Party Games: Acting games

Type: AI

Players: 5 or more.

Rules:
If you are a devotee of murder whodunnits, and reckon you can crack the strongest alibi, this game will go down a storm at your party.

Two players (the accused) are sent from the room, and given 10 minutes to concoct an alibi for an imaginary crime. Their story should cover a specific time - say two hours - and they can refuse to answer any questions that do not relate to that period.

Once they have agreed upon their version of events, one of the pairs returns to the room to be subjected to five minutes' interrogation from the rest of the guests (the prosecution). The second defendant is then sent for, and, over the next five minutes, is questioned intensely, as the prosecution attempts to throw up discrepancies in the two defendants' alibis. If at any point the second defendant fails to corroborate the first's story, they lose the game, and have to do a forfeit.

Type: FB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
In this version of Charades, players act out the names of animals or birds. This should be done by a combination of word miming and silent actions. Extroverts will relish the opportunity to bound around like a kangaroo; while quieter guests may prefer the three-toed sloth... although this can lead to an extremely long game.

For a trick version of this, place slips of paper into a hat, which all bear the same animal's name. Amid the utmost secrecy, each player picks out a slip, then one person is sent from the room to prepare the mime. When he returns, the other players - all of whom know what the animal is - deliberately avoid guessing the mime. It can be mildly amusing to watch a poor guest desperately trying to convey 'donkey', even to the point of eating a carrot, while all around are guessing goat, horse, cow, hippopotamus etc.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
While one person leaves the room, the remainder think of an adverb to be discovered upon his return. The single player attempts to find the adverb by asking the others to perform mimes 'as the word decrees'. For example, he might say: 'Open a can of baked beans as the word decrees.' Depending upon the adverb, that player will then mime the opening of the tin passionately, slowly, breathlessly, dreamily, artistically, deviously, majestically, nervously, solemnly, ineptly, violently, athletically, and so on.

If the single player is unable to work out the adverb from that mime, he may ask someone else to do a different mime - say, hammering a nail - as the word decrees. A total of four mimes are permitted. If the adverb has not been deduced by then, a forfeit must be paid, and another player is sent from the room.

Type: FB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Championed on TV by the long-running Give Us a Clue, Charades has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in recent years - and deservedly so, because, with the right group of people, there are few more entertaining party games.

The aim of the most common form of Charades is to mime the title of a film, play, TV programme, song or book, but the rules can also be applied to ordinary words or phrases. Although the performance must be silent, a number of visual aids can be employed:

Film - The right hand cranks an imaginary movie camera.
Play - Sweep each hand downward in an arc to represent stage curtains.
TV programme - Draw a square in the air with both forefingers.
Song - Put both hands to your mouth, and release imaginary words. Born crooners may additionally choose to go down on one knee with a glazed look on their face, clasping their heart. This does not indicate an impending coronary, but a tender ballad.
Book - Two hands are placed together, and opened palm up.
Number of words - hold up the appropriate number of fingers.
The first word of the mime - If you are starting with the third word, hold up three fingers, and so on.
Number of syilables - Tap the relevant number of fingers on your forearm.
The whole thing - If you are describing everything in one go, draw a large circle in the air with your arms.
Sounds like - Tug gently at your earlobe.
A short word - For words such as 'a', 'an', 'the', 'on', 'but', 'in' and 'of', hold an invisible space between your thumb and forefinger, and wait until someone guesses the correct word.
A correct guess - point vigorously at that person.

When a mime is guessed correctly, the successful player performs the next mime, unless you're playing Team Charades, in which case your team scores a point, and the next group has a go. If you're preparing a list of titles in advance, it's fun to tailor them to your guests' personalities. So, the vicar gets to mime White Punks On Dope, or Fanny by Gaslight.

Type: F

Players: 4 - 10.

Rules:
This is a 'must' for all those who sew their own sequins, and are devotees of Come Dancing.

Prepare a list of dances - tango, waltz, rumba, charleston, twist, bossa nova, military two-step, etc - and ask each player in turn to mime a particular dance. This must be done solo, with an imaginary partner. The other players must try to guess the name of the dance. Anyone who has only ever shuffled around a handbag should sit this one out.

Type: FB

Players: Any even number.

Rules:
One team leaves the room, and chooses the name of a town or city to which its members are supposedly travelling. On their return, the individual team members take turns to mime a letter of their destination by performing an action that begins with the appropriate letter. For example, if the destination is Rochdale, the players could try Rowing, Ordering, Cutting, Heating, Diving, Agreeing, Lifting and, for a sting in the tail, Embalming.

