First-Day Drama Activities (for school classroom or drama club)
1. Name & Gesture Circle
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Everyone stands in a circle.
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Each person says their name and does a simple gesture (wave, jump, spin, silly pose).
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The group repeats the name and gesture back.
👉 This breaks the ice, helps learn names, and gets everyone laughing.
2. “Zip, Zap, Zop” (or a variant)
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Classic drama warm-up.
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Players pass an imaginary “energy ball” around by saying “Zip,” “Zap,” or “Zop” while pointing to someone else.
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Variations: “Zip, Zap, Zop, Zing, Zang, Zong” for more chaos and fun.
👉 Builds focus, energy, and quick reactions.
3. Two Truths and a Tall Tale (Theatre Edition)
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Each person tells two true facts and one exaggerated theatrical lie about themselves.
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The group guesses which is the “performance” (the tall tale).
👉 Encourages storytelling, confidence, and helps students learn about each other.
4. Emotion Walk
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Students walk casually around the space.
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You call out emotions (“excited,” “sleepy,” “scared,” “confident”) and they adjust their movement to match.
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Add scenarios: “Walk like you’re late to class,” “Walk like you just won a trophy.”
👉 Builds body awareness, expression, and imagination.
5. Group Tableau Challenge
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In small groups, students have 10 seconds to form a frozen picture (tableau) of something you call out:
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“A birthday party”
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“A scary movie scene”
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“A traffic jam”
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Then they show their frozen image to the rest.
👉 Great for teamwork, creativity, and nonverbal communication.
