Drama Games

Splat!
Purpose:
Splat! is a quick-fire warm-up to get a group focused and energised.
Number of players:

Drama Games
Splat! is suitable for large groups (8+ players).
Instructions:
Students stand in a circle, with one person in the middle. The person

15 Easy, Fun Games in the middle is the splatter boss! The boss calls names one at a time,
and the person called has to duck immediately.

for Drama Lessons The two people on either side of the called person have to shout
“Splat!” and point at where the person was. If the called person
ducks in time, they are safe. If not, they are out. If the student
ducks out of the way in time, the last student to say “Splat!” is out.
Students can also get out if they point or yell out when it isn’t their
turn or if they point the wrong way.
Students need to be actively concentrating throughout the game, as
the names of the people on either side change as students get out.
Once there are two students left, you perform a stand-off. The two
students stand back to back and the boss counts to 10. On 10, both
students turn and point at each other, with the last to call “Splat!”
losing the stand-off.
Variation:
Instead of pointing at each other, players could play by throwing
imaginary pies at each other.
This game is also
known as Bang!

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Drama Games Drama Games

The Party Game Bus Stop

Purpose:
To develop students’ ability to convey a role through various
techniques.
Number of players:
The Party Game is for groups of five to perform to the class.
Instructions:
One student acts as the host of the party, and the other four
are guests.
Send the four guests outside the classroom to discuss their roles.
Encourage students to think about famous people, well-known
fictional characters, or stock characters.
While the guests are conferring outside, the host is preparing their
space for a party. Encourage your students to imagine the reality
of this space, e.g. setting out tables and chairs, organising food and
putting up decorations.
One at a time, the guests arrive at the party by knocking on the
door. The host greets the guests and welcomes them to the party. The
guests act in character for the entirety of the party until they are
identified. The guests should think about their responses to questions
from the host and how their character moves, sounds, and behaves.
The aim of the host is to figure out who each guest is. Once the host
figures out the identity, they identify the guest, who then makes an
excuse to leave the party.
Purpose:
To develop strong characterisation, as well as developing listening
and improvisation skills.
Number of players:
3-5 on the bus stop at any one time.
Instructions:
Set out 3-5 chairs in front of the class to act as a bus stop, depending
on your class size.
Similar to The Party Game, your students will choose a role (or you
can have a selection of roles already prepared – this is useful for
younger students).
One at a time, students will come up to the bus stop and interact
with one another in character. They will need to consider how their
role moves, speaks and interacts with others.
The audience’s aim is to identify the roles. As the audience identifies
each character, that person catches their bus by rejoining the
audience, everyone else moves up a seat, and someone else joins the
bus stop.

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Drama Games
Hot-Seating
Purpose:
To explore characterisation and develop active listening and
improvisation skills.
Number of players:
One person in the hot-seat at a time.
Instructions:
Set one chair at the front of the group. This chair is the hot-seat.
When students sit in the hot-seat, they take on a role and must
answer questions in character.
The rest of the group asks questions of the person in the
hot-seat (some example questions are below). These questions can be
simple or deep; both have a purpose when exploring character. The
simple questions ensure your student knows the basics about their
character. The deep questions prompts them to think about how their
character would respond.
The activity ends when everyone has had a turn.
Variation:
Use this game to develop characterisation skills by supplying roles
for your students to take on and having the audience try to guess the
role by asking questions.
Possible Questions:
How old are you? Where do you come from? Who
is in your family? Who are your friends? What
is your favourite thing to do? How do you feel
about…? What do you do when you are happy/
sad/angry? What is your favourite food?
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Drama Games
Space Jump
Purpose:
To develop improvisation skills and creative thinking.
Number of players:
Four – the game can be played in small groups at the same time or
with one group of four performing or in front of the class.
Instructions:
One student begins acting out a scene alone. The teacher calls “Space
Jump!” and the student freezes.
The second student uses the freeze-frame to begin a new scene, and
the two students act out the new scene together. Again, the teacher
calls “Space Jump!” and both students freeze. This process continues
as both the third and fourth students are added to the group,
creating a new scene each time.
When the last student has joined and is acting out the fourth scene,
the teacher calls “Space Jump!” and everyone freezes.
The last student who entered (number four) leaves the scene, and the
three remaining students return to the scene that was immediately
before, and so on until the first student is left alone on stage acting
out their original scene.
Variation:
This game can get stilted if students take too long to think about
what to add. You can play Speed Space Jump and give students less
time to act out the scenes before calling someone new up.
Space Jump can be played in a circle as a warm-up, with students
taking turns around the circle.
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Drama Games
Building a Machine
Purpose:
To develop ensemble strength by creating complementary movements
and sounds by practising active listening and responding.
Number of players:
This game is great for a big group of students to work cooperatively.
Instructions:
One at a time, students begin making a repetitive motion, e.g.
punching up in the air, lifting an arm up and putting it down,
stomping one leg, bobbing up and down etc., while making a
corresponding machine-like noise.
Students must consider how their own motion and sound will
complement the rest of the machine, e.g. thinking about the rhythm,
the pitch, the volume of their noise, and considering how their
movement will work in tandem with the rest of the group (levels,
smooth movement, jerky movement, fast or slow etc.).
In the same order that they joined the machine, students will exit
until the first student is left alone performing their noise and motion.
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Drama Games
Space Adventure
Purpose:
To develop students’ sense of reality in different spaces.
Number of players:
Suitable for small to large groups.
Instructions:
Start the game by instructing students to imagine how an astronaut
would move in space (hence the name of the game being Space
Adventure).
Students then begin exploring how it feels to move in a way that
might emulate zero gravity, with the teacher ensuring the students
remain aware of their movement and are making conscious choices.
The teacher chooses different ‘spaces’ for the students to move
through, e.g. a swimming pool full of treacle, a rocky cliff path, a
winter storm, hot sand, in a room of trampolines, etc.
Students explore how different spaces affect and dictate their
movement and discuss the effect of different spaces afterwards.
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Drama Games Drama Games

