Distance Ensemble Experiences for Theatre Educators and their Students Session Two
March 24, 2020
The experiences detailed can be used for Warmups, Collaboration, Cool Downs. Students experience the 21st Century Skills-Creative Thinking, Critical Thinking, Communication and Collaboration (by distance). I do not teach Theatre Games, because games indicate a winner and loser. In Ensemble Experiences, each participant is a winner. We work with Objective, Obstacles, Tactics and articulating participant's thoughts and feelings with Reflective Inquiry.
For Distance Learning, students need be seated so that you can see each. Later you will ask each to stand; they need to stand with some open distance for movement. It is great if students can view all of the participants.
Educators, you have permission to tweak any experience to fit your needs. Enjoy.
Most great learning happens in groups. Collaboration is the stuff of growth.
-Sir Ken Robinson Ph.D.
Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.
-Helen Keller
Teamwork divides that tasks and multiplies the success.
-author unknown
Today is for smiling and laughing. Ask the students to sit where you, the Theatre educator can see all students. Assign each a number. They are to remember their number.
Title of the Ensemble experience- Silly Questions-First Creative Answers
How you conduct this Q and A session is up to your creativity. You get the idea. Answer with the first out-of- the- box answer that addresses the topic. The idea is for students to trust that they have fun answers in their creative thinking skill.
Direct the students to answer within 3-5 seconds. Students can agree on a nonverbal response. The nonverbal responses could be (but not limited to) silent one clap; coffee house silent snapping of fingers; Jazz hands, etc.
Perhaps after 8 questions, the group can decide on a new way to show positive responses to the Silly Questions.
Objective: Listen, trust yourself; answer within 5 seconds.
Direct a short discussion about potential Obstacles and Tactics to achieve the Objective.
Silly Questions
Where does lint come from, and who would you take on vacation with the found lint?
Show the love for each creative answer.
If you could change the order of the alphabet, what order would the first 10 letters be and why?
What is the capital of Mars and who or what lives there?
If you could be painlessly turned into a cheerful, not-too-bright vegetable, which would it be and why?
If you could redraw the boundaries and shape of the state in which you live, what shape would it be and why?
If you chose to eat one crayon out of a box of 64, which color would it be? And what flavor would it be?
What could happen if it always rained on Saturdays?
What if cars never wore out?
Why don't we wake up with our hair neat and combed?
What would happen if a cow, a bee, and a clover got together?
What could happen if cats could bark?
What could happen if all the shoes in the world were the same size?
Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
Why is a boxing ring square?
Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?
Can you cry underwater?
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
If a cow laughed, would milk come out of its nose? Why?
What hair color do they put on the driver's license of a bald man?
Why ARE Trix only for kids?
If you sneezed on a computer, would it get a virus?
Do fish ever get thirsty?
What is the capital of Mars?
Where does your lap go when you stand up?
Why do birds not fall out of trees when they sleep?
If an orange is orange, why isn't a lime called a green or a lemon called a yellow?
If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why's it till #2?
If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?
Why isn't 11 pronounced "onety-one"?
Who closes the door when the bus driver gets off?
Why do we say "heads up" when we mean "duck"?
Congratulate all for their braveness. You might conduct some Reflections, asking some questions as to (but not limited to) Whose answer was memorable? And Why? Who seemed brave in answering? Who has a good answer to one of the questions now after the experience?
More postings this week.
Gai Laing Jones
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Gai Laing Jones
gai.jones@sbcglobal.netwww.gaijones.comwww.gaijones.com------------------------------