Updated Oct 07, 2025
Introduce your group to the magnificent field of the performing arts! This involves exploring characters, developing stories, writing, directing, taking on leadership roles, and creating original works of art. Participants will learn about creative professions, practice their communication and leadership skills, discover their artistic abilities, and improve their teambuilding and collaboration skills. Welcome to the world of drama and theatre!
If you need more activities than the ones listed in Drama & Theatre Activities, we have even more in store for you here! Or, learn about Drama & Theatre with our Challenge Kit. Check out our selection of related patches in our Drama & Theatre category.
Group size: 15-20
Duration: 10-15 minutes
In a circle, give each participant a marker and a blank cue card. On the cue card, ask each participant to write the name of ONE of their favourite famous movies, characters, celebrities OR other known artists within Canadian/American pop culture. The participants should not share their chosen word/name with each other.
Once the participants have their cue cards ready, collect the cards and markers and assign one participant to be the Judge. The Judge will be a leader who organizes and supervises the activity, but has a neutral role and does not participate on either team. The Judge will also be responsible for the deck of cue cards. They will need to ensure that the deck does not contain duplicate entries and that there are enough cards in the deck to play a few rounds of the game.
Divide the rest of the group into two teams and send each team to a different corner of the room. Provide each team with a dry-erase board and a marker. Make sure the teams cannot see each other’s boards. Ask each team to choose a unique name for their group. The Judge will then create a score sheet by writing the names of each team on a blank cue card. The Judge will be responsible for scorekeeping during the activity.
Once the teams are ready, the Judge will pick a cue card from the deck of cards prepared by the participants and ask a representative from each team to come forward and view the cue card. The representatives will then return to their teams and prepare to draw the object/person they saw on the cue card. The Judge will set the timer for one minute and say “Start”.
The representatives will have one minute to depict the given object/person on their team’s dry-erase board. Meanwhile, the team members must try to guess the image that their representative is trying to illustrate. The representative cannot speak or explain what they are drawing to their team. The team that guesses the image correctly first within a minute wins a point.
It is up to the Judge to watch both teams and assess which team guessed correctly first. If both teams are unable to guess the image before the minute is up, then neither team gets a point. Continue playing a few more rounds of Pop Culture Pictionary, while asking a different team representative to come forward in each round. End the activity when a team wins 10 points.
Return to the circle and discuss some of the challenges during the activity. Ask the group if some words, objects or people were harder to draw and why. Talk about the importance of communication and its relevance to leadership. Now that everyone has an initial understanding of drama, have them participate in a combination of the following activities!
Objective: Perform a different ending to one of your favourite films or plays!
Group size: teams of 8 participants each
Duration: 30-45 minutes per meeting (2 meetings total)
Have you ever watched a movie or play and did not enjoy the ending? Do you feel you could write and perform a better ending? Well, here is your chance! In your first meeting for this activity, divide the group into teams, with each team consisting of 5-8 participants. The size of each team may vary depending on script requirements (some production teams may need more actors, some may need less). Each team must pick one film or play for which they would like to produce an alternate ending. They can also choose a creative name/title for their production team. After the teams have selected their film or play, they must delegate tasks and take on various roles within their production teams. Each production team must include a director, story/scriptwriter, a props/costume designer and actors/actresses.
Crew
Cast
Give each team 30-45 minutes to work together and prepare a story/script for an alternate ending. Story/scriptwriters may choose to write a formal script with assigned dialogues or jot down a brief story outline. Inform each team that their version of the ending cannot exceed 5 minutes. Encourage each team to workshop their version of the ending as they go by sharing ideas for scenes and performing them to see how they work.
During this time, each production team must also organize their props and costumes. The props/costume designer must collaborate with the director and the performers to discuss which items and clothing they all have readily available at home. As a team, they must decide which characters will need specific props or costumes and who will be bringing those props and costumes to the next rehearsal meeting. At the end of their preparation, remind participants to practice their dialogues at home and bring their assigned props/costumes to the next meeting.