The mimes must be performed in the correct order. When all the mimes are completed, the other team have five minutes to try to work out the destination, during which time they can ask for a mime to be repeated. If they guess the destination, it becomes their turn to think of a town or city. If not, the first team has another go.

Type: F

Players: 5 - 10.

Rules:
Impotence, frustration and anger. Besides being three emotions that occur on a daily basis among passengers on the London Underground, these are also prime examples of moods that players might be called upon to express in Drama School.

One player acts as judge, and gives the others a range of emotions to convey, such as lust, panic, guilt, boredom and terror. A point is awarded to the player who gives the most convincing demonstration of each feeling, the winner being the one with the highest total at the end of the game.

All of the actions should be silent, and the game is even more rewarding, if the players have to rely solely on facial expressions, with no hand gestures allowed.

Type: FE

Players: Any even number.

Rules:
An old favourite in which two teams sit facing each other. One team selects a word to be mimed by the other, but, before they can mime it, they must find out what the word is. This has to be done by trial and error, the only help they receive being when the captain of the first team gives them a word that rhymes with the mystery word. Then the members of the guessing team take turns to mime what they think the word might be. So, if the chosen word is 'light', and the clue given is that it rhymes with 'kite', the guessing team could mime 'night', 'might', 'write', 'height', 'bite, 'fight', 'transvestite', and so on.

If any player cannot think of a word to mime, a team mate may whisper an idea, but no other words may be spoken by the guessing team, hence the name of the game. After each failed mime, the captain of the first team declares that the opponents have guessed incorrectly, and the unsuccessful mime artiste is roundly booed. A successful mime, however, should be rewarded with a generous round of applause.

Keep note of the number of mimes each team takes to guess the chosen word. Each failure incurs a penalty point. At the end of the game, the team with the fewest points wins.

Type: F

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Players are divided into two teams, to act out improvised versions of well-known fairy tales, but as famous people rather than as themselves. Thus, Little Red Riding Hood might feature Waynetta Slob as Red Riding Hood, Julian Clary as the Wolf, and Tommy Cooper as the Woodcutter.

At the end of each performance, the other team has to guess the fairy story and the double identity of all of the players.

If you are blessed with a particularly artistic gathering, you may choose to have the play acted in the style of a famous film director. Quentin Tarantino's version of Cinderella, where the Fairy Godmother turns out to be a serial killer, and Buttons dies in a gangland shoot-out invariably proves popular.

Type: F

Players: Any number.

Rules:
This is a bit of fun at fancy dress parties. For half an hour, guests have to behave in the manner of a famous person other than the one they are dressed as.

It can be quite disconcerting, talking to a man dressed as Long John Silver, but acting like Wayne Sleep, or to a woman who is dressed like Queen Victoria, but behaves like Mae West.

At the end of the half-hour, everyone must work out who is pretending to be who. The best performance wins a prize, as do the best newcomer, best supporting artiste, best acceptance speech etc.

Type: A

Players: 4 - 10.

Equipment: Pencils and paper, pieces of card.

Rules:
In advance, write lines of dialogue (one per player) on separate pieces of card. Each player then picks a card, and has five minutes to pen a script ending with the given line. The finished articles are then read out, the most ingenious story being declared the winner.

Here are a few possible closing lines:
- 'Thank goodness Mrs. Jenkins is a black belt in karate!'
- 'That's the last time I wear red nail varnish.'
- 'Phew! I thought that killer iguana was going to wipe us all out.'
- 'Who'd have thought trainspotting could be so exciting!'
- 'Anyone for porridge?'

Type: A

Players: 5 - 10.

Equipment: A white sheet or a screen of white paper, a lamp, pieces of paper, a hat or bowl.

Rules:
Two guests hold a white sheet or screen of white paper, one at each end. A lamp is placed behind the screen. The names of various animals are written down on separate slips of paper, and put into a hat or bowl. One by one, the players draw a slip, and, using their hands only, must cast a shadow of the named creature onto the screen. The best results are achieved by standing at the side of the screen. While rabbit, dog and horse are fairly straightforward, the poor, player who draws a millipede may need to enlist a little help.

Type: F

Players: 3 or more.

Rules:
As with Speech Patterns, this game is best played in groups of three. Once again, the intention is for the players to hold a reasonably meaningful conversation, but this time they can speak only in questions. Each question must be answered with another question. Anyone who gives a reply that is not a question is eliminated.

The longer this game goes on, the more irritating it can become, as every attempt to induce a statement is parried. In the circumstances it is advisable not to team up players of a volatile nature, lest the proceedings degenerate into a brawl.

