Music and performing arts
Devising deck: stimulus cards and constraints
Combine a stimulus card with a performance constraint to devise a short scene with an opening, turning point and ending. Pupils shape the action through both elements; headlines or news prompts are invented, not verified reporting.
Start with a pictured setting, then choose a stimulus and a constraint from the deck.
Read the complete materialRead the material
Combine a stimulus card with a performance constraint to devise a short scene with an opening, turning point and ending. Pupils shape the action through both elements; headlines or news prompts are invented, not verified reporting.
Activity. Use the preview for diagrams and layout.
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LEARNING GOAL Turn a stimulus into an original devised scene with a clear idea and shape. SUCCESS CRITERIA I can explore a stimulus in more than one way. I can shape a scene with a strong opening, a turning point and an ending. I can use a constraint to make bolder choices. IMAGE a picture to bring to life WORDS a line to build a scene around HEADLINE an invented news story CONSTRAINT a rule your scene must obey Cut along the dashed lines. Deal one stimulus card, add one Constraint card, then devise a scene using both. Drama devising stimulus cards Cards 7 to 12 DRAMA AGES 11 TO 16 DEVISING DEVISING DECK Twelve stimulus cards for group devising: images, words, headlines, constraints. IMAGE An empty swing, still moving. Ask: Who was here a moment ago? Why did they leave? IMAGE A suitcase alone on a platform. Ask: Whose case is this? Are they arriving, leaving or lost? IMAGE A lighthouse in a storm. Ask: Who keeps this light burning? Who is out at sea? WORDS PROVERB Try: A bad day that hides something good. Every cloud has a silver lining. WORDS PROVERB Try: What someone does tells us more than what they say. Actions speak louder than words. WORDS ORIGINAL LINE Try: Who says this? Where are they, and what went wrong? The map was right. We were wrong. NEXT 1 2 3 4 5 6 PageĀ 1Ā ofĀ 2
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Cut these out too. The headlines are invented: no real people, places or events. A Constraint card is a rule: obey it all the way through. 1 Our group plan 1 Our cards and big idea 2 Our opening image 3 How we obey the rule Drama devising stimulus cards Teacher notes DRAMA DEVISING DECK CARDS 7 TO 12 HEADLINES AND CONSTRAINTS HEADLINE STOP PRESS Town wakes to find river has vanished INVENTED HEADLINE Try: Show the morning the town finds out. HEADLINE STOP PRESS Every clock in town stops at the same minute INVENTED HEADLINE Try: What was each person doing at that minute? HEADLINE STOP PRESS Hall locked for 30 years opens tonight INVENTED HEADLINE Try: Who has waited thirty years for tonight? CONSTRAINT Only three lines of dialogue. The whole scene has three spoken lines. Movement, sound and silence do the rest. Tip: Make every line count. CONSTRAINT Begin at the end. Open on your final moment as a still image, then show how it happened. Tip: The audience knows the end. Make them wonder how. CONSTRAINT One character never speaks. One character stays silent all the way through, yet matters most. Tip: Let the others react to the silence. ACTION! NEXT 7 8 9 10 11 12 PageĀ 2Ā ofĀ 2
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Devising deck: stimulus cards and constraints Teacher companion Drama | Pupils aged 11 to 16 Use with the exact 2-page original file. Keep pupil or staff activity pages separate from this teacher companion. When to use it Use the deck for a group devising task once pupils can improvise and agree a shared idea. Deal one stimulus and one constraint, then review how the rule affects the whole scene. Purpose Create a devised scene from a stimulus and constraint with a clear idea, opening, turning point and ending. Start here Deal one stimulus card and one constraint, then name the groupās central idea before improvising. A teaching sequence 1. Explore the chosen stimulus and ask what characters, setting or event it might suggest. 2. Add the constraint and test how it changes movement, speech, sound or silence. 3. Use the group plan to name the idea, opening image and way the rule shapes the scene. 4. Rehearse the full scene and check it has an opening, a turning point and an ending. Ask, āWhere can the audience see the rule shape the action?ā Rehearse that moment and check the sceneās turn. Checking guidance Look for a scene where the stimulus and constraint both affect what happens, with a clear shape and shared idea. Ask: āWhere can the audience see the rule shaping the action?