In your second meeting for this activity, give each production team 20 minutes of dress rehearsal time. During this time, participants must get into their costumes, set up their props and practice their scenes. After the dress rehearsals have finished, come together to view and enjoy the work and performance of each production team. You may choose to invite family, friends and/or other units to attend and enjoy the performances, too!
Objective: “The Night at the Museum” meets physical characterization! The museum has come to life, but watch out! If the night guard catches you, you will be removed from the display and sent to storage.
Group size: 15-20
Duration: 15-20 minutes
Skills Developed
Preparation Materials
Select a participant to act as the Night Guard. The Night Guard may choose to wear a hat or carry a flashlight throughout the museum. Give participants a specific theme to present in the museum. For this activity, the museum is about the performing arts. In this case, participants would pose as any famous performing artist, such as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Jennifer Lopez, etc. Once each participant has chosen their famous performing artist, they will spread out in the open space and ‘become’ their selected artifact/display in a frozen tableau.
Now, the Night Guard will enter the museum. As the Night Guard walks throughout the open space, the displays (participants) change their positions. The goal is for participants to continually change positions without the Night Guard seeing them. When the Night Guard sees or catches a ‘display’ move, the artifact/display is removed from the museum (i.e. the participant has been caught and has to sit aside).
The Night Guard continues to walk around the museum observing displays. The last remaining participant, who has shown the most physical control and avoided being seen by the Night Guard, becomes the new Night Guard. Thus, the next museum exhibit of displays and artifacts begins!
Objective: Twist! Bend! Glide! Work together to create a given object using your bodies and facial expressions.
Group size: small groups of 5 members each
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Allow participants to form small groups of 5 members. Assign each small group an object: for example, a school bus, a bridge or a giant tree. Make sure to whisper so other groups cannot hear each other's‟ objects. The members must form this shape as a group in a tableau. Let each small group find a corner to briefly huddle together and allow the members to figure out how they will recreate their assigned object with their bodies. The group members can only speak among their group to decide on the actions they will use and can only whisper to each other. Once the groups are ready, have one group come to the stage/front of the room. The rest of the groups sit together as the audience.
Tableau: As the group creates their tableau, ask the members to hold their positions for 20 seconds. After 20 seconds of holding the tableau, the group can relax. Ask the audience members to guess which object the group has shaped. When an audience member answers correctly, have a round of applause for the group and the audience.
Positive Feedback: While the group members are still standing on the stage, ask the audience to provide positive feedback to the group. For example: ask the audience, “what did you like about this group's tableau?” or “How did you recognize which object they formed?” Providing positive feedback to each group creates a supportive environment and allows the performers to reflect upon their collaboration and realize the benefits of working together. After the mini feedback session, ask the performing group to have a seat in the audience and invite another group to come to the stage and share their tableau. Repeat until all groups have performed their objects and received positive feedback from their audience.
Objective: Design a shirt that represents YOU!
Group Size: 15-20
Duration: 30 minutes
Use your imagination and design a costume that depicts your interests, hobbies, talents and values! There is only one step: decorate/design your shirt using craft materials, fabric paint, stickers and images to visually represent yourself. You can use a variety of symbols to express things you like – for example, draw a basketball on your shirt to show that you like to play basketball or have an interest in sports. Or, paint keywords around your shirt to demonstrate your values, such as "honesty" or "respect."
Make sure you leave the back of your shirt completely blank!
After everyone has designed their personalized costumes, ask each participant to wear their shirt and give each participant a marker. Ask all of the participants to casually walk around the room. As they approach a fellow participant, ask them to stop and think about a positive word that describes the person they have approached. Both individuals should then write the encouraging word they have thought of on the back of the other person's shirt.
