WWW.TRINITYCOLLEGE.

COM

Worksheet activities
suitable for Acting, Musical
Theatre and Speech and Drama
improvisation

Improvisation is an important skill

for any performer. This activity sheet
WARM UP EXERCISES AND ACTIVITIES
gives you some fun activities to try (10 minutes)
either on your own, with your family
or even with your friends on a video There are lots of simple exercises here to warm up
call. There are lots of options, so you your voice and body. If you haven’t been physically
active today then you can use them to get you going
can split the tasks up and try a them
and increase your energy. It’s a good opportunity
over a few days.
to get your whole family involved. Try them all and
then concentrate on the ones you enjoy and then
you can build your own warm up
LEARNING OBJECTIVES from this menu.
OF THE SESSION FACE, TONGUE & JAW
To: 1. Stick your tongue in and out 6 times to stretch
• Warm up the articulators the tongue.
• Use the voice effectively 2. Smile and pout x 6.
• Start improvisation activities 3. Circle your tongue slowly 4 times right 4 times
• Be imaginative in improvisation left with mouth closed.
• Develop listen and response skills 4. Chew an imaginary piece of toffee. Use all your
• Be more confident in improvisation jaw and imagine what it tastes and feels like.
and speaking aloud 5. Have a little laugh to yourself to think about
• To use resources to develop opening the vocal folds.
improvisation techniques 6. Laugh out loud with control, use the whole face,
then silently whilst thinking about how it feels.
7. Scrunch up your face tight, then open with VOCAL - VOWELS
mouth open saying ahhhh! Scrunch close, Working through the following vowels sounds
open ahhhh. add a physical action and send it back and
forth to your partner.
BREATHING Ee Ay Ah Oh Oo Aw i.e Eeeeeeeeee with an
1. Breathe in for 4 counts and out for 8 arm(s) action (circle or similar).
counts. Keep shoulders relaxed and feel
the breath down into the abdominals. PING-PONG CONSONANTS
2. Breathe in for 4 and out for 8 counting 1. Using consonants, each person chooses a
aloud, 12345678. consonant to strengthen articulation i.e.
3. Any variation on this to start to feel the Person 1 - PppppppppppP
breath filling the lungs without tension Person 2 – BbbbbbbbbbbB
and breathing out with control. Imagine Person 1 - TttttttttttttttttT
you have a balloon in your abdominals and Stress is on the first and last letter and
when you breathe in the balloon expands this is done until you run out of consonants.
and when you breathe out it deflates. Pace is key and have fun with it.
2. Try adding a consonant to the vowel
PHYSICAL sound and change the consonant i.e
Check the space for hazards and make sure Mee, May, Mah, Maw, Moh, Moo
there are no vases you can accidently break Tee, Tay, Tah, Taw, Toh, Too.
before you start.
TONGUE TWISTERS
1. Put your right ear to right shoulder and 1. Say the tongue twisters slowly at first to
roll your chin down and forward until to get used to them and then quickly up to 6
the left ear meets the left shoulder. Roll times in succession.
back the other way x 3. • Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry
2. Shrug your shoulders up, down, then roll • Red Feather, Yellow Feather
them forward and backward. • She sells seas shells on the seashore
3. Swing your arms in a circle in one • Unique New York
direction, then the other, then in opposite • Peter Piper Picked a Peck of
directions - one forward, one backwards Pickled Peppers
(this one takes some concentration!) 2. Why not write your own tongue twister…
4. Do some star jumps to get your whole then teach it to each other?
body going x 6 3. Try saying a tongue twister with emotion,
5. Roll your body down to the floor with sad, happy, excited…you decide.
your arms out stretched and then back up 4. Try to say the tongue twisters quietly, then
again very slowly. It’s a good idea to softly loudly.
bend your knees to avoid injury unless 5. Have a competition with each other and
you’re super flexible! see how many times you can say the
6. Shake everything out to release any last tongue twister with clear diction and
bits of tension in your body. breath control.

2
 WWW.TRINITYCOLLEGE.COM

EMOTION, CONCENTRATION
AND FOCUS ACTIVITIES
(5 minutes)

Choose one of these each time you do the

worksheet.

THE TELEVISION GAME

In pairs, choose one person to lead the game
and pretend they have the remote control
for the television. Ask the other person
to visualise the television. It is up to the
person with the remote control to change
what’s on the screen i.e. it is a scary film,
a happy programme, a funny cartoon and
the reaction changes with each change of
emotion or imaginative image.

