Pop up story book

• performance game
• training game
• 2–4 players
• Usually 3 minutes.
• 12+
• difficulty 2

Description: Characters or story title given. One team member narrates a story. The other players form the frozen shapes of the characters as illustrated in the story. As the narrator turns each page, the characters ‘pop up’ and freeze. The narrator justifies the frozen moments in the evolving story. From time to time the narrator may, ‘‘pull the tab’’ and the characters go into a simple action. Or the narrator “presses a button” and the characters speak a simple line of dialogue.

Resource: A clear space

Time-out: Clarify who will narrate and who are the pop up characters. Then decide which player will pop up first. Or which player will take the part of the main character should a character be named in the title.

Example of a title: Molly the moth takes a holiday;The rock climbing adventure; Anzac Day with Uncle Barry;The twins go to Dreamworld;

Aim: To tell a clear story with a beginning, middle and end and justify the frozen moments of the Pop Up characters within it.

Skills required: Ability to tell a story, naming, advancing and extending physical and verbal, over extending verbal, ability to play a range of frozen moments and focus zones, listening and yielding, knowing when to come on and when to stay off. All exercises in Part One Making an Offer, All exercises Part One Finding the Focus as outlined in ‘Improvisation: the Guide.”

Suggested Preparation: KNIFE AND FORK; PRESENT GAME; YES AND; STILL FOCUS; STILL STATUS.
Step One. Begin with one player in front of the whole group. They form a random freeze. They choose a position they can hold for a while. Ask the group what this player could be doing? Who are they? Where are they? Field and gather a range of answers. Choose one. Ask the player to make a new random freeze position. What is that character doing now? Where is the character? How has the story advanced between these two freezes? If you were the narrator how would you weave these two freezes into a story? What extensions would you make in the narrative to make sense of and justify these two freezes in the same, developing story. Build the story in this way. Player makes another freeze, and so on.

Step Two. Place two players in front of the group. They freeze in random positions. Who are they? What are they? What are they doing? Where are they? What is their relationship? Are they two humans or a human and an inanimate object? Gather a variety of ideas and marvel at the possibilities of random freezes. Push an imaginary button of a frozen player. They say one line of dialogue that is relevant to the idea the group has decided for them. Pull an imaginary tag and as if a two dimensional shadow puppet, they make a simple movement. As if they could only move from hinges on all their joints, they swing into action and like a shadow puppet and then come to rest. How simple can this movement be? How much information can they offer in a simple movement.

Step Three. The whole group from pairs. One player as the narrator. Their function is to be the namer and justifier of the frozen ‘pop ups’. The other the Pop Up. Pop up assumes random frozen positions. Narrator names them and pushes their button for a line of dialogue and pulls a tag for a two dimensional robotic, shadow puppet style movement. Continue and then swap places. The narrator becomes the Pop up and vise vera.

How It works:

This is one of the simplest and most helpful games. Reminiscent of the children’s Pop Up books where the pages have figures and characters that Pop Up at the turning of the page.

Begin in pairs. One player begins as narrator and the other as the Pop Up. The Pop Up begins on the floor as as if they were an ink blot waiting to take shape. The narrator stands to the side facing the audience as if in front of a giant book and begins. Title, “Molly the moth breaks free.”

Narrator: “Hello boys and girls, this is the story of ‘Molly the Moth and the day she broke free.’ Let’s turn the page as see how it starts.”

The narrator then runs or quickly moves across in front of the player on the floor as if turning a huge page. While crossing the Pop Up player literally pops up and takes a frozen moment. They take a random shape. The assume large positions and hold it while the narrator looks at the shape and weaves in into the developing story. They remain popped up and frozen until the narrator gives them the offer to change, speak or move.

Narrator, looking at the frozen moment of a player in a star position arms and legs outstretched.

“Molly was a very big, beautiful moth. She had large wings which she would stretch out wide every morning when she woke and she would fly across to every corner of the shed where she had lived since she hatched. Lets turn the page and see what Molly does next. “

Narrator runs across, turns the page. Pop Up player takes a new, different, random position. This time lying down curled up in a ball.

Narrator:” But Molly was very sad. She felt trapped in the shed. No matter where she flew she could not get out. She landed on a shelf and cried softly to herself. She wished she could go out into the sunlight or nibble on a juicy leaf or on a pair of socks. But the shed was dark and gloomy and there was no way out. She was tired of the shed and lonely. She wanted adventure. She wanted to be free. Let’s turn the page. “

Narrator turns the page. Pop up player assumes a new random position. The narrator thinks it looks like a light bulb and so …..

Narrator: “And then something happened. The shed door opened and a human came in and flicked a switch that changed Molly’s life. She saw the most beautiful thing she had ever seen – a light bulb. It glowed and shone with might. Let’s press the button and see what the light bulb said”

The narrator walks into the scene and presses an imaginary button on the back of the bulb.

