Theatre Education: A Resource of Practical and Project-Based Warm-ups/Theatre Games for K-12

Move Around the Space

Where we learned it: Acting class in high school
Ages: 6th grade and up
Materials: None

Process:

1. Have the students begin moving freely around the classroom or designated area.
2. As they continue to move around the space remind them that they are not interacting with anyone, they are only worried about themselves.
3. Begin side-coaching the students to move around the space in different ways.
4. For this exercise, use ideas like, “Move as if you were wearing a corset that is too tight,” “Every step is extremely important,” “You are wearing very fancy clothes,” “You have never moved before (abstractly),” etc.  The idea is to get students moving in ways that may represent theatrical eras or genres.
5. When finished, have the students shake it out.

Variations:

1. There are many variations; the one above is just one of them.  You can use any theme or idea to direct the students to move in a certain manner or techniques from Laban or Viewpoints.