PROGRAMME GUIDE: DRAMA WORKSHOPS
The following suggestions for role-playing and improvisations are, like the Art Workshop ideas, based on various 'stories' found inside JUST IMAGINE. When preparing ahead for workshops you may want to gather a few props. These may include items borrowed from JUST IMAGINE: Daniel's yellow rain hat, Queen Olivia's giant sea-anemone crown or the rubbery octopus, Chief Octavio. The latter is a hand puppet whose mouth can be manipulated to 'speak'. Once participants have had the chance to practice any of the scenarios described below, they may want use the stage of the THEATRE to perform little sketches.
THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE
We can learn a lot from 'body language'. What does that mean? Remember the story of the HARE AND THE TORTOISE? You couldn't hear the animals speaking but you could tell a lot about how they were feeling by their facial expressions, their posture and gestures. Let's have fun making a whole range of our own facial expressions and gestures! I wonder how many different emotions we can convey?
Pretend you are the hare in the story. You are bragging to the tortoise about how fast you can run. How are you going to stand? Let's all get up and do it. How do you hold your head when you feel proud? What expression is on your face? Do you make eye contact? What are you going to do with your arms?
Let's continue to mime the story. How do you look when you're running, confident that you are going to win? Now you are thinking about how comfortable you are when you have a little nap. Let's lie down on the floor - what expression is on your face? When you reach the finish line and see that the tortoise has beaten you - what do you feel and how does it show on your face? Choose a partner and act out the whole story - one of you can be the hare and the other the tortoise. You can speak or mime, whichever you want. When you've finished going through the story you can switch places.
This type of role-playing activity will work well with any animal or person found in JUST IMAGINE. Other stories and characters you might try: SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE - the Maid having her nose pecked off, or the Blackbird carrying her nose away; ALICE IN WONDERLAND - The Queen of Hearts playing croquet or the hedgehog about to be whacked by her mallet!
PICKLE ISLAND PICK-UP
In the story PICKLE ISLAND PICKUP, the octopus Chief Octavio and his helper Daniel have been hurriedly picking up the junk in the sea around Pickle Island. They have to be finished by noon the next day because that's when Queen Olivia is going to arrive to inspect their work.
Imagine you are Queen Olivia and you've just finished looking around to find out how well the clean up job has been done. You're able to swim to the ocean floor to make a good inspection! Are you impressed or disappointed? How much junk did they retrieve from the bottom of the ocean? What do you say to the workers?
Get into groups of 3 and decide who is going to be Queen Olivia, Chief Octavio and Daniel. I want you to have a conversation about the big project, PICKLE ISLAND PICKUP. What was it like to clean up - did you find it difficult? How did you do it? Did you get wet? I wonder if you found anything unbelievable? Did Queen Olivia reward you for your hard work? How? Later we can use some props (the two hats and the octopus puppet) to make little presentations.
THE TALKING EAR
What did you hear coming from the inside of the big purple ear? Who was speaking? Why could you see a light?
Pretend you are a tiny (microscopic) insect crawling around on top of, or inside the body. It's the very first time you have attempted such an adventurous expedition. How big does everything look? What part of the body do you explore first? What do the toes or the brain look like and what do you call them in your insect language? When you crawl inside the mouth what do you find? Choose something you saw on your expedition and draw it for everyone else to see.
THE ROYAL NOSE MUSEUM
Find a partner. One of you is a penguin visiting the Royal Nose Museum and the other a blackbird who works at the Museum as a tour guide. Which exhibits do you explore together? Do you discover any noses that you hadn't seen before? Which ones? What do you say to each other? Prepare a short scene to share with everyone afterwards. If you want you can use one or two of these noses during your tour of the museum - they were made in our art workshops.
SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE
Imagine you are the Maid in SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE. You're in the garden of the Royal Palace hanging out the King and Queen's wet clothes to dry in the sun. While you are putting the pegs on one of the King's socks, a blackbird suddenly swoops down and pecks off your nose! Shocked, you return to the castle to tell everyone what has happened. Who do you speak with first and what do you say? Does anyone help you? Choose two or three other people to form a group - decide who is the Maid, the King and Queen or servant. Have a discussion about how you're going to help the Maid and what you plan on doing to find the stolen nose. Does the King make any public proclamations about the lost nose? Is there a reward for anyone finding the Maid's nose? Do they eventually find out that the nose is in the Royal Nose Museum? If so, is the blackbird scientist who stole the nose sent to jail or given a royal pardon? What happens to the Maid - does she get another nose?
HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE
In the story HEY DIDDLE DIDDLE, Bella the cow is playing Frisbee with the farmer's son and daughter. The other cows in the farmyard are watching. Suddenly the Frisbee goes so high that when Bella jumps after it she disappears altogether!
Pretend that as soon as you touch the Magic Carpet, you can see it! The amazing thing is that nobody else can see your Magic Carpet except you! What colours and patterns are on your carpet? How big is it? Now imagine you can fly anywhere in the world on your carpet. Where would you travel to first? How long does it take you?
Imagine that you are the cows who saw Bella and the farmer's children playing Frisbee together. Find two or three partners to form little groups. What do you say to each other during the game of Frisbee? Are you surprised when Bella disappears? Where do you suppose she went? What do you say to her when she returns?
Now I want one of you to pretend that you are Bella the cow. What was it like trying to catch the Frisbee? Did you like flying over the earth? Did you see anything interesting on the way to the moon or on the moon itself? When did you actually catch the Frisbee? Has the experience made you think about the world differently? Are you a changed cow?
Tell the rest of the cows what happened to you while you were gone. Would you like to jump over the moon again? You can take turns being Bella and in a little while each group can make a short acting presentation.