Remote Control: Pause, Slow-Mo, Rewind, and Fast-Forward

Trios act out an everyday action while one person controls it with an imaginary remote: pause, slow motion, rewind, or fast-forward. It demands lots of body control and movement memory, with very funny results.

How to play

1. The whole class does a simple action together: shooting at an imaginary hoop. The teacher works the remote: pause, slow-mo, rewind, and fast-forward (3 min).
2. Trios: two act out a short scene (making a sandwich, playing a badminton rally, walking a dog) and the third holds the remote (5 min).
3. Add the “replay” button: the scene starts over exactly the same. Switch who holds the remote every minute (6 min).
4. Each trio shows its best minute to another trio. The audience judges whether the rewind was accurate (6 min).

Rules

• Fast-forward is arms and gestures only: feet barely move and never run.
• On pause, total stillness, even if the pose is funny.
• The remote holder gives a command every 4 or 5 seconds, no faster.
• No contact between actors.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: trunk-and-arm scenes; they can hold the remote the whole time if they prefer.
• Hearing impairment: the remote is cards or agreed gestures (palm up, rolling hand, finger pointing back).
• Insecure students: they start with the remote and join the acting once they've watched others.

Learning goals

• Control the speed and direction of movement.
• Memorize a sequence and repeat it exactly.
• Have fun expressing yourself in a small group.

Teacher tip

Rewind is the hardest part: give it time and ask for scenes with few actions. Keep an eye on fast-forward, where bumps happen from too much enthusiasm.

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