Type: FB

Players: 4 - 8.

Rules:
A popular Victorian parlour game, Just a Minute has long been a mainstay of BBC Radio 4. Each player is given a topic by the referee, and told to speak about it for a minute without hesitating, straying from the subject or being guilty of repetition.

Any of the other players, who spot one of the aforementioned sins, may challenge the speaker, at which point the clock is stopped, while the arguments rage. If the challenge is upheld by the umpire, the challenger earns a point, and speaks on the same subject for what is left of the original minute. If the challenge is rejected, the first speaker gains a point, and resumes from where he was so rudely interrupted.

Whoever is speaking at the end of the minute scores a point, or two points if it is still the original speaker.

The following topics may prove suitable for earnest discussion:
- Mud
- The house fly
- The Battle of Cropredy Bridge (1643)
- Underarm hair
- Semolina
- The life and times of Arthur Mullard.

Type: F

Players: 4 - 8.

Equipment: Pencil and paper.

Rules:
One player thinks up a beginning, a middle and an end for a short play. This can be either dialogue or actions. The others then have 10 minutes to build a playlet around the set pieces, at the end of which they must perform it.

A suitable framework might be:
- Beginning: 'Clive, it's the first time I've seen you since your sex-change operation went so horribly wrong.'
- Middle: The gun fell to the floor with a resounding thud.
- End: And she never ate anchovies again.

Type: F

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Before the party, draw up a list of famous people (dead or alive, real or fictional) with distinctive voices. Assign a celebrity to each player, and ask them, in turn, to read out a short newspaper cutting in the voice of their chosen character. The other players then have to guess who is being impersonated. There are no winners, but who cares?

Type: F

Players: Any even number.

Rules:
The players divide into two teams, one of which leaves the room. The remaining team thinks up a situation to be acted out - anything from hailing a taxi in Siberia to givng an enema - and calls in one member of the other team. Once that person has been told the situation, he mimes it to the next team member.

This procedure continues through the team like a silent version of Chinese Whispers, until the action reaches the last member, whose task it is to ascertain precisely what is being acted out. Obviously the more players there are, the greater the likelihood of departure from the original idea. The two teams then swap roles.

Type: F

Players: 3 - 10.

Rules:
One player leaves the room, and the rest think of a famous person. When the player returns, he is allowed to ask each of the others two questions, in an effort to establish the identity. The questions can be answered only by 'yes' or 'no'.

When the interrogation is complete, the player must do an impression of whoever he thinks it is. Poor questioning can lead to hapless individuals doing an impersonation of Boadicea, when they're supposed to be Fanny Craddock. But then again, it's an easy mistake to make.

Type: F

Players: Any number.

Rules:
In a similar vein to Panto, Pandora's Box requires individuals to weave a two-minute story around three random objects. The difference is that here they don't have to act the story, just tell it.

Since the objects in question don't have to be produced, the choice is limitless, but even so, some items are easier to connect than you might think. For example, a signed photograph of Paula Yates, a match and a waste-paper bin could be linked in one sentence easily. The following combinations, however, might prove more challenging:
- Big Ben, a lobster and Burt Reynolds' toupee
- A cardboard cut-out of Shirley Bassey, a combine harvester and a water bed
- A suit of armour, a hot water bottle and an inflatable Spacehopper.

Type: F

Players: 6 or more.

Equipment: Assorted articles.

Rules:
Here is the chance to stage a pantomime in the comfort of your own home.

Dvide the players into teams, and give each team three gloriously unconnected articles. The actors then have to perform a four-minute improvised pantomime, incorporating all three articles.

Try these comblnations:
- a sink plunger, a tea bag and a tampon
- a sticking plaster, a cabbage and a golf ball
- a roll-on deodorant, a mouse trap and a set of false teeth.

Type: F

Players: Any number.

Equipment: A supply of newspapers, pins.

Rules:
Would-be Vivienne Westwoods can try their luck at designing something for the catwalk, using nothing more than the obituary column of The Daily Telegraph and the sports pages of The Sun.

Each player is given 15 minutes to create a little number from a stack of newspapers, which can be held in place by pins. Then they have to model it in front of their adoring audience, who must to try to guess what on earth it's supposed to be - that is, provided the creator knows what it's meant to be himself. Prizes can be awarded for the player who comes up with the most imaginative outfit, as well as for the best model.

Type: F

Players: Any number.

Rules:
While one person is out of the room, the other players decide on a common factor that will dictate all their answers when he returns. By asking endless questions, the player has to work out what that factor is. They may choose to be cannibals, to end every sentence in a preposition, or to treat the questioner as if he has an unpleasant social disease. Or, of course, they may drive the questioner to the brink of insanity by all pretending to be hard of hearing, in which case the game can go on and on indefinitely.

