The Verb Gauntlet

VG Welcome Video.mp4

What is The Verb Gauntlet?

My name is Michael Osinski.

Allow me to introduce you to the Verb Gauntlet in this short video.

Scroll down for detailed instructions, including photos and videos from my work with the Solo Performance students at St. Lawrence University. Click on the downward-facing carets of any of the headings for more information.

Questions?

Activity Objectives

Supplies Needed

Student Prep Work

Steps to Administer the Verb Gauntlet

Learner Accommodations

Some Words of Wisdom

Suggested Verbs to Use

Activity Objectives

To familiarize students with the concepts of actions and tactics with regard to acting
To nudge students to change their tactics within a monologue
To help students physicalize their chosen tactics in performance
To encourage students to try out actions they might never have considered
To demonstrate the significance of beats with regard to acting

Supplies Needed

16 index cards, each with 1 of your chosen verbs written on it
16 sheets of 11x17 paper, each with 1 of your chosen verbs written on it
Printed copies of your students' monologues, each marked up with your students' chosen beats

Student Prep Work

Before participating in this exercise, students should have accomplished the following:

Print their chosen or assigned monologues.
Read their monologues and understand their given circumstances.
Break down the monologue into beats.
OPTIONAL: Learn about and play with the Laban Movement Efforts.

Steps to Administer the Verb Gauntlet

Below you will find a step-by-step description of the Verb Gauntlet with instructions, photos, and videos to help with your administration of the activity.

Step 1: Play a game of competitive charades as warm-up.

Organize the class into 2 teams. Each team will try to be the first to act out and guess all the verbs printed on the index cards. You, as the instructor, will need to maintain the sequence of index cards and keep track of which verb each team is currently guessing. The person acting out the word is not allowed to speak or make sound effects. Since the teams compete simultaneously, they will need to work quietly and strategically. When one person from each team guesses the word, that person runs up to you and whispers the word into your ear. If the word is correct, that person gets to see the next verb, and they must act it out for their team.

Step 2: Introduce the concepts of action and tactic.

Make some connection between these concepts and the game of charades. If the 5 W's - Who, What, When, Where, Why - represent the given circumstances and objective, then tactics are the How.

This is also a good time to define transitive verbs and stress that most playable actions are transitive verbs, since those verbs must always be played on, at, or to someone.

Step 3: Set up and explain the Verb Gauntlet.

Lay out the 11x17 sheets of paper in a 4x4 matrix on the floor. You don’t want to do this step in advance, because it will reveal the verbs used in charades. Tell students that when they are inside the matrix, they must play the action that is directly underneath them no matter what. Establish some ground rules for specific verbs that might lead to unwanted behavior. This is a great time to do a consent check-in, if you have not already done so.

Step 4: Demonstrate how to walk the Verb Gauntlet.

Invite 1 student to have a conversation with you on the Verb Gauntlet. Make your objectives simple, like “to find out how the other person’s week has been going.” While conversing, casually stroll from one verb to the next, without making conscious decisions about where to go. Change your actions to suit each verb. End the conversation after you’ve explored 5-7 verbs.

Gauntlet_Convo_2_V1.mp4

Click Play to watch a demonstration.

Gauntlet_Convo_1_V1.mp4

Click Play to watch a demonstration.Note: This video contains harsh language.

Step 5: Garner feedback from the class.

Ask students to highlight the actions that resonated most with them. Also ask them to identify what specifically you and the participating student had to do with your bodies and voices to communicate the change.

Step 6: Pair up students and ask them all to try it out.

Give them the same objective you used. Have all the pairs try it out simultaneously. It will be mayhem, but it gives students the chance to practice without the pressure of performance. Remind them that they are playing the action ON their partner. For example, if the verb is “surprise,” they are not acting like they themselves are surprised. They are trying to surprise the other person. If there’s time, ask for feedback on this.

Gauntlet_Unplanned_V1.mp4

Step 7: Invite 2 students to deliver a monologue on the Verb Gauntlet.

Decide who is Partner A and who is Partner B. Partner A will deliver their monologue – playing the action underneath their feet – and Partner B will be their silent but engaged scene partner.

Whenever Partner A reaches a new beat, they must travel with Partner B to a new verb, but they should not plan their destination in advance. They may land on a verb that doesn’t seem like it makes sense, and that’s okay. They should play it anyway. And they continue to travel on the Verb Gauntlet until they reach the end of the monologue.

During all this, Partner B is acting as the “best scene partner possible,” meaning they act as if the action Partner A is playing on them is having the desired effect.

Step 8: Ask the class to provide feedback.

In this case, you’re specifically looking to identify the actions that felt surprisingly effective or completely ineffective. This is often the point where students discover a new action they can play that they never would have considered if they hadn’t completed this exercise. Partner B should share their impressions as well.

Step 9: Pair up students again and ask them all to try it with their monologues.

Remind them not to plan out their path on the Verb Gauntlet. Make sure each student has a chance to deliver their monologue and get feedback from their partner. Once again it will be mayhem, but that will help alleviate pressure. Continue to remind them they are playing the action ON their partner. If there’s time, get feedback from the entire group.

Step 10: Task students with creating prescribed paths for their monologues.

Based on the experience they just had and the feedback they got from their partner, they should write the verb they want to play in each beat on their monologue. Encourage them to incorporate any surprising discoveries. Remind them they can change the location of their beats based on the work they’ve done here.

Gauntlet_Planned_V1.mp4

Step 11: Invite 1 or 2 students to deliver their monologues according to their paths.

At this point, it’s good to have individual students perform for the class and receive feedback, but you can also let this be mayhem again. Just make sure students have the opportunity to reflect on the experience.

Learner Accommodations

If any of your students require accommodations, consider incorporating the following practices in your administration of the exercise:

Provide large-print versions of the monologue.
Ask a student to quietly feed lines to the student delivering the monologue.
Refrain from "spotlighting" students or requiring all students to perform for the class in the moment.
Give students who use ASL additional time to memorize the text before the exercise.
Assign visually impaired students an additional partner, who can guide them around the Verb Gauntlet and tell them which verb they have landed on.
Reserve a more spacious room to accommodate students with wheelchairs, crutches, or other equipment or devices.
Allow students with mobility issues to stay in one place and ask another student to randomly show them index cards with the verbs on them.
Let students "opt out" of the exercise - using a specific word or gesture - and observe their classmates' work.

Some Words of Wisdom

Students quickly formulate ideas of the “right” way to perform the monologue. This exercise reminds them there is no “right” way to do it, prevents them from getting stuck in one action, and gives them some alternative actions to consider. Make sure students encounter this exercise at the right time in their work. If they are not familiar with the text yet, it will hamper their ability to change tactics. If they have already spent a great deal of time on the text, it will confuse them as they approach their final performances.

Suggested Verbs to Use

You want to choose a broad array of verbs - positive and negative, hard and soft, direct and indirect. I have revised my own list over time and settled on the following 16 verbs:

SURPRISE
TEACH
INVESTIGATE
PRAISE
SEDUCE
DESTROY
COMFORT
SCOLD
PROTECT
ENCOURAGE
MOCK
CONFRONT
CURSE
INTIMIDATE
ELECTRIFY
ENTICE

Questions?

The monologue used is from The Spotted Man by Walter Wykes and is part of the public domain.
Special thanks to the students in my spring 2025 Solo Performance class at St. Lawrence University for participating in the filming for this. Every student you see in a still or moving image on this site gave their written permission for me to use these photos and videos.
© 2025 Michael Osinski

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