Age: 7 to adult
Players: Small Groups
Time: 10 – 20 minutes
Tags: Improvisation, Mime, Verbal Communication

Quick ways to revamp a fairy tale – or any story

Ask groups to choose a fairytale and then to take a few minutes to compile a number of “What if?” questions, such as:

What if… Jack’s Mum climbed the beanstalk
What if… Rapunzel cut off her hair
What if… the Ugly Duckling had turned out to be a turkey

The groups should choose their favourite question from the list (or combine one or two of them) and prepare a short improvised piece to perform to the other groups.

Director’s Tip

• Alternatively you can ask students to bring a fairytale up to date
• Who would the three bears be if the story was transposed to a modern setting?
• What contemporary object or device could you use to represent Jack’s beanstalk?
• Give the groups free rein to have fun with the stories

What If can be used in other parts of the curriculum:

What if…

• Sea levels rose by half a metre?
• Dinosaurs had not been wiped out?
• There was no gravity?
• There was no electricity?

These questions could be answered using drama, writing or art!