HATE theatre "getting to know you games"- they're a waste of time, especailly that stupid 'guess what changed in my outfit' one (we did that, no lie, four times, in my current production- and we've had three rehearsals.
I don't think it makes you a hack (if you are, then so am I, LOL)... I just think we like to get to the meat of the rehearsal process. I don't mind learning people's names, but make it less stupid. Why spend half an hour changing random things on yor outfit when you could be reading through the script?Auditioning for: Brigadoon, theatre season, American Music Theatre, Into the Woods, Sound of Music, and AMDA.
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stlgurl702
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/08 22:50Well, I teach acting classes at the YMCA and drama games are definently A HUGE part of working with little kids.
I think that there are some that can still (or even more) fun as you get older, (i.e. bus stop, interesting and somewhat relevant open improv, Questions) But some games just get stupid. I feel that there is no point in the name game, or pretending that you are holding random crap. If you want to do that go mime.
So, I guess I agree with you. And it seems to me at least (and I don't mean to offend ANYONE) that the more experienced performers seem to dislike these games even more, which may be because we're sick of them. "This is a what?" may be fun the first few times but by the 84039840938th time you do it, it just gets boring and pointless.
Post edited by: stlgurl702, at: 2008/01/08 22:57Auditioning For- Bye Bye Birdie (Hoping for Kim for Ursula)
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Annie
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/08 22:50I don't think it makes you a hack or snobby at all. I have never liked those games. Not even when I was first getting into theatre at thirteen. I think they're a waste of good rehearsal time. If people want to do them to break the ice at a workshop, I guess that's okay, but it would still annoy me.~Annie Currently: Soloist for Night of Jazz fundraiser Recently: Miss Thorn (Ruthless! the Musical), Emma Carew (Jekyll & Hyde)
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One thing we did in a show I was a part of (Legend of Sleepy Hollow) that I really liked was "circle time." It allowed us to get to know each other w/o the cheesy stuff. We would do things like we'd have to tell everybody a secret about our CHARACTER that the other characters wouldn't know. it was a really ensemble show, so while it was fun and got us more comfortable, we also were working on relating in character onstage. as we went through it we had to tell secrets about other characters, or rat someone out for something, or compliment them, all in character. It was excellent!
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katoru
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/09 14:24Yup, I really hate those games and feel they're a waste of time. I don't think we've played those in any of my productions for a very long time. We did duck-duck-goose during El Muchacho once while the MD was working with a couple of leads... and did an improv dance game in a circle for South Pacific as a warm-up on a night when everyone's energy was really low... but for the most part, I've only done them in drama classes.. and I still didn't like them Even as a kid, I thought "I'm paying to learn things, teach me already.."Kathleen Sera Current Shows: Aloha Pinafore - Volga Upcoming Auditions: Crazy For You - Irene Roth
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Starlet_Actress21
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/09 17:14stlgurl702 wrote: Well, I teach acting classes at the YMCA and drama games are definently A HUGE part of working with little kids.
I think that there are some that can still (or even more) fun as you get older, (i.e. bus stop, interesting and somewhat relevant open improv, Questions) br><br>Post edited by: stlgurl702, at: 2008/01/08 22:57
I don't count imrpov stuff like Bus Stop as a getting-to-knoe you game, really, because you're at least acting... I think when people have you play these games, they don't realise that it's not just them that has us do them- EVERYONE does, in and out of theatre because they think it's "original". Sorry, no.
I usually don't mind them as much if I haven't played/ done them before. In Secret School, we did that stupid "change one thing about your appearance" thing, but we also did just a questions kind of thing. We moved down the line and asked the person across us any question, and they couldn't ask the same one. I tried to ask them interesting questions like, "What's your favorite song?" or "Do you like to read plays and, if so, which is your favorite?"... but everyone else just asked me how old I was and where I went to school (I kind of hate the latter question because I have to rattle off CASA"s full name and normally explain what it is and what I do there.)Auditioning for: Brigadoon, theatre season, American Music Theatre, Into the Woods, Sound of Music, and AMDA.
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carrot cait
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/09 18:20I don't imagine I'd like "get to know you" games, but then again, I've never played one. Nearly all of us know each other to begin with, and for Shakespeare, we just introduce ourselves at the first check-in (like this year, we had to say our name/grade/part and add 2 shameless brags and something you've never told anyone).
