Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue. But if you mouth it, as many of our players do, I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines - Hamlet.

Here is some advice you may find useful when preparing a drama session.

Structure each session to develop progressive awareness of:

• the body
• the body in space
• individual imaginative activity
• working with a partner
• working in a small group

And if you are working towards performance:

• being a performer
• being a member of the audience

Begin with some simple stretches, so that individuals become more aware of their own bodies. Continue with activities that bring awareness of the space – such as Space walk.

It is easy for the group to become deeply involved in imaginative activity, so you will need to establish a clear method of control, letting them know when to stop and listen. For example, everyone practices being completely still when you raise your arm, or when you say “Freeze!” Alternatively you could use a small bell or tambourine to call attention, or have a cushion or chair that you sit on when it is time to meet together.

Establish clear routines, such as sitting down when the group enters the room and circle time at the end. Concentration exercises can be particularly useful for groups beginning drama. At some point you may want to warm up the voice including some tongue twisters .

If work is being shown, encourage each group to give positive comments about the presentations by other groups. This helps to improve attention while they wait to show their work.

• Physical games and activities are a refreshing way to harness creativity, opening up new avenues to lateral thinking.
• Warm-up games can be a great way to start rehearsals. Keep the focus with group dynamic and concentration games .
• Drama games help make rehearsal periods more creative for the whole company and can often lead to new ideas for staging a scene.

Drama can be used as a tool in many subject areas, for example history, creative writing and story telling, enabling students to find new ways to explore ideas. At the end, find time to discuss the session, perhaps finishing with a relaxing visualisation exercise, such as Desert Island.

Enjoy the games and activities - I hope you find them useful!

David Farmer.