Drama · Prep–Year 6 · minimal setup
Drama Toolkit
Six structures that can stay playful for younger students and become genuine devising tools for older ones. The activity may remain familiar; the burden of invention changes.
Prep–Year 6
Walk and Stop
Establish instant ensemble attention, then layer imaginative circumstances: past a sleeping lion, through thick mud, as the leader of the world. Older students add status, tempo and eye focus.
Prep–Year 2
Invisible Bench
A simple accumulating skit. Students learn entrance, focus, accepting the established reality and holding an ending without over-explaining it.
Prep–Year 2
Emotions Bus
Each arriving passenger brings an emotion that spreads through the bus. Keep the physical and vocal choices clear, then reset for contrast.
Years 3–4
Fairy Tales in 30 Seconds
Groups compress a known story into a beginning, turning point and ending. Repeat at 15 seconds to force stronger images and cleaner transitions.
Years 3–6
Status Scenes
Give each performer a hidden status number. The scene succeeds when the audience can read the relationship without anyone naming it.
Years 5–6
Physical Devising
Build three movements from a sporting action. Combine unison, canon, angles and changes of direction, then make the ending definite.
A better note than “make it bigger”
“Run it without stopping. Make the ending definite. Show us who has the power.”
Use one clean rehearsal loop
- 1
Make
Give one clear constraint and enough time to produce a rough first version.
- 2
Show
A group performs while the audience watches for the specific skill being taught.
- 3
Note
Give one strength and one actionable change—not a speech.
- 4
Run again
The second performance is where students feel what direction actually does.
Keep everyone in the work
Use narration, repeated ensemble text, sound, movement, pairs and flexible performance emphases—but avoid roles that exempt a student from performing altogether. Whole-group success first; independent invention later.