Bedtime Story

Bedtime Story

Bedtime Story

One improviser improvising reading a bedtime story to the audience, based on a suggestion of a title from the audience. The other cast members bring it to life. There is constant change of focus between narrator and the actors bringing the story to life.

Example

Narrator: Once upon a time there was a small frog sitting on a lily pad.
Actors on other side of stage become a lily pad and other actor becomes a frog sitting on them.
Frog: Oh lily pad, I do feel lonely.
Lily pad (talking in one voice): I’m your friend.
Frog: I know. But you’re a lily pad and I’m a frog.

Teaching Purpose

  • Helping a group play longer scenes and stories for the first time in a fun stress-free way.
  • Also helpful for helping a group listen to each other and share ideas on stage.

Additional Tips for Playing

  • Talk to the audience as if they are kids going to sleep, they enjoy it if it’s following a noisier game as it gives a nice break in tempo.
  • Don’t just do what the narrator says, do that but also add to it and run with it yourself.
  • Listen to each other, it should feel like a shared team game.
  • Keep the story structure simple and give the central character (protagonist) an objective.

Variations

Show Introduction

“This game is called Bedtime Story. One of our actors will read you a lovely bed time story for you kids, while the other actors bring it to life. Please can we have a suggestion for a title of a bed time story.”

Origin

This was invented by Ruari and Sean McInerney during a level 2 course of Hoopla.

Hoopla courses we play this game in

Mostly in our level 2 course and also a bit in our level 1 course , super short-form and improvised narrative course.

Categories

This exercise is in the following categories:

Narrative

Listening

Teamwork and support

Short form games

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

If you would like to receive our monthly newsletter containing helpful improv resources, casting calls for new shows and news about the UK improv scene please subscribe.

You can also follow us on our facebook groupfacebook page, twitter and instagram.

Hoopla are the UK’s first improv theatre and the UK’s biggest improv school with fun and friendly improv shows and classes every day of the week in London and across the UK. We provide fantastic ongoing performing opportunities to students from our courses and a warm, welcoming and supportive community to help make improv for everyone.

 

 

 

Share this article