This is a really fun character exercise from Mick Barnfather, a Clown and Character teacher and director in London who we highly recommend.
How the game works
Everyone stood in a circle.
One person says an adjective/describing word, for instance “happy”.
The person next to them says an animal, for instance “shark”.
The next person along then becomes that character, physically becoming the Happy Shark and then saying a monologue to the rest of the group in character.
This continues around the circle with each person getting a character, for instance Angry Squid, Sneaky Squirrel, Lazy Giraffe.
Sometimes the teacher or class also ask them questions to help inspire the improviser. The characters may also interact, sometimes with the teacher setting them up in little scenarios.
Teaching purpose
- Character.
- Play.
Origin
We learnt this from Mick Barnfather. Mick runs clown, characters and commedic play workshops in London and we highly recommend him.