Theatre Games to Play This Summer: Part 2

Theatre games are a wonderful addition to a camping trip, picnic or family gathering. In Part 1, we shared games that can be played with social distancing. This week we are sharing games that can be played in small groups, so your cohort can still have fun! 

Object Game 

Put any object into the middle of the space. This object can turn into anything in your imagination! See what your object turns in to – this is a great game to play with a stick or pencil, or stretch your creativity to try to turn a crazy object into something else (ex: a cup turns into a telescope). 

 Machines 

One person starts a machine-like action that does something simple to an imaginary object on an imaginary conveyer belt. So, they might shove aside the imaginary object while making a repeatable sound like “shhhhunk!” Next, add another person to the machine. They may run their fingers over the imaginary object like a probe while making a repeatable sound like “beady, beady, beady!” Add on everyone, one at a time until you have one long machine moving many imaginary objects through the process. When you have one person left, this person goes through the machine. So, they gets shoved and probed and squelched, and glopped etc. and pops out the other end as an object. 

Wax Museum 

Everyone is statues in a museum. You can choose a theme if you want - dinosaurs, famous people, animals etc. One person is the curator who is trying to catch the statues moving. The statues move when the curator turns their back and stay still when the curator is facing the statues. You may blink and breathe, but no smiling and stay on your feet. If you get caught you are ‘out.’  

If it is tricky to get the last ones ‘out,’ restrict the few to standing on one foot or end the game with several winners.  

Written by: Lizzie Rajchel