Activity: Who is Pharaoh?

All of the activities we share with you at Behind the Curtain are created by our wonderfully talented Education department, and are written specifically with Drama School classes and education residencies in mind.

When Education sends us a curricula, we tweak the wording just a bit to make them more generally accessible. One aspect we preserve, though, is the discussion questions at the end.

The following game, from the curriculum for Pharaoh Serket and the Lost Stone of Fire, is a great example of a fun activity made all the better for the moment of reflection.


WHO IS PHARAOH?

Objective: Players will use their senses to continue an established pattern while keeping the leader’s identity a secret.

1) Have players sit in a circle (or at desks where students can see everyone). Select one player to leave the room.

2) Choose one student to be the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh’s job is to lead the people in a rhythm (snapping, clapping, pounding the floor); all other players begin making the same rhythm.

3) When all players are creating the same rhythm, have the player outside come back in and stand in the middle of the circle, or at the front of the room.

4) The Pharaoh can change the rhythm at any time (from snapping to clapping to pounding); it is the job of the person in the middle to figure out who is the Pharaoh.

5) The person in the middle gets 3 guesses and if they cannot guess, the Pharaoh will reveal himself or herself.

6) Encourage players not to look directly at the Pharaoh.

REFLECTION

For the guesser: How did you know who the Pharaoh was? What did the people do that let you know? What made it hard to guess? What did the Pharaoh do well? What tactics did you use?

For the Pharaoh: What did you do so the guesser wouldn’t know who you were?

For the people: What made this hard? What made it easy? What can we all do to hide the Pharaoh from the guesser?


Maybe it's just because I so love games, but this is what makes playing anything a community experience - the stories you tell afterward, the dissection of strategy, the opportunity for insight into the people with whom you share time and space.

And if all that isn't your bag, it's still just a pretty fun game. Give 'er a whirl.