G-Rated Bootcamp

Creator: Forrest Lark 

 

This goofy and fun workshop lasts 75 minutes. Students participate in improv activities to embrace their "quirkiness" and practice engaging in social interactions.

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Part I: Energy and Presence

Students engage in a series of playful energy passing games (examples include zip zap zop and gesture telephones), to familiarize with each other, practice being present and reacting fast.

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Part II: Engagement

Students engage in improv exercises to practice speaking on their feet and counteract overthinking. Below are sample exercises:

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Exercise 1: Rally the Lines

Students pair up. One partner would make a statement. The other would make an immediate statement (not question!) as a reaction. The earlier partner would make in turn a reactionary statement.

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Exercise 2: Story Story Die

A pointer would point to different players. Whoever is pointed has to tell a story on the spot, and when a pointer points to a different person, the story has to be picked up at exactly where it left off.

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Exercise 3: Hitch Hiker

4 players are included in each round: a driver and three hitchhikers, each player given a specific emotion before the scene starts. The game starts with the driver, who picks up one hitchhiker every few minutes. Each time a new hitch hiker comes into the car, all the riders within will be infected by the newcomer's emotion, and have to continue their improvised conversation under the influence of the new emotion. 

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Part III: Call to Action

Students reflect on their experiences with the activities, and discuss on how they can embrace their inner goofballs in their lives. For example, could they raise hands to speak in a lecture hall if even they might not have the smartest answer? Could they go up a group of strangers and introduce themselves? Tips from confident and outspoken students will be shared, gathered from interviews with a group of UCLA students who are bold entrepreneurs, thinkers or artists.