Horse, Knight, Cavaliers

To physically attack an offer or impulse (but not your scene partner), to share space and focus, and to find the joy in physical scenework.

Materials

No materials are needed for this activity.

Framing

Dinosaurs seem like made-up creatures; huge reptiles that make roaring screeching sounds. Why do we even think they ever existed? It’s because of the bones we find and the imprints of those bones in rocks and stones.

Instructions

Organize your group into pairs, labelling each half with “A” or “B.”
Instruct the pairs to separate and walk around the room aimlessly. When ready, call out either “Horses, Knights, or Cavaliers.”
- Horses: Participant B gets on all fours, like a horse, while participant A straddles participant B, like a rider.
- Knights: Participant A gets down on one knee, while participant B place one hand on participant A’s head and raising the other hand in the air like a sword, like a Queen knighting a knight.
- Cavaliers: Participant A extends his/her arms while participant B jumps into participants arms, like a damsel in distress.
When you call out one of the poses, the pairs must quickly find one another and get into formation, holding the pose until the next is called.
Keep everyone playing by giving out points to the first group formation and removing points for the last group formation.

Modify

Try the elimination version: The pair that gets into formation last, is out. Play until there is a winner.
If participants have difficulty lifting other, as in the Cavaliers poses, it okay to lift one leg and leave the other on the ground.