Status is often used in actor training and applied theatre as a way of introducing character-based improvisation to a group. It is accessible to both inter-cultural and inter-generational groups as it distances role to a numerical scale from one to ten. You will need a pack of playing cards, with all picture cards removed. Suits are irrelevant but the ace cards must be used as the lowest card. First, define status as one’s behavioural power in relation to space and other bodies (whilst acknowledging a more complex social definition exists outside of this room). Introduce and model the ace card and lower numbers (2-4) as low status and ask for examples of low status behaviour. Then introduce and model high status (numbers 8-10) and ask for examples of high status behaviour. Indicate that medium status (5-7) will require neutral or flexible behaviours. Allow all members of the group to select a card at random and not reveal this card to other participants. The stages of the introductory activity are as follows: a) every participant should find a space to create a still image clearly showing their status number; b) they should then move as their status number but not yet interact with other bodies; c) once they have found a way of moving in the space, they can begin to interact with other bodies non-verbally; d) they can add speech once a relevant scenario has been suggested (e.g. academic conference). Without revealing their status number, the participant should now create a status scale in a diagonal line across the space. The final stage of this section would be to reveal each number one by one, with other members of the group identifying specific examples of physical behaviours that created the illusion of this status number.

Theory building is an activity that requires the tutor or facilitator to prepare, in advance, a series of laminated images and/or fragments of text. 12-15 is enough. Each laminate should address some aspect of the session’s subject matter either directly or tangentially. It is important, however, that the information does not lead participants in too specific a direction, but also that it is appropriate to their levels of knowledge and ability. The exercise is for groups of 8-30. The facilitator divides the larger group into several appropriately-sized smaller groups. The groups are then provided with a set of identical laminates each. Each group are required to create a “theory” from the materials and represent this as a pattern on the floor of the space. The facilitator should be ready to step in at various moments to clarify, for example, what the images represent, and from where the quotations are taken. Each group, when they are ready, invite the other groups, in turn, to enter their space and “ read” the theories. This part of the exercise is complete when every group has “read” every other group’s work. This above lasts anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour and can be concluded with a plenary of whatever length the facilitator determines is appropriate – this would usually involve the entire group of participants. It is possible to add a further 2 stages to the process in which, firstly, participants form a tableauxor still imageof their theory then, secondly, add movement through an improvised performance. It is possible, also, to conclude a theory building exercise with a writing session in which participants articulate in their smaller groups, in 500 words, their theory.

Dragons’ Den is an activity loosely based on the BBC television show of the same name. The idea is that participants pitch, sell, or otherwise offer for scrutiny, some element of their work to a group of initially neutral (this can be calibrated according to the nature of the task) ‘dragons’. It’s perfectly possible to use members of the group as dragons, but it is more effective to bring in outsiders. This activity works as well for pitching ideas as it does for inventions or products. It is important to limit the time for each presentation, and students can pitch either individually or in groups. If the whole activity is ‘in group’ it is important to debrief thoroughly after the event.

A Short Walk requires the tutor or facilitator to select a walk, or a number of walks, of around 15 minutes in any environment they choose. A detailed route must be prepared and a precise map given to participants. Participants are split into groups of 3 or 4 and allocated a walk (or the same walk). The key to this activity is that participants are required to undertake a walk that would normally take 15 minutes in 45, and take notes as they go. It is vital to stress that progress must be slow. At the end of the walk, participants return to a central point and are encouraged to create a narrative from their experience Participants then show their work to the other groups and the session finishes with a plenary. The activity is amenable to the presentation of results in a number of different forms: the activity can be extended by requiring participants to distil their findings into a still-imagethat represents their experience, or a performance might be created, or participants might want to film and edit their experience, or a written narrative might be chosen. “Open space” is, again, both literal and figurative as the groups’ conclusions are entirely open, as is the environment in which they walk.

Note-making is a central activity in most classrooms, but turning student writing into a performed task allows a multiplicity of ideas to be considered at one time. When working with literary or theoretical texts, this approach creates a physical environment for the consideration of key passages or central concerns. You should have large pieces of paper or card as well as large felt-tip pens. The activity can also be developed using LX tape or chalk lines to divide the space into different areas. You should proceed as follows: a) ask the students to write out either a line from the text that interests the most, or their own response to the text under investigation; b) students should arrange the texts on the floor or wall of the learning space according to specific groupings (either imposed or negotiated); c) the students are then invited to ‘tour the gallery’ and explore the different texts and spatial configurations that have been created; d) the writing galleries should then be re-purposed as stimuli for the next activity, e.g. fragments for a presentation, notes for a thesis, or even materials for a physical staging of the textual theory.

