Arkansas State Communication Association

Skip Navigation

Teaching Guidelines

Distance Education Guidelines: Word Document copy; .PDF Print Copy

High School Drama Courses: Recommended Unit Areas; Introduction to the Theatre; Stage Movement; Acting; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print Copy; Class Activities; Masterpiece Theatre; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; "This is not a Stick"; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Time for Tag-line; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; "Throw the Bum Out!"; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Secret Observation; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Mirror, Mirror on the Wall; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Let's Take a Vacation; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Three-way Writing; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Get the Picture?; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Swat Tag; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; You and Me Are Family; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; How Old Am I?; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; What's the Object?; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Once Upon a Time....; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; From a Child's Point of View; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Partner Piece; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Teenage Drama; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Family Heritage; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Who Am I?; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Cut-Off Lines...; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Ode to an Oreo; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Tag Lines; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Inside Out; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Quote Pull; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; "Yes, and . . ."; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Improve Your Improv; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; There's Nothing Like a Song; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Interview; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; The Hitchhiker; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Freeze; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Social Quirks; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; "What Cha Doin"; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; The Object of the Game; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Deliver a Monologue; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; The Question Please!; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Standing, Sitting, . . .; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Improvisational Situations; Word Document Copy; .PDF Print copy; Voice and Diction; Theatre History; Play Production

High School Oral Comm Courses

ASCA Oral Comm Position Statement: Addendum

Arkansas Guidelines

Department of Education Curriculums: Theatre; Communication - One Semester; Communication - Full Year

Drama Units and Activities

"Yes, and. . ."

Unit(s): Acting/Improvisation

Purpose:

To help players "build" a scene by removing all chances of disagreement that lead to a blocking effect

Objective:

Students will learn to accept and build

Materials:

None needed

Procedure:

There is only ONE rule. Players should agree with each other no matter what. Every response must be a positive one. The instructor should select two students and provide them with a situation, two characters, or an opening line. Scenes may began like this:

Guy: Let's go to the movies.
Girl: Okay...Can we sit on the front row to get the full effect of the movie?
Guy: Yes, we can. And you can eat the popcorn left by the people watching the previous show. It will save me some money.
Girl: That will be so much fun. Then you can roll around on the sticky floor and see how much garbage will stick to you...

The scene is played out until the conflict is resolved. Conflicts do not develop as much between characters as they do within characters.

The agreement rule must NEVER be broken. Unusual choices are encouraged. This will lead a scene in interesting directions. Students will learn that agreement within a scene is more comedic than disagreement.

Borrowed from: Truth in Comedy by Charna Halpern, Del Close, and Kim "Howard" Johnson.