Mirror
Purpose:
To develop focus, non-verbal communication and teamwork in
students.
Number of players:
An even number.
Instructions:
Pair students up and assign them as either partner A or B.
Student A is the first leader. This student will begin moving,
exploring levels and space, as well as the speed of movement. Student
B is to mirror every movement.
Students complete the task without talking to one another,
developing communication through eye contact and focus.
After some time, switch to partner B leading. They now do the same
as partner A did and explore levels, space and speed.
Rhythm Circle
Purpose:
To develop non-verbal communication, focus and rhythmic
awareness.
Number of players:
Suitable for small to large groups.
Instructions:
Have students sit in a circle. Explain that one person is the rhythm
boss and is going to lead the rhythm. Everyone else has to follow this
person’s rhythms (such as clapping, clicking fingers, using the floor/
knees like drums).
Choose one student to be the rhythm detective, who leaves the room
while the rhythm boss is selected. While the rhythm detective is out
of the room, the rhythm boss begins the rhythm.
The rest of the class is to follow the rhythm boss’ rhythm. When the
rhythm changes, the rest of the class need to adopt it quickly so that
the detective does not easily identify the boss.
It could be worth having a couple of practice rounds with young
children.
Bring the detective back in.
The detective stands in the middle of the circle and has three guesses
to find the rhythm boss.
Once the detective has made three guesses, the rhythm boss is
revealed and the game begins again with a new rhythm boss.
Options:
It can add a little competition to say that if the Rhythm Boss isn’t
caught, they earn the next turn as Detective. If they are caught, the
Detective stays the same until they cannot identify the Rhythm Boss.

