My sister Jill is an elementary school teacher and we had a chat the other day about drama in Brownies and in the classroom. One of her favourite drama units in her class is called Tableau Vivant (loosely translates to living picture in French). The lesson was early in the year but the kids kept asking to do it again and again. She found it useful as a time filler or to transition from one activity to another throughout the year. In her words, “the kids loved it.”
The gist is, the leader will yell out a theme to a group, the group has a few minutes to decide what they’re going to do. The leader calls “3, 2, 1…Tableau” and they make a Living Picture based on their initial topic.
But before you can get there, you need to have a chat about what makes up a proper tableau…
The Elements:
- No moving – especially the eyes (focus on a spot). You can blink.
- Use facial expression to convey emotion.
- Don’t hide your face. Face the audience (be aware of your audience)
- Use high, medium and low positions. Jill says “I usually use a baseball theme … some should be high: you’re reaching for a pop fly, others medium: you’re pitching, and the rest should be low: you are sliding into home).
- Practice off balance positions – teach them to have most of their weight on one leg and the rest on the other (they can’t move) Tell them to plant their toe/heel depending on how they’re leaning.
Jill’s Notes:
- Practice each element separately
- Say 3, 2, 1, tableau to count them into it.
- Every time, comment on the ones who are doing it correctly and showcase them to everyone.
- Have the audience (the other kids) pick out each element when another group presents.
- It is meant to be a group picture, but build up to it. Start with individual pictures (baseball, etc), then put them in groups and give them scenarios (“you are posing for a family portrait”, “you are at an amusement park”, “you are camping”. Give them five minutes to decide who they are and then present it to the group.
- Have the audience pick out the elements that each group did.
- Encourage the audience to not just say it was good, but, say they used off balance position with good facial expression and they were all facing the audience and held their position, etc.
- Once they get the hang of it, they can come up with their own ideas and present them. Or you can read a story, split them up into groups with parts to illustrate (or they can pick their own).
- In the classroom, after I’ve done the unit, I’ll just say 3, 2, 1 tableaux at random times and they freeze where they are (and they’re so still and quiet … it is a nice transition from one activity to another).
Sounds like a great drama meeting – and a good alternative to skits (which the girls still love). But also works as a transition activity for later.
Thanks Jill! XO
See also Creating a Tableau from Scholastic or try this variation called “Family Portraits” from the Canadian Improv games (the elements should apply for Family Portraits too, but this is a slightly different way to approach it.
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