Description
Actors are cast as families with last names that inform how the family is to be played. A salesperson or neighbor comes to the door and must adjust according to the family type.
Materials
Some chairs to form a family room.
Space Required
space for performers and observers.Instructions
Set up a family room scene with chairs and a couch and invisible TV set etc. Cast 4 to 6 actors as family members: mom, dad, grandma, teenage daughter, little son, auntie etc. Cast another actor as the door to door vacuum cleaner salesperson, who waits off stage. Give the family a last name: Clumsy family, Ballet family, Mad Scientist Family, Suspicious Family, Shy family etc. Do NOT do play with stereotypes of ethnic or cultural groups, rather consider these families as cartoons based upon adjectives or occupations.
The family immediately begins to establish the connection to their last name. The salesperson rings the doorbell and the family responds to the pitch. A Shy family member might have difficulty answering the door while the Ballet family member piourettes over to open it and so on.
I like to give each group of actors three turns in a row, instructing them to "Rewind" and giving them a new family name so that they begin to feel how to transform physically in an instant. The salesperson remains the same for the three turns, then recast all the parts.