For example, while walking around, Kelly and Eva meet each other face-to-face. Kelly takes a moment to think about a positive word/comment that describes Eva. She then asks Eva to turn around so that she can write the comment, “amazing singer”, on Eva's back. Then, Eva thinks about a positive word/comment that describes Kelly. Eva then asks Kelly to turn around so she can write the word “spectacular” on Kelly's back. They do not verbally reveal to each other the words they have written on each other's backs. Kelly and Eva then continue walking until they meet other participants and repeat the process again. When the participants go home and view their personalized costumes, they will be able to see a representation of themselves as well as gain an understanding of how others see them!
This small introductory activity focuses on enhancing listening skills, memory/concentration, and public speaking.
Separate the group of participants into pairs of 2. Participants should be paired with other participants with whom they have not worked together previously or may not know so well. Give the pairs 5 minutes to discuss 5 things/characteristics about themselves. Both partners must share details about themselves within the 5 minutes (each partner has 2.5 minutes to speak). Emphasize that the partners must carefully listen to what the other is saying and remember those details about their partner.
Here is an example...
Partner 1: My name is Anna.
I am in grade 2.
I like to draw and colour.
My favourite food is pizza.
I love my pet dog. His name is Bruno!
Partner 2: My name is Riley.
I have 2 sisters.
I like to sing and dance.
I don't have any pets.
My favourite place is Disney World.
Once all partners have had an opportunity to share something about themselves, ask all of the participants to return to the larger group. Sit in a circle together. Ask each participant to introduce not themselves, but their new friend, to the group.
Continuing from the example above...
Partner 1: Hi everyone! This is my friend Riley. She has 2 sisters. She likes to sing and dance. She doesn't have any pets. Riley's favourite place is Disney World. After everyone has “shared their friend”, have a round of applause to welcome everyone to the group and to set a positive mood for the meeting.
Now that everyone has an initial understanding of drama, have them participate in a combination of the following activities!
Objective: Pretend you are going on a picnic, but make sure that each item that is brought to the picnic starts with the next letter of the alphabet, starting with A!
Group size: 10-15
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Sit in a circle. Pretend that everyone is going on a picnic. Everyone is allowed to bring one item with them. It can be any item of their choice, but it has to follow an alphabetical pattern. Begin by sharing what you will be bringing to the picnic; set the pattern by choosing an item that starts with the letter "A". Then ask the participant beside you what they will be bringing to the picnic. Go around the circle until everyone has shared their item and has successfully boarded the picnic trip.
Person 1: I am bringing an airplane to the picnic. What are you bringing?
Person 2: I am bringing a boat to the picnic. What are you bringing?
Person 3: I am bringing my cat to the picnic. What are you bringing?
Objective: Connect sound and images together to create a visual machine!
Group size: 15-20
Duration: 15-20 minutes
This activity provides a useful technique for generating physical and aural ideas around a
theme. Explain that the group is going to create a "machine" out of themselves. Name a topic and give the participants a few moments to think of a repeating sound and action linked to that theme. For example, if the theme was "grocery shopping," a participant could mime picking a grocery item from a shelf, while saying, "This is just what I need."
As soon as someone has an idea, ask them to step into the centre of the circle to begin their repeating sound and movement. Ask if somebody else can think of a suitable way to add in their own idea. Gradually, more and more participants join in the activity. Some may be linked to existing parts of the "machine", while others may be separate. To continue the example above, a participant could join the action by becoming the grocery store assistant and saying, "Can I help you look for anything else?" while another participant could be sweeping the aisle.
You may find that everybody wants to join in the activity, but be careful not to let it go on for too long or get too crazy. Once it is set up, the machine can be frozen, then played back at twice or half the "normal" speed. Themes could include: a football match, a meal in a restaurant, folk tales, Halloween, etc. You could have a machine that actually makes something, like chocolate biscuits or weather conditions.
Objective: Create a craft by making your own mood mask and then share your expressions with all of your friends!
Group Size: 10-15
Duration: 30 minutes
Body language is a valuable way to gain information. Someone's facial expression is a good indicator of their true feeling. Create a number of masks to express your different moods. Use your imagination and make all kinds of mood masks from paper plates.
For example, make an "angry" mood mask by following the steps below.
Step 1: Using scissors, cut several paper plates in half.
