THEATRE GAME: DUCK, DUCK, ?

Instructions

Have the group sit in a circle and go over the basic rules of "Duck, Duck, Goose"

BASIC RULES OF DUCK, DUCK GOOSE ( if needed).  One person (the leader for that round) GENTLY touches the heads of each person while walking around the circle saying "Duck" and then picks a "Goose."  The "Goose" then chases the leader completely around the circle.  The  leader tries to get back to the "Goose's" open space before getting tagged.  If tagged, the leader has to go into the middle of the circle until someone else is caught and takes their place.  The "Goose" then becomes the game leader and pickes the next "Goose."

So here's where it gets fun!  In this version, the leader can call out any creature (animal, bird, fish, spider - so on) after the usual "Duck" taps.  The person who is selected has to take on the physicality and sounds of whatever creature they have been given and then chase the leader as that creature.  The students CAN make allowances that let them move at a decent rate of speed - in other words, you can be a really fast snail!  Once the person who was picked becomes the leader, they select the next creature as themselves, but they still have to run as their creature once the race begins.  So it is common to have things like a dolphin chasing a platapus or a tiger running from a lamb.  Reenforce the ideas of really taking on the physicality given by the leader and making a bold choice. 

Every group I've played this with seems to really embrace its silliness and just go for it.  There is always a lot of laughter and it seems to be a great step toward letting students drop their inhabitions and just be free to create.