INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Improvisation exercises are hugely beneficial for drama students at all levels of expertise.  They facilitate acting skills such as comfort performing various roles, the ability to read and interact with other actors, clear expression, and instinctive decision-making.  They also help stage actors train themselves to stay calm no matter what happens!   Be sure to include a variety of improv exercises throughout a class session, shaping them around different themes. Touch on themes that will explicitly facilitate voice work, body work, impromptu interaction, and even confidence building. Shout out an additional rule that must be incorporated into an exercise while students are mid-action. Explain the rules early in the course: when you shout out a recognizable phrase, the students must incorporate the associated rule into whatever they’re already doing.  Try "memory loss" to indicate everyone should act like they just forgot what they were doing and have to figure it out again. Use "the world ends tomorrow" to add some frantic - and especially dramatic - developments to an exercise. Another classic, simple option is “slow motion”, which you can refer to more playfully as “the blob monster.” For instance, shout out “the BLOB attacks!,” to indicate that an imagined blob of goop has occupied the room, sticking to everyone, slowing them down, and otherwise messing with their movements or ability to speak.  Specify that improvisational qualifiers such as the blob monster cannot be referenced verbally within the narrative of the exercise. Students must simply incorporate the new improvised rule via action. Altogether or in smaller groups, have students sit in a circle.  Have one student begin the exercise by turning to another and “saying” something completely nonsensical, perhaps not even using actual words.  Have the recipient then turn to the next person and try to reflect the first student’s “statement” in some way.  Tell students that they can incorporate each other’s actual sounds, inflections, or simply speed of sound-making. Further, point out that accents, exaggerations, and intonations can also be mimicked or morphed, and that the exercise will help everyone’s vocal creativity expand. Up the same sort of exercise with an entirely non-auditory version of communication.  Get students to act out emotionally charged scenes quietly.  Ask them to use facial expressions and body language to act out how they feel about an imagined situation.  Call out developments in the scenario to shift the participants’ emotions. Direct them to avoid too much mouthing of words or exaggerated arm movements, as these are too easy. Assemble students in small group circles and tell someone in particular to think of a sentence but not to share it with the group.  Have that person slowly start to sound out the first word and have everyone else join in making the sound.  The person who is leading the sentence will then move into the next sound. Slowly and steadily, the group will come to speak the sentence altogether. In the process, they will learn to read and anticipate the expression of one another’s voices – and seemingly, of one another’s minds!

SUMMARY: Feature improv lessons prominently. Make any exercise improvisational. Incorporate the attack of the blob. Get students to have conversations with sounds instead of words. Instruct students to have a conversation with no sounds whatsoever! Return to word-based communication by getting students to speak collectively.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Fire blankets are generally stored in small bags with two white tabs hanging down. Pulling on the tabs will quickly release the blanket, allowing for quick access in the event of an emergency. You do not want any flame or smoke to hurt your hands. Roll the corners of the blanket over your hands to protect them. You can also use flame retardant gloves if you can get them on time to deal with the situation promptly. Once you have the blanket secured over your hands, place it over the flames. Do not throw it, but lay it down gently. Start with the nearside of the flames and move in. Throwing the bottom of the blanket on the far side first can cause flames to creep up over the blanket, worsening the situation. If the flame was started by any heat source, such as an oven, stove burner, or space heater, turn the heat source off. This will decrease the amount of time it takes for the fire to suffocate. Expect some smoke to run through the blanket. This is normal. It is not a sign the blanket itself is on fire or not working properly. Leave the blanket at the heat source until flame is suffocated. This should take about 15 minutes. Do not attempt to move or touch the blanket until it's cool again. Call the fire department. If you can't get the fire out yourself, you need emergency assistance. Even if you do get the fire out, you need to contact the fire department to make sure the flame is fully extinguished and there's no chance lingering embers or heat could cause another fire.

SUMMARY: Remove the fire blanket by pulling down sharply on the tabs hanging from the bottom of the package. Protect your hands. Place the blanket over the fire. Turn off any heat source, such as a stove burner. Leave the blanket in place for at least 15 minutes. Call the fire department.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Go there and speak with Kimahri and he will hand over this awesome dressphere.

SUMMARY:
Trainer is a very useful dressphere and is very easy to acquire but you must know exactly where you get it. At Chapter 2, visit Kimahri on Mount Gagazet and talk to him twice. When he asks you a question, pick the 2nd choice. Now in chapter 3, there will be a mission on Mount Gagazet.