Type: F

Players: 4 - 8.

Rules:
One player acts as the host, while the others are given secret identities, the more unusual the better. By studying what these 'guests' say and do when they arrive at the party, the host has to work out who or what each one is supposed to be. The only question the host is allowed to ask is the guess itself - for example: 'Are you a dyslexic signwriter?' If the answer is 'yes', the host moves on to the next guest.

The game ends, when the host has identified all of the guests.

Here are some suggestions for your guest list:
- Scrupulously honest second-hand car dealer
- End of pier entertainer
- Nun-turned-glamour model
- Grave-digger
- Politically correct plumber
- Tina Turner
- Incontinent jockey.

Type: FB

Players: 5 - 10.

Rules:
A letter of the alphabet is picked, and everyone writes down the name of a famous person beginning with that letter. The names are then read out in turn, and, via healthy debate, the players proceed to lay claim to their chosen person being the most eminent in his or her field. Thus, if the letter selected is D, players might argue that Ken Dodd is Liverpool's finest comedian, that Kenny Daiglish is Scotland's greatest ever footballer, that sir Francis Drake was Britain's bravest seafarer, that Benjamin Disraeli was our most accomplished Prime Minister, and that Deputy Dawg was the world's finest sheriff.

The game gets its name from a session, where someone cited Samuel Plimsoll as the finest man ever to have lent his name to the lines on the sides of ships.

Type: FCDE

Players: 6 - 12.

Equipment: Pencils and paper.

Rules:
Should you feel that your party is getting too cosy, a quick game of Proposals might help to stir things up a bit. Ideally, there should be an equal number of men and women playing this game, although watching two heterosexual men declaring their undying love for each other can be amusing. Then again, it is probably no more than they do after seven pints on a lads' night out.

Everyone writes their name on a piece of paper, and puts the slip in a pile (one for men, the other for women). The names are then paired off, and one of each pair has to get down on bended knee, and propose marriage to the other. This can be invigorating, if you find yourself proposing to someone you've always lusted after... and downright dangerous, if your partner is watching your every move.

Type: A

Players: Any number.

Equipment: Pencils and paper.

Rules:
Players are divided into two teams, each person writing down a proverb on a piece of paper. The teams then exchange the slips, and players take turns to act out the proverbs they have been given. If their team-mates guess the proverb correctly, that team gains a point. If the proverb isn't solved, it's passed across for the other team to guess.

Type: FB

Players: 4 - 10.

Rules:
A popular exercise among wartime spy schools, The Railway Carriage Game tests players' ability to detect a secret phrase.

Players are divided into pairs, each member of which is given a secret phrase. They then climb into an imaginary railway carriage, and talk to each other for five minutes, during which time they must slip the given phrase into the conversation as discreetly as possible.

When the time is up, each must guess the other's mystery phrase. If the guess is unsuccessful, the puzzle can be thrown over to the fellow passengers. Here are a few likely phrases:
- I do so enjoy the taste of Pot Noodle
- My, what fascinating feet you have
- I feel one of my hot flushes coming on
- My pet stick insect is called Avril
- Who'd have thought the Pope was once a Bay City RoIlers fan.

Type: F

Players: Any even number.

Rules:
A man and a woman leave the room, and the remainder think up identities for them to assume on their return. Each is told individually who they are to be.

They then have to woo each other intently for five minutes, at the end of which they must try to guess their suitor's identity.

When thinking of pairs of names, try to come up with unlikely lovers, such as Rambo and Bonnie Langford, Compo, from Last of the Summer Wine, and Joan Collins, Henry VIII and Mavis from Coronation Street, or Madonna and Rin Tin Tin.

Type: F

Players: 8 or more.

Equipment: Pencils and paper.

Rules:
Each woman is supplied with a pencil, a paper and a man. Together they then compose the first scene of a film - it could be a farce, a murder mystery, a sci-fi extravaganza, a musical, anything.

After five minutes, each of the men moves round one, so that the first man teams up with the second woman, and works with her on the second scene of her scenario. After a further five minutes, he moves on to a third woman, and helps with her third scene. The cycle continues, until every woman has written one scene with every man.

At the end, the screenplays are acted out, and a vote is taken as to which is the most entertaining.

Type: A

Players: Any number.

Equipment: A large white sheet, a lamp, two chairs.

Rules:
Two volunteers stand on chairs, holding the ends of a large white sheet. Positioned behind the sheet should be a bright light, so that whoever is between the wall and sheet casts a clear, sharp shadow onto the sheet.