But as for other theatre games... Well, I'm a kid at heart (and in actuality, really) and I love playing around, so I don't mind them.- Caitlin / Cait -
Favorites Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2008), Jupiter in Cymbeline (2006), Narrator in Joseph... (2005) Present (possibly) YAGMCB...
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Addicted2Driftwood
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/09 22:32carrot cait wrote: and something you've never told anyone).
That always annoying. Really, i love my theater firends, but i'm not going to pull out some deep secret in front of these people i just met. next time i should just lie. "What's something you've never told anyone?" "I was born in Myanmar." "Really???:" "No, but I've never told anyone that."
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cardrey
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/11 17:03IMHO it's just a waste of good rehearsal time!
You don't really need to get to know each other to perform together, that will happen during the rehearsal process.
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carrot cait
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/11 18:12Addicted2Driftwood wrote: carrot cait wrote: and something you've never told anyone).
That always annoying. Really, i love my theater firends, but i'm not going to pull out some deep secret in front of these people i just met. next time i should just lie. "What's something you've never told anyone?" "I was born in Myanmar." "Really???:" "No, but I've never told anyone that."
Haha, it wasn't meant to be a deep dark secret, more like a quirk that most people don't know about (for example, that I can only whistle out of the side of my mouth).- Caitlin / Cait -
Favorites Belle in Beauty and the Beast (2008), Jupiter in Cymbeline (2006), Narrator in Joseph... (2005) Present (possibly) YAGMCB...
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Christine_wannabe
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/11 18:56In 7th grade i went to the first day of Drama club and hated it because all we did was drama games, so i never went again. I can see directors doing warm up exercises though. For example, our director makes us do jumping jacks while counting in our "mickey mouse voice" lol. It does help because it warms up our voices and our bodies for dancing. Other than that drama games are a waste of time in my opinion.-Laura
Favorite Musical: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!!!!!!! As for more "happy" musicals i like BATB, Music Man, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and Singin' in the rain!!!
Next production: R&H Cinderella?
“Practice as if you are the worst, perform as if you are the best.”
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Curly Blonde Hair
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/11 19:45I agree. Drama games are horrible. Just a waste of rehearsal time. Now don't get me wrong, the games that actually help you warm up in ways that are related to theatre are good. And I love the improv games we do in drama class from time to time. Improv games can be a good way to just chill out in the middle of the day. But the stupid getting-to-know-each-other games are pointless. Seriously, I'd rather get to know a person by talking to them during breaks and when it's not my scene then by playing some dumb game that just makes new people uncomfortable and regulars bored. We should start a petition against them! This isn't a golf tournament, being loud is more than acceptable!
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aliauthor
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/12 14:43Get to know you games are a waste of time! I do love the warm-ups before you go onstage, just to get energy up, but they don't do any good during rehearsal. and get-to know you games do not help me get to know people, no matter how cutesy they are. I'll sign that petition!
I actually like directors who take a game and tell us to play it in character, or to do improv in character, because it helps me be less stressed and put myself in the character's shoes, but I have had directors do that entirely too much and we haven't even blocked the whole show two weeks before we open. which is scary.-Ali
Currently: -Sheila; Boys Next Door (postshow depression mode) -acceptance to acting ensemble -Bye Bye Birdie (audition- didn't get a callback)
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ashleysn1derland
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Re:DQ: Drama Games - 2008/01/12 15:50I hate theatre games! When I was in drama in middle school, I had this brilliant teacher who could give us the greatest lessons when he did, but we only had one scene and one monologue unit a year and the rest was theatre games. It got to the point that one of my friends at the time, who only thinks he's a really serious and talented actor, got angry and dropped the class.
Post edited by: ashleysn1derland, at: 2008/01/12 15:51--Ashley-- Current Production: "High School Musical" (Ms. Darbus) Upcoming Auditions: "The Children's Hour"(Auditioning for Mary or Martha), "On The Razzle", "The Wizard Of Oz", "Blood Brothers", "Hamlet"(Auditioning for Ophelia!!!!!) Dream Roles: Rizzo "Grease", Fantine "Les Miserables", Ms. Lovett "Sweeney Todd", Gwendolen "The Importance of Being Ernest" , Ophelia "Hamlet", Cherie "Bus Stop", Mama Rose "Gypsy",
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Even as a kid, I thought "I'm paying to learn things, teach me already.."
