Dance and Drama
Primary 3 · Creative Arts
Dance and Drama
Lesson 2 of 3
12 min
Let's begin
It is dark. Gatete is telling his little sister a story. He drops his voice down low: “Who is walking in my forest?”
She screams — and then she laughs and laughs. “Again! Do the lion again!”
Gatete was acting. Today you will learn how he did it.
When you act, you stop being yourself for a little while and you become somebody else. The person you become is called your role. You might take the role of an old grandfather, a hungry lion, or a worried girl looking for her goat.
An actor uses three tools: your voice, your face and your body. Acting with your body and no words at all is called mime. Let us pick up each tool.
Your voice can change in three ways. Say the word “hello” and hear it:
| Who you are | How your voice sounds |
|---|---|
| an old grandfather | slow, low and a little shaky |
| a small excited child | quick, high and bouncy |
| a lion | low and rumbling, very slow |
Careful! Even when your character whispers, the person at the back must still hear every word. Actors use a loud whisper.
Your face shows the feeling before you say a single word.
| Feeling | What your face does |
|---|---|
| happy | mouth curves up, eyes shine |
| sad | corners of the mouth drop, eyes look down |
| angry | eyebrows squeeze down, jaw goes tight |
| scared | eyes open wide, mouth opens a little |
Make each face big. On a stage, a small face says nothing at all.
A gesture is a word you say with your body, with no sound.
| What you mean | Your gesture |
|---|---|
| come here | wave your hand in towards yourself |
| go away | push your open palm out |
| I don’t know | lift both shoulders, open your hands |
| stop! | hold one flat palm up |
The best rule in acting is this: put the feeling on your face and body first, and then say your words. If you feel it first, your voice comes out sounding right all by itself.
Keep your face towards the audience. Even when you talk to another actor, stand a bit side-on. Never turn your back — your face is the story.
Hold the last picture. At the end, freeze and stay still for three seconds. That is how the audience knows the story has finished, and that is when they clap.
Tip
Feel it on your face first
Before any line, ask yourself: how does this person feel right now? Put that feeling on your face, and only then open your mouth. Your voice will follow your face — it always does.
Say every one of these out loud. Thinking it is not acting!
Say “Come and see!” like you are excited. Now say the same words like you are frightened.
Answer: Excited — fast, loud and high, with a big smile. Frightened — quiet and shaky, with wide eyes. Same three words, two very different stories.
Show “I don’t know” using only your body, with no words.
Answer: Lift both shoulders up and open your hands, palms up. Everybody understands, and your mouth never opened. That is mime.
Someone makes this face: eyes wide open and mouth open a little. What feeling is it?
Answer: Scared. Wide eyes and an open mouth make the scared face.
You are acting with a friend who is standing behind you. Should you turn right around to face her?
Answer: No. Turn only halfway, so you stand side-on. Keep your face where the audience can see it. Never give them your back.
Take the role of an old grandfather carrying a heavy sack of beans. What does your body do?
Answer: Back bent, shoulders low, small slow steps, one hand rubbing your back. If you speak, your voice is slow and low.
What you learned today
Quick check
Match each feeling to the face that shows it.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
