From: jim.speirs@canrem.com (Jim Speirs) To: dannys@iis.ee.ethz.ch (Danny Schwendener) Subject: Skits Cut Outs Article #R95c. ============== Skits Cut Outs Pages 135 & 136 The Leader, March 1987 Canned Skits A good way to stimulate skit-making skills is to provide the actors some starting points. When young people have not had much experience at creating original skits, it helps if they can start with a setting, situation, and character. Prepare three cans or paper bags filled with cards or slips of paper. One can will offer different settings, the second a variety of situations, and the third a selection of characters. Skit teams draw one card each from the first two cans and enough cards from the third can to give each player a character. Once your bunch are more experienced at creating skits, try some of these other ideas. -Fill a bag with punch lines (e.g. They told me there'd be days like this... I knew I should have minded my own business... But it seemed like a nice little pussycat... etc.). Challenge teams to create a skit leading up to the punch line they draw. -Fill a bag with fairy tale or nursery rhyme titles. Challenge teams to create skits that give the story a surprise ending. -Challenge teams to act out a situation using only nonsense words (gobbledygook) or only numbers. How about a skit using sounds only? -Fill a bag with situations: e.g. shopping at the supermarket; rearranging the furniture in a room; giving the dog a bath; etc. Challenge teams to act out the situations with no props (i.e. using people as doors, typewriters, lamps, etc.). -Give each team one item; e.g. a hat, scarf, pair of shoes. Challenge them to create a skit using that item. -Fill a bag with a list of song titles. Challenge teams to mime the song (tell its story in movement only - no words). Quick Skit Announcer: Ladies and Gentlemen: Professor X will now give his address. Professor: Ladies and Gentlemen. My address is 498 Maple Street. (Professor bows; announcer and professor exit) Measurement Problem (Two Scouts come on stage carrying a long pole. They prop it up, then stand back and look at it.) Scout 1: Now, there are several ways we can figure out the height of this pole. How do you want to start? (The Scouts unsuccessfully try various methods of estimation to calculate the height of the pole. The conversation goes something like....) Scout 1: According to my calculations, that pole is about 2 m high. Scout 2: There's no way. It has got to be shorter than that. Just look at it. (This kind of exchange repeats several times as the Scouts obviously become more and more exasperated. A Cub strolls onto the stage.) Cub: Hi! (he watches a bit) What are you guys trying to do? Scout 2: We're trying to measure the exact height of this pole. Scout 1: We haven't had too much luck, yet, but we'll get it. Cub: Why don't you just lay the pole on the ground and measure its length? Scout 1: (scornfully) Cubs! Scout 2: I'll say. (To the Cub) Didn't you hear right? We want to know how tall the pole is - not how long it is! Article #R95b. ============== Skit Cut-outs Pages 139 and 140 The Leader, April 1988 Campfire Skits We thank Linda Kish, Lethbridge, Alta., for sharing her collection of favourites. Campfire Conference Six or eight weary-looking campers enter the campfire circle, silently circle the campfire once, and sit in a ring around the fire. After a pause, the first camper sighs and says "What a day!" There's another pause for deliberation before the second camper sighs and says, "What a day!", and yet another before the third repeats, and so on around the circle until they reach the last camper. He sighs and says, "Yes sirree!" (or "You betcha", or something similar). After a long silence, the first camper says in disgust, "If you can't stick to the subject, I'm getting out of here!" Then he rises and leaves the campfire, followed by all the others. Good Soup! A number of players are tasting and admiring a bowl of soup. Ad lib comments about how wonderful and delicious it is. Camp cook runs out waving floor mop and yelling, "Get out of my mop water!" Bad Breath One blanket-covered player is the terrible dragon with the terrible breath. Plant three or four "volunteers" in the audience who come up, one by one, to say hello to the dragon. Each time the dragon replies, "Hello!", the "volunteer" falls over dead (lots of scope for hams, here). Then, ask for a real volunteer to say hello to the dragon. When he says, "Hello, Dragon", the dragon falls over dead. The Bike Shop You need a bike shop owner, four "bikes" who line up in a row on hands and knees, and a customer. The shop owner sets the scene, points out the virtues of each bike, etc. Customer enters, says he wants to buy a bike, and sits on each in turn to try it out. The first bike falls down, the second is too big, the third is too small, and the fourth is the wrong colour. He says he really likes the first bike, but every time he picks it up and tries to sit on it, it falls down. The shop owner assures the customer he can fix the bike in the time it will take him to walk around the block. The customer leaves and the shop owner asks a volunteer from the audience to help hold up the bike. When the volunteer is in place, the customer returns and sits on the bike. This time, it stays up. "It was a simple problem," the shop owner explains. "All I needed was the right nut to hold it together." Hot News Setting: a newspaper office. The city editor is talking to a brand new reporter. Editor tells reporter he will get ahead by developing a "nose for news". "Learn to spot it almost before it happens, " he says. Reporter ad libs - okay, sure boss, I'll try, etc. Editor sends reporter out to get some "hot news". Reporter leaves, returns with "hot news" that a train wreck happened last week. Editor says it's no good and sends him out again. Reporter returns with "hot news" that a boat sank yesterday and four people drowned. Editor is furious. Old news is no news, etc., etc., if you don't get some hot news this time you're fired, etc., etc. Reporter leaves, rushes back in... Reporter: Boss, boss! Really hot news this time. Building across the street just blew up! Editor (sceptical): Yeah? (Follow immediately, with sound of explosion from off-stage)