Description: One player is chosen to perform a scene a step at a time; however, all the scenework creation falls on the rest of the group. The player starts with a suggestion for an action - for example, wakes up in the morning. The player performs this action briefly, and then the coach (or another troupe member playing the moderator) asks the group, "What happens next?" The group then suggests the next logical step in the player's actions.
Group: She goes to the bathroom. {Player acts out going to the bathroom.}
Leader: What happens next?
Group: She washes her hands. {Player acts out washing her hands.}
Leader: What happens next?
Group: She looks for a towel but it's not there. {Player acts out trying to dry hands, looks for towel.}
Leader: What happens next?
Group: She dries her hands on her pajama bottoms. {Player wipes hands on pants.}
Leader: What happens next?
Group: She changes her clothes. {Player acts out changing out of pajamas and into clothes.}
Leader: What happens next?
Group: Her belt breaks. {Player pulls belt on, reacts to it breaking.}
...and so on.
Tips: For purposes of the exercise, the group-suggested steps should be logical but small - think of them as one action at a time, not one vignette at a time. The above scene layout could be broken down even more elementarily - instead of "changes her clothes," it could be "takes off her pajamas; puts on a new shirt; puts on pants," etc. The purpose of the exercise is to get players to think about how to make small, logical steps in a scene.
Variants: To explore more complicated scene dynamics, the coach/leader can suggest that all group suggestions fit a particular theme - for example, every action ultimately leads to an unintended and disastrous consequence. This can be used to have players work on skills like heightening the action, status changes, etc.
Group: She goes to the bathroom. {Player acts out going to the bathroom.}
Leader: What happens next?
Group: She washes her hands. {Player acts out washing her hands.}
Leader: What happens next?
Group: She looks for a towel but it's not there. {Player acts out trying to dry hands, looks for towel.}
Leader: What happens next?
Group: She dries her hands on her pajama bottoms. {Player wipes hands on pants.}
Leader: What happens next?
Group: She changes her clothes. {Player acts out changing out of pajamas and into clothes.}
Leader: What happens next?
Group: Her belt breaks. {Player pulls belt on, reacts to it breaking.}
...and so on.
Tips: For purposes of the exercise, the group-suggested steps should be logical but small - think of them as one action at a time, not one vignette at a time. The above scene layout could be broken down even more elementarily - instead of "changes her clothes," it could be "takes off her pajamas; puts on a new shirt; puts on pants," etc. The purpose of the exercise is to get players to think about how to make small, logical steps in a scene.
Variants: To explore more complicated scene dynamics, the coach/leader can suggest that all group suggestions fit a particular theme - for example, every action ultimately leads to an unintended and disastrous consequence. This can be used to have players work on skills like heightening the action, status changes, etc.
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