The 30-Year-Old Theatre Game That Doesn't Exist (And the Brand New One My Kids Begged For)
Last week I made up a theatre game about two seconds before my online class started. No prep. No props. Just a little idea… and by the end of class, my performers were begging to play it again.
And it got me thinking about another game. One I've been playing for almost 30 years. One that, technically, doesn't even exist.
The game that exists because one boy didn't want to swear
Back in high school I was on our improv team, and we played a game that, in its original form, had a bad word in it. (Classic teenage improv, right?) But one of the boys on our team didn't want to swear. So we changed one word from the bad one to the word shed.
Then there is a pattern where performers chooses an animal and accuses the animals of "shedding" snd just like that, we had our own version.
Fast forward almost 30 years… and I am STILL playing that exact version with my students. A version you won't find in any theatre game book, because it only exists thanks to one teenager who said "I'd rather not" and a group of friends who rolled with it.
When I realized that the other day, I laughed out loud. And it reminded me of something I tell parents all the time: theatre games don't have to be hard. The ones kids remember are usually the simplest.
Meet Queen Penelope's Dinner Party
You know "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?" Everyone knows it. Someone gets accused, they deny it, and the blame bounces around the circle. I took that idea and gave it a theatrical twist.
Here's how to play:
1. Everyone picks a character. Each performer chooses who they want to be. In my class we had a brave knight who would save the kingdom (and who loved vegetables), a kindergarten teacher who loved looking after children, and a very silly jester who loved playing practical jokes. Let your kids choose. That choice is a big part of why they buy in.
2. Arrive at the dinner party. Every character is a guest at the host's fancy dinner party. I played the host, Queen Penelope, who has tons of money and simply LOVES throwing dinner parties (with an accent, of course). One by one, each guest introduces themselves in character: their name, something about them, and something they like. Encourage them to talk, move, and act like their character while they do it.
3. Uh oh… someone stole the cookie from the cookie jar! The host announces the terrible news, and every guest has to explain why their character could not possibly have done it. This is where the magic happens. The excuses have to connect to who they are, and trust me, they get hilarious.
4. Point the finger. Now each character gets to accuse the guest they think did it, and why.
5. The big reveal. End with a dramatic reveal of the cookie thief. Milk the suspense. Your performers will be on the edge of their seats.
That's it. It doesn't take long, and it worked beautifully online, which tells you just how little you need to make it work.
Why such a simple game works so well
What I love about this one is how much real theatre is hiding inside it. When a child picks a name, a trait, and something their character likes, they're doing character development without even knowing it. When they come up with an excuse that fits their character, they're improvising and staying in role. And when it's time to accuse someone, they have to have actually listened to everyone else's introductions.
Choice, creativity, listening, and a whole lot of laughing. 😂 Every kid gets their moment in the spotlight, and nobody needs a script or a costume to have it.
Same game, fresh twist
One of my favourite tricks is keeping the game and changing the twist. Depending on the season, I'll swap in fall-inspired scenes or Halloween-inspired characters (picture a vampire, a scarecrow, and a very suspicious witch all at Queen Penelope's dinner party). It's basically the same game, but it feels brand new to the kids every time.
If you're working on a show, try playing your games as the characters from that show. Your performers are still building character development, but now they're exploring their role with a little bit of structure and a whole lot of fun. They get to discover how their character talks, moves, and reacts to things that will never happen in the script.
And honestly? There's something about calling it a game that changes everything. The moment it's a game instead of a rehearsal, kids give themselves permission to play. They try bigger choices, get sillier, and take risks they might not take in a scene. That's exactly where the good stuff happens.
Simple doesn't mean small
After 20+ years of teaching theatre, here's what I know for sure: the games kids beg for again and again aren't the complicated ones. They're the ones with a little character, a little drama, and a lot of fun. My animal game and Queen Penelope's dinner party are almost 30 years apart, but they're built on the same bones.
So if you've been thinking you need to be a "theatre person" to play drama games with your kids, you don't. Pick a silly premise, give them a character, and let them run with it.
If you want more games like this ready to go (no last-minute inventing required!), the Homeschool Theatre Toolkit is packed with them. It's everything I love about teaching theatre, made for families to do together at home. 💛
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