This week we continued to play theatre games, but we started to transition to games that involved more speaking and bold decisions. My favorite game that we played this week was the "emotion party" game. In this game, the host would start by setting up the party while acting with a specific mood. Then when each guest came in the host, and any other guests who had arrived would switch their emotion to match the one of the person entering. I enjoyed this game because it allowed me to make choices which would change the course of the scene. It also allowed me to follow the flow of other people's decisions. Playing this game showed me how to build off of other people's emotions and actions as a way to extend the scene. Besides the game being an eye-opening experience, it was also just an enjoyable game. It let me feel like I was playing, which always seems like a good thing to me, and it was also one of the most entertaining of the games to watch. Another one of the games we played was a superhero game. This game was similar to the last game I mentioned in that each person enters one by one. The first person 'on-stage' is given a superhero name and some problem that they need to solve. When each person comes, the person who entered before them has to provide them with a superhero name and then they have to try to help solve the problem. In the end, each person has to come up with some specific reason why they need to leave. This game was especially fun for me because as each person entered, they would take the scene and move it in some other direction. This exercise was good for me because it helped me let go and get more comfortable with adapting to the scene and making changes on the spot.
After this week, I realize that I need to work on not breaking. I have a serious problem where I'll start laughing at everything, it may have been just an off week, but I want to stay aware of it as we move on. I think I might be laughing as a way to 'protect myself' because I don't want to commit to the scene, but I need to remind myself that this is a safe environment and the whole purpose of these games is to commit to the scenes. I think I'll also enjoy the activities a lot more if I can feel able to completely immerse myself in some ridiculous character or story for just a short while.
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This week we played a variety of different theatre and improv games. The purpose of these games was to build trust within the group, and I feel like it worked. Participating in the games forced me to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I was able to do this in a risk-free and fun environment. I never felt like I was being judged by the group, which helped me enjoy the class and be present during the games. I think my positive experience was aided by how we all were going through the exercises together. It felt like everybody was participating and collaborating throughout the games.
Certain games made me feel like we, as a group, were getting on the same page and working together. The "I'm going to grandma's house" game is an example of this. We had to listen to what other people were saying actively and then repeat what they had said. When we played One Word Story, the group had to collaborate and work together to create a cohesive story, which also helped create a sort of bond. The monster game, where we had to all act as one monster, also added the feeling of teamwork in the group. Since all of us were acting ridiculous together, I didn't have to feel embarrassed, but I could focus on the objective of the game and having fun. The games that included more individual participation and decision making, like "park bench," were slightly more difficult and uncomfortable for me. However, by that time, I felt comfortable with the class and was able to work past those obstacles. I felt supported during the games, which I'm grateful for because it allowed me to enjoy the experience. The present game, which was entirely pantomiming, was also exciting to me because I had to communicate something solely with my motions rather than words. The experience of playing these improv games left two main lessons with me. The first of which was that it's okay to just decision and roll with it, there is no wrong decision in improv. The second thing I learned was that I don't need to be afraid. This kind of ties into the first point, but I realize that there is no wrong answer and it's best to make choices and follow them through with confidence. As my mother always says, "Be Bold!" |
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March 2020
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