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Drama Games
Follow Me
Purpose:
To develop awareness in movement.
Number of players:
Suitable for small to large groups. This game can also be a whole
class activity that leads into Flamingoes.
Instructions:
Arrange the class into a single file line. The person at the front is the
leader and chooses the movement as they lead the group around the
space. Perhaps they are star jumps, or big, heavy stomps, or on their
toes like a ballerina.
The rest of the class has to copy the movement and follow the line
around the space.
The teacher instructs the leader to go to the back of the line, and
the new leader chooses the movement. This rotation continues until
everyone in the class has had a turn as the leader.
Note:
It can be helpful to split a large class into smaller groups, which
adds another layer of complexity for students in navigating around
the other group and remaining focussed on the leader of their group.
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Drama Games
Flamingoes
Purpose:
To develop awareness in movement, practise moving as a group and
building strength as an ensemble.
Number of players:
Suitable for small to large groups.
Instructions:
Similar to Follow Me, students follow a leader around the space,
copying their movement. The difference is that this time they move
as a group instead of a line, like flamingoes.
Students have to work on identifying a leader as the group changes
direction around the space. The leader once again establishes
the quality of the movement, and the class works as a group to
move as one.
Leadership passes to the next student by turning - the leader only
remains the leader in one direction. As soon as someone else is at the
front of the group, they become the leader. Teachers can monitor this
by instructing the group to turn if leaders aren’t changing direction;
however, in most classrooms, leaders will be limited by space and
will eventually turn.
This game can end once everyone has had a turn or after a set
amount of time.
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Drama Games
The Bucket Game
Purpose:
To develop an awareness of space and reality.
Number of players:
Suitable for any number of players.
Instructions:
Students are instructed to imagine before them an empty bucket.
They need to picture everything about this bucket - the material it’s
made of, the size, the shape, the colour, whether it is old or new, does
it have any dents or holes, etc.
After a minute or two of picturing this bucket on the ground in front
of them, instruct the students to pick up their empty bucket. They
should be thinking hard about how it would feel to carry their empty
bucket and doing their best to show that.
Instruct the students to find an imaginary tap in the classroom
(everyone can have a different tap, it doesn’t matter where they go to
fill their bucket) and fill their bucket with water.
Now that their bucket is full, have them carry their bucket around
the space, and imagine the difference in movement quality carrying
a full bucket to an empty one. You could prompt students to imagine
the weight, how they have to move to keep the water in the bucket,
how their movement differs now that they’re carrying something
heavy, etc.
Have them tip out the ‘water’ and go back to fill the bucket
again, thinking and showing how it is different to carry an empty
bucket again.
Note:
This activity is more of a drama exercise than
a game, but it can be a useful part of warming
up at the start of a drama lesson and engaging
the imagination.
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Drama Games
What Are You Doing?
Purpose:
To develop skills in mime, imagination and improvisation.
Number of players:
Suitable for medium to large groups.
Instructions:
Arrange students in a circle, and have one student in the centre.
The student in the centre begins miming an activity, such as
watering the garden, shopping, working out, etc. The student should
aim to make this as realistic as possible by picturing the reality
around them as they act out the activity.
The next student in the circle steps in and asks, “What are you
doing?” to which the first student responds with something different
from what they are actually doing – e.g. if the student is miming
grocery shopping, they might say, “I’m taking the dog for a walk.”
This new activity is what the next student has to mime.
The new student begins acting out their given activity until the
following student asks “What are you doing?”
This continues until everyone has had a turn.
Note:
It can be useful to have a bowl of simple activities written down
for students who need support or prompting if they struggle with
coming up with an activity under pressure, to draw from.
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Drama Games
I’d Like To Be…
Purpose:
To show characterisation of role through movement and action.
Number of players:
Suitable for any number of players.
Instructions:
Have students think about a character they’d like to be. These
characters could be anyone: stock characters, fictional characters or
well-known public figures and celebrities.
One at a time, students stand up in front of the group and mime
getting ready as this character. For example, a queen might mime
putting on her long robe and crown and sitting on a throne. She
could also walk regally or pat Corgis.
Once the audience has figured out the character, a new student can
jump up and mime their own role.
Continue this until everyone has had a turn.
Note:
It can be useful to have a bowl of simple characters written down for
students who need support making the decision.
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Drama Games
Living Pictures
Purpose:
To practise following direction, communicating clearly and
developing skills in techniques, elements and conventions and
exploring the role of a tableau in Drama.
Number of players:
Suitable for medium to large groups.
Instructions:
Choose one student to be the artist. This student creates a picture
in their mind. The picture can be anything the student chooses;
however, they must be able to direct other students to bring their
picture to life.
The artist instructs other students to take on roles within their
picture, e.g. different characters or items within the scene. They
direct the motion or movement that is required of each person to
create a tableau vivant (living picture).
Once everyone is arranged in the picture, those who are not in the
picture (the rest of the class) take turns trying to guess what the
situation is in the picture.
Note:
This game is an excellent opportunity for less confident class
members to have a chance to cooperate with more confident
students and work together in different dynamics. It can be a great
opportunity to offer a stepping stone in confidence.
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Drama Games

Gobbledygook
Purpose:
To develop clear communication skills using movement, gestures,
and voice.
Number of players:
Best played in pairs; however, small groups would work too.
Instructions:
Gather your students and begin explaining to them what you’d like
them to do - communicate and have conversations in gobbledygook
without using any English. The fun part of establishing this game/
exercise is that you introduce it in gobbledygook!
Eventually, your students will understand what you are asking them
to do. However, you must model using tone, pitch, pace, and stress in
your voice, as well as gesturing to get your point across clearly.
The aim is to get students having conversations with one another in
total gobbledygook nonsense language but still understanding what
the other one is saying.
This game can be fun and very silly, so it is a good idea for an
afternoon drama game to re-energise the class.

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