The Set Up:
Place a chair at the front of the room, facing away from the rest of the students who will be seated in a line behind the chair.
Give Voice Alteration Tips:
This game is all about disguising your voice so before starting the game, offer the students a few tips on how to disguise their voices, such as:
– Changing the pitch (higher or lower).
– Altering the tone or the quality (rough, smooth, nasal, breathy, husky etc).
– Using their bodies to affect how they speak (e.g., hunching to create a gruffer sound).
– Changing the shape of their mouths or where they place their tongue when speaking.
– Using accents and character voices.
- Select a player to sit in the chair:
Choose one student to sit in the chair. This student will be the ‘potential King or Queen’ and is not allowed to look behind, towards the rest of the class. - Select a ‘Greeter’:
Quietly pick a student from the line. This student will walk up behind the person in the chair, as they move, have the other students stomp their feet to create a distraction, this also keeps the rest of the students engaged and builds tension.
When the greeter gets to the potential King or Queen the stomping stops and the greeter says, “Greetings, Your Majesty,” attempting to disguise their voice. - Guessing the Voice:
The student sitting in the chair must try to guess who the Greeter was. If they guess correctly, they remain in the chair. If they guess incorrectly, the Greeter takes their place in the chair. - Repetition and Variation:
Continue the process, selecting new ‘greeters’ each time. If the student in the chair guesses three greeters correctly in a row, they are declared the “King or Queen of Drama Land.” The rest of the class must then bow to them and say, “We are not worthy!”
Then you place a new potential King or Queen in the chair and continue the game with a new Greeter. - Ensure Everyone Has a Go:
Make sure all students get at least one chance to sit in the chair before concluding the game.