With the goals of

  • experiencing the fun and joy of “expressing” and being “understood,”
  • becoming able to take initiative without hesitating to try new challenges, and
  • learning the enjoyment of working together as a group,

Students from Grades 3–9 took part in a drama workshop.

The session began with a random walk activity, moving freely around the space while trying to form groups. Through playful warm-up activities—such as gathering with others who had bread for breakfast or those who had rice—the students eased into teamwork. After forming groups, they were divided into five mixed-grade teams. Each team played games such as calling out one another’s names, passing a ball, and doing a word relay. While following specific rules, the students thought carefully about how to move and cooperate.

In the hand-chasing game, students needed to adjust the speed of their movements while carefully watching their partner. The silent gesture game became more challenging as the number of participants increased, but the children creatively expressed things like “a bicycle” and “a washing machine” through movement alone.

The final activity was a game in which students expressed a theme without speaking: a silent story. While watching each group’s performance, everyone tried to guess which story was being acted out. With only about five minutes of preparation time, each group assigned roles and performed stories such as The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Princess Kaguya) and Urashima Taro.

Comments from the Instructor

  • “You worked hard and managed to create short plays in a limited amount of time.”
  • “You learned communication step by step, ending with a silent story that conveyed meaning to others. I hope this will lead to greater creativity.”
  • “You can create theater without speaking. Please continue to deepen your trust in one another.”
  • “This workshop involved seven grade levels. I hope you continue to support one another, come up with interesting ideas, and challenge yourselves to express what you feel.”

Student Reflections

  • “It felt easier than I expected.”
  • “I think it helped broaden my perspective. I learned how to use my imagination to move my body and express ideas.”
  • “It was difficult, but fun.”
  • “We performed The Giant Turnip silently. We all worked hard together.”

During 5th and 6th period, the students participated in many different games. It became a valuable time to learn how to inspire movement in others through imagination, as well as how to express oneself physically.
Thank you very much to everyone from Shirakawa Theatre Workshop for a wonderful experience.