The players act in pairs, and, using the sheet as a screen, perform a short silent routine for everyone else to guess. This could take the form of a nursery rhyme, a proverb or a song title. Given the limitations of the medium, attempting to perform the whole of Act Two from King Lear by shadow acting is probably a trifle ambitious.

Type: FB

Players: 4 - 10.

Rules:
In this variation of The Railway Carriage Game, four players leave the room, and think of four distinctive phrases to slip into their conversations, one per player. When the outsiders return, the other players must listen intently to their conversations, and try to spot the chosen phrases.

Type: F

Players: 3 or more.

Rules:
This game is best played by groups of three, who must conduct impromptu conversations in which the first letter of the first word of a sentence must be the same as the last letter of the last word of the previous speaker's sentence. Thus, player one might begin: 'What shall we do today, Max?' And player two might reply: 'Xylophones! We'll get out the xylophones, and play some jazz.' This puts player three in something of a predicament, until he exclaims: 'Zounds! What a great idea.' And the game continues in strict rotation and alphabetical sequence, with each player trying to drop the next one into the mire.

Anyone who falls to think of an answer within 10 seconds, or whose answer is adjudged to bear no relation whatsoever to the conversation, is eliminated. When the first group is reduced to one, the next trio can have a go.

Type: A

Players: Any number.

Equipment: Pieces of paper, a hat or bowl.

Rules:
Write down a selection of adjectives - such as tragic, gob-smacked or amorous - on separate slips of paper, and put them into a hat or some other container. Each player draws a slip from the container, and has to strike a pose that captures the selected word. The others then have to guess the adjective.

Type: F

Players: 4 - 8.

Rules:
Players take turns to assume the identity of various superheroes, either of their own creation, or that of the host, and invite the other players to guess their name. The actors may speak, but must not use the words contained in their name. Thus Television Repair Man may use every word in the English language with the exception of 'television' and 'repair'.

Imagination is the key to the game. Avoid the likes of Batman, Spiderman and Superman, and opt for less obvious heroes such as Coffee Percolator Man, Gravy Granule Man and Gerbil Woman.

Type: A

Players: 6 or more.

Equipment: A selection of old clothes.

Rules:
If you have a pile of old clothes waiting to go out for jumble, use them first as the costumes for this entertaining still-life game.

With the players divided into teams, the first team dresses up to depict a film, a book, a painting, or even a scene from history, such as Drake playing bowls while waiting for the Armada.

The actors are not allowed to speak, and must stand absolutely still either for a minute, or until the other team guesses the subject matter correctly. If the title is not guessed within the time limit, the losing team must pay a forfeit. If it is guessed, the next team has a go. Unless you have a particularly large number of guests, you should avoid attempting a scene from Ben Hur.

Type: F

Players: 8 or more.

Rules:
Divide the players into two groups, and ask three or four members of each group to act out a scenario from a TV series of their choice, anything from Casualty to Postman Pat. In doing so, they must not use any character names.

At the end of the performance, which should not exceed two minutes, the other members of their team have to try to guess the name of the programme. If they fail to do so in three guesses, the second team is allowed a guess. Then the members of the second team perform their scenario.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
For the party version of this old TV favourite, prepare a list of occupations prior to playing. Make them as diverse as possible - brain surgeon, page three model, rat catcher, pizza chef.

The first player is secretly given an occupation from the list, and has to mime it to the others. Whoever guesses the nature of the job has the next turn. This can be also be played as a team game.

Type: F

Players: 5 - 10.

Equipment: Various unusual objects.

Rules:
This is a quick-fire improvisation game, whereby each player is given a strange-looking object (such as a sink plunger, a boomerang or a pair of cycle clips), and asked to think of as many amusing uses for it as possible. The one who comes up with the most ideas is the winner.

Type: F

Players: 5 - 10.

Rules:
Before the party, think up a number of 'world's worst' categories. You then ask the players to perform suitable examples. For instance, if the subject is 'the world's worst kisser', the player may mime a horrendous tongue sandwich, or simply point to her husband. Players are allowed to speak, but must not use the key word - in this case 'kiss'.

When everyone has exhausted a subject, move on to the next. The performer who gets the most laughs is the winner. In case you get stuck for inspiration, here are a few more subject ideas:
- World's worst contagious disease
- World's worst cook
- World's worst football team
- World's worst case of vertigo
- World's worst dress sense
- World's worst case of flatulence.

From 'The Ultimate Party Games Book'.
© 1997 Carlton Books.