Waiting Room: Secret Quirks

Several characters are waiting at a doctor's office, and each has a secret quirk written on a card that they show with their body more and more until the audience guesses it. It builds physical character work, gradually increasing intensity, and observation.

How to play

1. Prepare cards with physical quirks: an itch that moves, thinks the floor is wet, hears music nobody else hears, is freezing cold.
2. Set five chairs in a row as the waiting room with the audience facing it. Make groups of five.
3. Each actor draws a card without showing it, and they enter one at a time showing their quirk very slightly, at level 1.
4. Every 30 seconds the teacher calls "Turn it up!" and everyone goes up a level, to 5. When an audience member guesses a quirk, that actor makes a dramatic exit. About 3 minutes per group.
5. After all five groups, discuss which gestures gave each quirk away.

Rules

• The quirk is shown only with the body and sounds, never said in words.
• Stick to the level the teacher calls: don't jump straight to 5.
• Safety: characters don't touch each other or throw themselves off the chairs.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the student performs from their own chair, and their quirk is shown with torso, face, and arms.
• Autism or shyness: the student can choose between two cards and perform in the first group so the wait doesn't build anxiety.
• Visual impairment: an audience classmate quietly describes what the others are doing, and quirks with sound are chosen, like sneezing or humming.

Learning goals

• Build a character with specific physical traits.
• Raise the intensity of expression step by step.
• Observe and interpret classmates' body language.

Equipment for a class of 25

• chairs: 5
• cards: 25

Teacher tip

Check the cards before class to avoid quirks that could be offensive, and model level 1 yourself, since it's usually the hardest one.

More activities like this

More main activities for Middle School