Character Mash-Up

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Develop original ideas by exploring characters and given circumstances in a short performance
• Develop communication skills via acting and performances
• Learn and use the essential vocabulary and processes of theater.

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Materials

For the group:

• One or more copies of the Character Mash-Up form (see attached PDF file), cut up and prepared for the activity.

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Character Mash-Up form

Preparation

• Read through and familiarize yourself with the entire activity.
• Print a copy of the Character Mash-Up form (see PDF file) and cut it into slips of paper with one character on each slip. Put them into a paper bag or hat to choose from. Keep at least 2 slips to add names during the workshop, if desired.
• Make as many copies of the scenarios as needed to give each small group one list of possible scenarios and directions.

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Activity Steps

1. Ask students to name their favorite characters from popular culture, movies, and books. If a few characters are mentioned many times and are not on your sheets of paper, you can add them.
2. Tell students that today, they will pull a character name out of a hat and then play that character in a short skit with 2-3 other students.
3. Invite students to select one slip of paper. Have students read their slips to themselves. If they are completely unfamiliar with the character, let them pick again, but remind them that they only need to know a little bit about the character to perform the short skit. They may als ask other classmates questions about characters if they need more information for the performance.
4. Put students in groups of 3 or 4 to discuss and plan their skit.
5. Give each group time to choose or create a scenario for their characters. Remind them each skit should have a planned beginning, middle, and end, and they should not name their characters in the scene.
6. Students within the same group may switch roles if they would like.
7. Have small groups perform their skits for the whole group.
8. To wrap up, lead a discussion about the activity:
   
   • Was the character a little bit like you, a lot like you, or not like you at all?
   • Did that make it easier or harder to understand their point of view? Why?

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Variations

1. Continue the activity using other randomly chosen characters.
2. Continue the activity allowing students to add additional character names into the hat and do the activity again.
3. Continue the activity by having students assign other groups new scenarios, such as "You are all together on a moon landing."
4. Create groups with characters from one movie or book and put them into a different story. For example, all the characters from Star Wars find themselves in Winnie the Pooh.

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