Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

A volunteer is the honoured guest at the dinner. They leave the room and the group decide who
they are going to be without them knowing. When the group has decided on everything the
facilitator opens the door, welcomes by boldly saying "Please welcome our honoured guest".
Then the game begins. The character cannot be fictional!

Task: Through the questions that the group ask at the dinner, the honoured 'volunteer' guest has
to work out who they are through the hints along the way. Once they figured out how they are
they must stand up and say a toast stating who they are and what they would like to toast.

Eg: "I Winston Churchill would like you thank you all to coming to my birthday bash."

They are allowed three guesses only and then they are out.

Tactic: However the group decide what role to play and their surroundings.

For example:

Vikings in a large banquet hall.

The Upper Class at a fancy dinner party.

60's Hippies in a veggie gathering.

(Please note that these surrounding and group characters does not have to coincide with the
character of 'honoured guest' it is more to see how the honoured guest fits in to a strange
environment and see how they begin to control it.)

Highering the stakes: The facilitator decides on a buzzword that could be said by the honoured
'volunteer' guest and the reaction from the group.

Eg. If the buzzword is 'because' and the reaction is laughter. Every time the volunteer says the
buzzword the reaction increases. It starts off discrete and then builds up to over the top
ridiculous.

However they should be measured in short 3 second bursts and then carrie on as normal (as if
the whole group have a short reaction tic of the same thing)

If it happens too early and the honoured guest is overwhelmed and confused the facilitator can
step in and ask if they would like to use the 'facilities' and send them out the room for a quick
thinking break and gather the group together and hand out a new buzzword and reaction.

This is also a perfect opportunity for the group and facilitator to review the situation and present
feedback to help the exercise along.

Explanation: The group should manage well the level of each action collectively together. With this
secret crescendo task the group must work well together as a team not only as subtle as possible
but perhaps building up a physic link and allowing the group it tune in together in the room in an
ensemble.

This exercise is ideal for developing role play and characters techniques and ideal for the
facilitator to work out the leaders and followers in the group and to see how the volunteer guest
works under pressure and copes with the strangeness of the reaction.

Tip: Depending on the group and the surroundings the volunteer needs a task such as leaving the
room. "Once outside but your fingers in your ears and hum the national anthem until your called
back."



(Copyright Glitch Theatre 2013)