top of page
  • Writer's pictureLaurie Swigart

PARK BENCH

Jim Bowman


In this game, one person decides the character for both participants. The other player has to react to this while trying to determine their character. One player sits on a bench. The setting is a park, and the person on the bench has no character until the second participant enters. The second player has decided who she is, and who the person sitting on the park bench is. For example, the person entering could decide, "The person on the bench is a famous author, and I am a great fan of his work." In this situation, the action would recognize the person on the bench, react to seeing their favorite author in person, ask for an autograph, and tell the author about which books she likes best. The actor on the bench, meanwhile, has to adapt to the situation, developing their character bit by bit. The improvisation ends

when one actor exits, hopefully after everyone figures out who they are.

4 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

WHAT THEATRE GRADS NEED TO KNOW

by Kent Lantaff. STAGE DIRECTIONS. October 1996 What do theatrical employers believe actors need to learn from actor training programs? We asked a sampling of those who do the hiring in the theatre --

WHAT ME, JUGGLE?

by Nym M. K. Nevarez. DRAMATICS. May, 1993. Have you ever watched a juggler throwing knives or bowling balls or flaming torches into the air, and wondered, "How does he do that?" Actually, it's a lot

The Creative Personality

Creative individuals are remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost any situation and to make do with whatever is at hand to reach their goals. By Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, published on July 01, 1

bottom of page