The secret scenario activity was a welcome step back from many of the dialogue-heavy activities we had been doing in drama. Falling somewhere between the improv and tableau that we had started the course with, this activity focused primarily on blocking, body language, and inflection to convey the scene. The opportunity to use a pseudo-language distinguished the activity from mime and meant that we all looked for ways in which our vocal inflection and volume could convey emotions for our scenario. I really liked how this approach removed the emphasis on coherent dialogue and could be used for students that might have difficulty engaging in drama due to language. One extension of this activity that I might try would be to remove language entirely and only allow students to create sound effects for their role. I think this might be a lot of fun and this modified activity might be able to bridge the gap between mime and the secret scenario as facilitated in class.