Bulb shimmering “ Fly to the light Molly and be free.”

Narrator runs across and turns the page. The Pop Up changes again to a pained face and crumpled stance.

And so she did. She flew close to the light. But the heat burnt her wings and she recoiled. She was in pain and could feel herself melting. She was just about to fall to her doom when …..”

Narrator turns the page. Pop Up assumes a new position, on the floor stretch out long.

Narrator justifying the new position of the Pop Up and advances the story.

Narrator: “ The light was suddenly turned off, the door opened and Molly flew out the door into the sunlight where she saw a long lovely branch with a strong, green leaf. The leaf swayed gently in the breeze. Let’s pull the tab and watch the leaf sway.”

Narrator steps into the scene and pulls an imaginary tab. At that the leaf sways from side to side. Narrator runs and turns the page. The Pop Up then sits as if eating.

Narrator: “Molly settled on the leaf and nibbled to her hearts delight. She had never eaten anything so yummy.”

Turns the page. Pop Up player looks cools as if touching sunglasses with one hand and holding a glass in another with feet outstretched.

Narrator: “Freedom on the leaf was sensational. Molly sun baked, drank sap smoothies and sat by a water droplet dabbling her feet in the sweet cool water….”

Turns the page to reveal Pop Up dancing.

Narrator: “Molly was thrilled to be free and glad to be in the fresh air. She partied with the neighbouring ants and butterflies well into the evening until it was time to curl up and go to sleep. Molly and her insect friends lived happily ever after. The end.”

As outlined in this example, the Pop Up can play the main character, another character, an inanimate object- anything as justified by the narrator who justifies and weaves all manner of random ‘freezes’ into the story. The Pop Up’s physical offer inspires the Narrator.

Now swap the roles. The Narrator takes a turn as the Pop Up and and vice verser. Give a new title.
Then repeat with three players. They form two Pop Ups and a Narrator. Give a new title. Then add another player so there are three Pop Up players and one Narrator.

Additional pop ups are not all required to be ‘popped up’ at the same time. Stories can be clearer and more manageable when the narrator has only one or two pop up freezes to deal with for say, the first one or two pages. Then the Pop Ups can increase to three at once.

REMEMBER

The Pop Up players take a completely new and very different position each time. Encourage Pop Up players to change their range of positions and use all the focus zones. If they have been lying, next time they stand, then bend over, stand wide, then crouched down and so on. They should use a range of facial expressions too. The more variety the narrator has to work from, the more ideas they will have for the story. The more the story will have offers to advance.

Remind Pop UP players to freeze very still. Remind them to choose positions they can hold.

Remind Narrators to extend the story as far as they wish as they fill in the gaps and justify the Pop Ups.

When there is more than one Pop Up player the pair or trio can pop up close to each other then far away. It can be very helpful if they are in different positions. If one is lying, the other kneeling, then crouching and standing and so on, giving a range of random offers and using all the focus zones. The shapes need variety of levels and expressions. Sometimes they look at each other. Other times they do not.

Call the times

Sidecoach; ‘Change position.’,

Sidecoach; ‘Choose a new random position.’
Sidecoach; ‘Use a different focus zone.’

Sidecoach; ‘ Be different to the other player.’

TIP

It can be helpful for Pop Ups to be in a position that is NOT helpful for the story. Most games ask us to really assist the other players. This is one game that allows players to work against the story and really add some ‘unusual’ choices. This challenges the narrator to really justify the positions in the evolving story. It is also delightful for the audience to see how there “unhelpful” positions will be justified.

TIP

Remind Narrators to use the frozen players as animate and inanimate objects, locations- whatever they can imagine.

TIP

While the example given above is a simple children’s story, titles can suggest a range of styles; gothic horror, adventure, historic, futuristic, superheroes and so on. Choose a range to challenge players.

For Advanced players who crave more:
Advanced groups can encourage their narrator to jump backwards in time, from present to past and turn the next page to the present. Jump to the future on a page or at the end of the story in conclusion. I have seen some narrators weave a story of great complexity where the from time to time the Pop Ups are in different/random locations and situations as if there were three separate worlds on the same page eg. “meanwhile back home Nana kept kitting” or “on the other side of the word Professor Waterman discovered a cure for the common cold”. While these have to relate to the story they leave the narrator free to justify the images anyway they wish as long as it builds the narrative.

Introducing the other players.

In an effort not to overload the scene with too many offers Pop Up players do not all have to Pop Up on every page turn. The third Pop Up may only pop up in 3 pages, stay down for one and up for the remainder.

TIPS FOR TOTS 5–8 years.

This is a delightful game and can be played by very young children. They Pop Up and the teacher narrates the story.