Hitchiker

This drama game is a wonderful approach to bringing into play some basics of Social Emotional Learning—particularly introducing elements of collaboration in a low stakes, low pressure way. In addition it creates the atmosphere I try to foster for all my classes: Risk and Respect. All ideas are accepted. It is quite a moment, when a student, new to the class, new to the country, new to the language, finds that even sitting still is an acceptable and positive contribution. And, added bonus, everyone copies their ideas.

It can be non verbal, which is a plus for students much newer to English. However, it can become as much about language and language development as you want it to be. The basics are this:

• Set up chairs to resemble a car (I like 5 seats, 2 in the front one in the back (although I have also done it as a mini van, or bus, with many, many more passengers.

• Designate one person as the driver. The driver sits in the driver seat and mimes driving.

• A hitchhiker (or ride share if you don’t want to use hitchhiker name) appears and “flags” down the car.

• Driver mimes stopping, opens the door, passenger comes in.

• Passenger has a characteristic, behavior, trait, or emotion, that they share in physical and (if you want) verbal ways. Go for big emotions at first (Rasas could work well to get started).

• The driver takes on these same characteristics. Allow the action to take place for a period of time that feels right (depending on the skill of the group, I go from 10 seconds to 30 seconds, but honestly it is a “feel” for when to go onto the next character.

• A new hitchhiker appears. Car stops, let’s in the new passenger. There is a rotation—the driver moves to the rear, the first passenger becomes the driver and the new passenger enters the car.

• The new passenger creates (as quickly as possible!) a new experience (emotion, characteristic, trait or behavior). Everyone in the car drops what they were doing and takes on the new “behavior”.

• Rotation continues until all students have had an opportunity.

Some side coaching notes that are helpful.

• Walk by students in the audience that are nervous or reluctant to participate to think of easy things that don’t require “acting”—i.e. sleeping, sitting absolutely still and silent, humming, etc.

• Keep on encouraging students to copy the ideas presented by their classmates. It’s a basic premise of improvisational acting: Always say yes.