This is Not A...

This is Not A.... Challenges you to use your imagination and pantomime skills to transform an ordinary object into something else.

Watch the video or read the instructions below for how to play. Then keep scrolling to learn how to change it up and take it further.

Pantomime is when an actor will use gesture and movement to create something that is not there. It can also be used to express emotions. In this activity, you can use pantomime to creatively show what you can do and what ELSE you can do with an object.

Ex. You can make a banana be a phone!

You can make a phone be a banana!

(It's all up to you! Get creative!)

Anyone can play this game! For very young players you may want to eliminate the guessing portion of the game.

Instructions

1. Go on a quest for intersting objects found in your house. Before we played on Zoom we decided on which objects all 4 of use would grab from our kitchens. If you are playing at home just get a few items that you can transform.

2. The object of the game is to transform the item into something that it is not. The First person will pick up and look at the object and say, "This is not a _____, it's a..." then they will transform the object into something it is not. For example: This is not a roll of tape, this is my (pantomiming biting into the apple)!

3. The rest of the players will then try and guess what the first player is pantomiming.

4. Once it is guessed correctly, pass the object to someone else and continue until everyone has had a turn.

5. Let us know what interesting transformations you discovered!

Digital:

Play this game like we did in the video and call someone on Zoom or another video call platform. See if you can get the illusion of passing the items between frames. (We didn't quite master the art of the pass...)

Analog:

This game in person pretty much exactly like we did in the video. The only exception is that you just need one item to pass at a time.

Make it more difficult by pantomiming everything and having no objects.

How did the properties/characteristics of the object inform your transformation choices?

What actor tools (body, voice, imagination, and more) did you use to make your transformations clear?

When a pantomime was clear what made it sucessful?

Take it Further! :

Act it Out: Think you are ready for a challenge? Check out proffesional improvisors can take this style of game and make even more challenging by watching this Who's Line Is it Any Ways clip then trying it out!

This game highlights the skills of: Pantomime, imagination, creative thinking, improvisation, and the inferring of context clues.

Use these variations to make school work fun:

Reading/Writing/Social Studies: Take a single object and transform it into characters, plot points, or objects found in a story.

Science: Take an object and imagine as a specific plant or animal. Transform it to show each stage in the Life Cycle.

Thanks Carrie!

Shout out to Carrie Mills for playing this game with us! Carrie can usually be found at Booker Middle School where she is the Drama Teacher and VPA Curriculm Leader. She is an amazing human and is very involved with Asolo Rep, whether it is bringing her students to shows or having her actual children up on our stage. Thanks for being a part of the Asolo Rep Family, Carrie!

Asolo Rep Engage Is MOVING!

We are in the process of moving all content to our official home at: https://www.asolorep.org/engage-learn/asolo-rep-engage

See you there!

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