Character Charades

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Test textual recall and physical interpretation of literary characters through nonverbal portrayal.

Use it when: Use at the start of an office or community book club meeting when members have read a common text and need an active warm-up.

Skip it when: Skip when members have read different books, have not completed the reading, or prefer a purely seated analytic discussion.

Group arrangement: Whole room with a central acting area, or small circles of 4 to 8 participants.

Timing: UWT suggested duration fitting the 5 to 15 minute range observed in source records.

Materials and tools

• Timer or stopwatch
• Scratch paper and pen for the facilitator or actor to record chosen names

Before participants arrive

1. Arrange seating so everyone has a direct line of sight to a central acting area.
2. Identify the specific book or assigned chapter range from which characters must be drawn.

Say this to open

Today we will warm up with Character Charades based on our reading. One volunteer steps up as the actor and silently portrays a character from the text using gestures, expressions, and posture. No speaking, no sound effects, and no mouthing words. Everyone else calls out guesses. Acting is entirely voluntary; you can guess the entire time without acting. Let us get our first volunteer.

How to run it

1. Introduce rules and select first actor 2 minutes

   Speak the opening script. Announce the specific book being referenced. Call for the first volunteer actor. Remind everyone that acting is completely optional and participants are welcome to guess from their seats. The chosen actor whispers their chosen character to the facilitator or writes it on scratch paper to confirm the answer.

2. Run first demonstration round 3 minutes

   Start the timer for 90 seconds. The first actor performs silently. For example, if portraying Ebenezer Scrooge, the actor might shiver, count imaginary coins with a harsh scowl, and wave a cane dismissively. Room members call out character names. The turn concludes when someone guesses correctly or the 90 seconds run out. Announce the correct answer if unguessed.

3. Rotate acting rounds 7 minutes

   Rotate through three to four additional volunteer actors, allotting up to 90 seconds per turn. Each actor silently depicts their chosen figure while the group guesses. If a volunteer hesitates on who to pick, offer a quick suggestion from minor or major characters in the reading.

4. Debrief observations 3 minutes

   Convene the whole room. Ask two or three participants to share which specific physical interpretations made characters identifiable, then transition directly into your scheduled book discussion.

Debrief questions

• Which specific physical gesture made a character immediately recognizable?
• Which character traits proved most difficult to communicate without spoken words?
• How did seeing these portrayals shift or confirm your mental picture of that character?

Finished output: A completed series of four to five character guessing rounds that refresh group familiarity with the text.

Remote

Run in the main video room. The actor keeps their camera pinned while guessers type names in chat or speak aloud. The actor can send their chosen character to the facilitator via direct chat before beginning.

Hybrid

Position the room camera so remote participants clearly see the in-person acting space. When a remote participant acts, display their video feed on the room monitor. Guessers both in person and online may call out or use chat simultaneously.

Access and participation choices

• Acting is voluntary; participants may participate purely as guessers without needing to explain why.
• Actors may remain seated and use facial expressions or upper-body gestures only, or volunteer as timekeeper instead.

If the session gets stuck

The actor starts speaking, making vocal effects, or mouthing words.

Hold up a hand and gently remind the room: Silent gestures only. Resume the timer.

Nobody guesses the character and the actor runs out of physical ideas.

Prompt the actor to mime a key plot scene or interaction involving another prominent character.

Terms used here

• Character Charades: A guessing game where players act out a literary figure using only physical mime without speech.