ā The cards offer starting points, not a completed script or required interpretation. Use a short rehearsal check: identify the opening image, the turning point and the ending; then point to one moment where the chosen constraint changes the action. Interpretations can differ. Support Offer one stimulus and a simpler constraint first, then let groups add another idea after an initial improvisation. Provide roles such as performer, observer or recorder so everyone can contribute in an accessible way. Take it further Ask groups to swap a constraint after rehearsing and revise one section of the scene. They can compare which version communicates the central idea more clearly to an audience. Things to keep in mind The printed headlines are invented. Keep that notice attached when the cards are cut apart. Use the cards as stimuli rather than a required interpretation or complete script. Devising deck: stimulus cards and constraints Teacher companion | Page 1
A teaching sequence
Create a devised scene from a stimulus and constraint with a clear idea, opening, turning point and ending.
Start with a pictured setting, then choose a stimulus and a constraint from the deck.
Read the complete materialExplore a stimulus
Explore the chosen stimulus and ask what characters, setting or event it might suggest.
What characters or event could this picture suggest?
Test the constraint
Add the constraint and test how it changes movement, speech, sound or silence.
How does the rule change movement, speech or silence?
Plan the scene together
Use the group plan to name the idea, opening image and way the rule shapes the scene.
What will the opening image make the audience wonder?
Rehearse the scene's shape
Rehearse the full scene and check it has an opening, a turning point and an ending. Rehearse the moment when the agreed rule changes the action and check how it contributes to the sceneās turning point.
Where can the audience see the rule shape the action?
Before you teach
Look for the thinking behind an answer, choose the support your class needs and leave room for an independent response.
What to look for
Look for a scene where the stimulus and constraint both affect what happens, with a clear shape and shared idea. Ask: āWhere can the audience see the rule shaping the action?ā The cards offer starting points, not a completed script or required interpretation. Use a short rehearsal check: identify the opening image, the turning point and the ending; then point to one moment where the chosen constraint changes the action. Interpretations can differ.
Give a little support
Offer one stimulus and a simpler constraint first, then let groups add another idea after an initial improvisation. Provide roles such as performer, observer or recorder so everyone can contribute in an accessible way.
Take the idea further
Ask groups to swap a constraint after rehearsing and revise one section of the scene. They can compare which version communicates the central idea more clearly to an audience.
Things to keep in mind
The printed headlines are invented. Keep that notice attached when the cards are cut apart. Use the cards as stimuli rather than a required interpretation or complete script.
Keep the idea. Make it yours.
Bring your topic, learning goal and class context to PLAIā¢, then review what you create.
Ideas to try with your class
Sample teaching perspectives on what to try, what to adapt and what to watch for.
Meet The Creators
Meet a creator whose teaching interests connect with this template.
Good Question
The deck combines one stimulus (such as an empty swing, suitcase or lighthouse) with a constraint card. The stated scene shape has an opening, turning point and ending, and the headlines are explicitly invented rather than real events.
Paperclip Perspective
For ages 11 to 16, the cards give groups a starting image, phrase or headline while leaving the devised scene open. Requiring a constraint throughout can help pupils turn a prompt into a sequence of choices rather than a single tableau.
Coffee Before Copies
Deal one stimulus and one constraint, then invite the group to explore more than one interpretation before fixing the scene. The question prompts on image cards can help a group begin without dictating the ending.
Thoughtful Pause
The headlines are invented, and the prompt does not supply a complete plot. Preserve that distinction if groups add real locations or names, and check that a chosen constraint remains workable for the performers.