Synonyms
What’s Johnny Doing?
Introduction
Please form a circle for a sing songy story thing.
Description
This is a very structured story that is more like spoken word than it is sung. The warm up challenges the players listening and remembering skills. It can also be used to encourage a bit of mime. Since there is no way to convey rhythm or meter easily we will just show the structure. Each action should be accompanied with a mime action as well.
- First player “Here comes Leslie walkin down the street.” while miming walking on the spot.
- All players “Here comes Leslie walkin down the street.” All mimicking the first player’s walk.
- First player, questioning the next player, “what’s Leslie doin?”
- Second player responds, “Leslie’s skipping to a beat” while miming the skipping.
- All players “Here comes Leslie walkin down the street. Skippin to a beat.” Carrying out the associated mime actions.
- Second player questioning next player, “what’s Leslie doin?”
- Third player responds, “Leslie’s jugglin a frog” with the appropriate mime action.
- All players “Here comes Leslie walkin down the street. Skippin to a beat. Jugglin a frog.” Carrying out the associated mime actions for each action.
This continues until all the players in the circle have contributed. Yes Leslie’ actions become harder and harder to remember. The players can use the mime actions to help cue the next activity for Leslie. Mime objects and mime actions do not make things harder. Mime actions and objects are great memory tools.
The leader can complicate the warm up by speeding things up, requiring each activity to rhyme, insist on zany unrelated mime actions. The highest level of complication is having the players use cross circle instead of just going around the circle
Gimmicks
- Zany activities and/or zany mime.
Variations
- None
Credits
- Information appreciated.