CONVERSATIONS
Using either fruit, vegetables or favourite
food have a conversation. Each participant
chooses a different word which means this
could be extended to ‘I love apples’ with
a response of ‘I hate apples’. The natural
extension of this is ‘Why do you love/hate
apples/bananas’.

TELL ME ABOUT…
• Your favourite book, holiday, food, to a
time limit – 30 seconds.
• Three fun facts about yourself. Make sure
you introduce who you are first i.e My
name is… and I’m…(age) – time limit 60
seconds.

3
 WWW.TRINITYCOLLEGE.COM

amount of money. It could be a sad call and

IMPROVISATION (MAIN ACTIVITY) something you were really looking forward
(15-20 minutes) to is cancelled…

This is the main focus of the worksheet and Swap places and both participants to have
these activities can be repeated and split a go. Be imaginative and maintain focus on
over several days or sessions. It’s a good what the other person is saying on the other
opportunity for you to reflect on how things end of the phone only the receiver knows
are going and what you want to change what is being said. This exercise takes a little
or do differently. Once you are confident time to develop so initially put a time limit of
with an activity then you can show your 1 minute and this will naturally increase as
performances to family and friends – in confidence increases.
person or over a video call.
Key points:
1. TELEPHONE IMPROVISATION – • For younger children keep it simple i.e.
Receive, listen and respond. A phone call from a friend or relative in
another country.
Imagine you are waiting for a phone call or a • Remember to allow the imaginary other
Facetime call. You can use sound effects on person to speak, use pause, listen and
your phone and make the call. The person respond.
receiving the call does not know who is on • Remember the receiver of the call knows
the other end of the call and what they are what is being said so the observer,
about to say…i.e. it could be a very happy your partner needs to hear and see
call, you’ve passed an exam or won a huge the receiver reaction both vocally and
physically.

4
 WWW.TRINITYCOLLEGE.COM

2. WHO’S ON THE SOFA? Create an improvisation which can be done

Person A sits on the sofa and decides who as a solo improvisation. Start with the
they are i.e. this could be a Disney character, location, establish the setting by telling the
a favourite singer, dancer or television or listener where you are i.e.
book character. Person A establishes who
the character is by actions and a little chat “Oh wow, this place is amazing, look at all
to self about why they are on the sofa. these cobwebs and really old stuff! I don’t
Person B asks questions about who they like the look of that picture; the eyes are
might be…Person A can answer freely but following me… (add a line) I’m not sure I
in character. Once it is clear who Person A should be here? I know I should’ve listened
is swap over and Person B shows a different to Mom and not come here as I’m getting
character. a bad feeling…(add an emotion) I’m really
scared but I don’t know why it’s just a
Key points: feeling….(add a character type) Oh I’m not
• Person A should try to keep the initial worried, I’ve done bungee jumping and
dialogue going as much as possible and everything…
establish who the character is.
• The questioning should be a fluid Key points:
exchange and develop the situation. • Take time to develop these
• To advance this activity, Person B can ask improvisations. Time limits of 2 minutes
Person A. Why are you here? What do initially work well and keep adding ideas
you want? to the box or envelopes. As skills develop
the time will naturally extend.
3. WHAT’S IN THE BOX? • It is not necessary to have an ending to
Create a box of words or envelopes labelled the improvisation. Do not leave your own
to include the following: improvisation if you run out of things
• Locations/Places i.e. in a forest, a to say, leave the improvisation on a cliff
haunted house, the supermarket, in a hanger!
spaceship. • Be imaginative and have fun creating
• Lines to start improvisation i.e. “I wonder stories through improvisation.
what happened here?”
• “I’m not sure I should be here”
• “Crikey, that’s a surprise!”
• “Who was that?”
• Emotions: sad, happy, excited, worried…
• Character types: brave person, curious
person, scared person, confident
person…

5
EVALUATION
(5 minutes)

Write down your answers to the following:

What have I learnt today?

What did I do well today?​
What do I want to improve for the next session?
What did I enjoy and why did I enjoy it?
How will I improve what I did today?
I will do this by...(date)

Then get your parent or guardian to sign it. If you

keep that going over a few days, before you know
it, you will have started a drama workbook which
charts your progress.

Access Trinity Anthology online  for poems,

stories, monologues and a whole host of
resources to support your independent sessions.

WWW.TRINITYCOLLEGE.COM