Step 2: Use markers or paint to draw angry eyes on the top half of the paper plate. This will become the "eye mask."
Step 3: When the eye mask is dry, glue or tape a popsicle stick behind the eye mask on the left side of the half plate. The stick will be used to hold the eye mask up to one's eyes.
Step 4: Use markers or paint to draw a frown or pout on the bottom half of the paper plate. This will become the "mouth mask."
Step 5: When the mouth mask is dry, glue or tape a popsicle stick behind the mouth mask on the right side of the half plate. The stick will be used to hold the mouth mask over one‟s mouth.
Once the mood masks have been created, ask each participant to hold up either their "eye mask" or "mouth mask" over their face and act out their mood. Ask the rest of the participants to read the expression and guess which mood is being expressed. Once the group has made their guess, the acting participant can reveal the second half of their mask. Take turns sharing and guessing each participant's mood.
Objective: Create a story with the group by having each participant say only one word at a time. Be impulsive! Be spontaneous!
Group size: 10-15
Duration: 15-20 minutes
In a circle, the story is started, with each person in turn adding one word. It usually starts with 'Once upon a time'. The idea is to keep your thoughts free-flowing, so that you don't try to guess what is coming or force the story in a particular direction. It is not always easy to maintain a logical flow for the story (and it doesn’t have to), although it is always amusing. If the group is too large, break into smaller groups.
Another variation is to throw or roll a ball around the circle in any order. Add your word as you pass the ball to the next person. This ensures that participants are more attentive.
Objective: Put your observation and concentration skills to the test by mirroring perfectly and precisely the actions of your partner.
Group size: pairs of 2
Duration: 10-15 minutes
Everyone takes a partner. Partners stand facing each other, about three feet apart. One is the leader, the other is the "mirror." Moving only from the waist up, the leader begins to make simple gestures or movements (for example, creating a wave with their arms above their heads or performing the disco dance). The "mirror" duplicates the leader's movements exactly – just as a mirror would.
The goal is to mirror the partner perfectly. If the groups are doing a good job, you will not be able to tell the difference between the leader and the “mirror”. Leaders should use smooth, continuous movements, because abrupt movements almost always catch the "mirror" lagging. Coach the participants to look into each other's eyes, rather than at their hands, because this facilitates better communication and confidence.
It is the leader's job, as much as the "mirror's", to see that the exercise works. The leader does not try to trick their partner. It is the leader's responsibility to perform movements that the "mirror" can follow precisely. Remind the leaders that they should be looking right at their partners, because their partners must look at them, and therefore, the only way the mirror illusion can be perfect is if the leader also looks at the partner.
Looking for a greater challenge?
You can change the activity and call it “Breaking the Mirror”. In this scenario, the leader puts on a visible expression or emotion, such as a big smile, to indicate that they are very happy. The “mirror” then breaks the illusion by performing the opposite expression or emotion. In this example, the “mirror” would put on a deep frown to indicate that they are very upset. Participants get an opportunity to practice expressions and perform emotions, which are great preparatory skills for acting and theatre.
Objective: Explore a range of creative movements and improvisations by feeling the music.
Group size: 15-20
Duration: 15 minutes
There is only one real rule: Whenever the music is playing, the participants are moving; whenever it stops, they freeze. The instructor/group leader plays several snippets of music. Each will be different in character, and the participants are encouraged to move "the way the music sounds." Stress the importance of freezing INSTANTLY, in whatever position the participants find themselves in.
After the group has got the hang of it, the group leader can start adding instructions during the freeze. When the music stops and everyone freezes, the group leader says, "Go!" and each participant launches immediately into a spontaneous improvisation, suggested by the
position in which they are frozen. Let the improvisation go for a few seconds only, then yell, "Stop!" Start the next piece of music, and once again, the participants move to the music.
Repeat this many times, side-coaching as necessary to make sure the participants are really letting their body position suggest their improvisations.
Indy Scott is our content writer! They are nonbinary (they/he) and love to customize their clothing with patches.