At its simplest the commission is a means of setting a collective task with clear expectations and a real world purpose. The task itself maybe a Deweyesque opportunity to ‘experience’ and ‘ make use’ of disciplinary knowledge, abstract ethical and moral thinking and social co-discovery. In a commission there is an enterprise, a client and a real world commission. This commission may be extraordinarily complex and require trans-disciplinary teams and time to be successful. But a commission can also quite simply bring the real world into the classroom and allow students to operate both as they do in the world but also in professional, rather than academic, contexts. The commission is usually given to a groups of students who are then encouraged to become an autonomous enterprise and to use their collective resources to create something which has a real world connection. But they must also accept the ‘mantle’ of their enterprise. They must approach the task and each other according to their given occupation and task orientation rather than as themselves. Common commissions include curating exhibitions, editing collections or preparing evidence, organising conferences or building digital platforms, working as designers, renovating the past, working as artists.

Still images or tableaux have a wide variety of uses. Material may be presented to participants in a number of forms from text, to objects, to audio and visual extracts, from which they devise an image that represents their understanding of the material. Alternatively participants might be asked to crystallise their response to a larger body of material (a play, for example, or a theoretical work). Groups would typically be in 3s or 4s and could offer images as an entire group (either with or without a “sculptor”) or could respond individually. Images can be used to create contrasting ideas: actual/ideal, contemporary/historical, male/female. Alternatively images can be used to demonstrate moments of transition. http://go.warwick.ac.uk/openspacelearning

Stream-of-consciousness is a useful device for generating ideas and warming-up the voice. We have used this activity in work for student performers, literature students and academic staff. Firstly, you should ask participants to stand in a space of their own and think about a topic about which they can talk without hesitation, repetition or pause. Once you have given some examples you should re-assure the group that this is a collective task and they won’t be exposed during the task (“we will all be speaking at the same time”). You should carry out this activity once through and listen to participant feedback before moving on. If the learning focus is on the use of voice and/or communication skills, then you could introduce a scale of intensity, modelling different choices but using the same text. Alternatively, you could suggest a topic relevant to your curriculum and use this high energy activity to liberate as many thoughts as possible on a given theme. Once completed, the students could then make a selection of more organised thoughts to present to the group or a partner.

Coffee and Papers requires the tutor or facilitator to prepare (photocopy), in advance, ten or so newspaper, magazine, or scholarly articles. These should be tangentially related to the subject matter of the session and not address it specifically. There should be roughly enough copies of each article to supply half the total size of the group. The articles should be of a length that makes it possible to read one or two in an hour. The tutor/facilitator provides tea/coffee and pastries/biscuits/cakes for the participants. Participants arriving at the session should be unaware of the nature of the activity before they arrive. Participants should be asked to switch off all mobile phones, i-pods etc for the duration of the session. They are then asked to choose one or two articles, take coffee and biscuits, and find a suitably quiet place to read for an hour. After an hour the tutor/facilitator reconvenes the group and participants are asked, in turn, to talk about the experience itself, the content of the articles, and connections they may have found to the typical subject matter of their standard sessions. The idea of an “open” space is both literal and figurative, here, as participants are using materials that are “open” in the sense that they are not commenting directly on course or module content, and it is necessary for them to find a space that is neither seminar room nor home.

There are many purposes for traditional role-play and vocational simulation tasks across the disciplines but it is important to note the following guidelines when working with non-acting students. Firstly, the simulation or role-play should have clear ‘given circumstances’ and any risks should be taken in a pre-defined space (working in role has tremendous value as a ‘ formative’ learning experience). Secondly, the role work will be improved by preparation of some kind; you could either distribute prompt cards in advance or you could work practically with students before the simulation begins (this will ‘scaffold’ the learning). Thirdly, you should be clear with students about any assessment outcomes of the activity and the specific relevance of enactive work to their studies. Fourthly, there will normally be a clear distinction between role-work and the usual learning environment; this could be a time-limit, a change of location or a reversal of established hierarchies. Finally, if you want to ‘throw’ students into a challenging environment, you should address them outside of the space about the basic encounter they will experience and the specific pedagogic purpose of this encounter. This will ensure levels of engagement by framing the event as ‘imaginary’ or ‘ experiential’ while supporting the ethical relationship between teacher and student.

Participants are put into pairs. Facilitator asks for a volunteer to demonstrate the activity. Facilitator says ‘1’, volunteer says ‘2’, facilitator says ‘3’, volunteer says ‘1’, facilitator says ‘2’, volunteer says ‘3’. End of demonstration. Pairs now take up the activity. After a couple of minutes the facilitator stops the activity and recalls the volunteer. The demonstration is identical except that ‘2’ is replaced by a clap. Pairs take up the new activity. After a couple of minutes the facilitator stops the activity and recalls the volunteer. The demonstration is identical except that ‘1’ is replaced by a stamp of the foot. Again, after a couple of minutes the facilitator stops the activity and recalls the volunteer. The demonstration is identical except that ‘3’ is replaced by a click of the fingers. Pairs now take up the final activity. End and feedback.