---
title: "Mrs O'Grady"
description: "Participants pass a rhyming call-and-response dialogue around a circle while adopting cumulative physical poses. The exercise finishes when everyone attempts to maintain all five poses simultaneously."
last_updated: "2026-09-07"
canonical: "https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/funny-group-game-for-creating-laughter-mrs-o-grady/"
---

# Mrs O'Grady

Participants pass a rhyming call-and-response dialogue around a circle while adopting cumulative physical poses. The exercise finishes when everyone attempts to maintain all five poses simultaneously.

**Time:** 12 minutes. 12 minutes suggested by UWT to cover explanation, five cumulative rounds, and a short group debrief.
**People:** 5 to 24. Standing or seated circles of 5 to 8 participants; split 9 into 4 and 5 with facilitator joining, or split 17 into groups of 5, 6, and 6

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Energize a group through repetitive call-and-response paired with cumulative physical coordination.
**Use it when:** Use during an afternoon lull or between dense analytical sessions when participants need light physical movement, laughter, and quick reset energy.
**Skip it when:** Skip when participants have balance or mobility limitations that make sustained poses uncomfortable, or when lighthearted references to death feel jarring or inappropriate.

## Materials and tools

- Prompt cards or visual display showing the dialogue and rhymes

## Before participants arrive

1. Clear floor space so circles of 5 to 8 people can stand comfortably with elbow room.
2. Place sturdy chairs nearby for anyone who prefers to sit.

## Say this to open

We are playing a cumulative movement game called Mrs O'Grady. In your circle, a short dialogue passes from person to person. With each complete trip around the circle, we add another physical posture. You must maintain every posture you adopt as new ones accumulate. Let us form circles and begin.

## How to run it

### 1. Form circles and teach dialogue (3 minutes)

Form circles of 5 to 8 people. Display the script. Teach the sequence: Speaker asks, 'Did you hear what happened to Mrs O'Grady?' Partner replies, 'No, what happened?' Speaker says, 'She died!' Partner asks, 'How did she die?' Speaker answers with the round rhyme and strikes that pose. That partner then immediately turns to the person on their left, becomes the new Speaker, and repeats the dialogue.

### 2. Pass round one and round two (3 minutes)

A starter initiates Round 1 with 'With one cocked eye!' and closes one eye tightly. The partner turns left to ask the next person, and the exchange travels all the way around until everyone has one eye closed. The starter immediately begins Round 2 by turning left and answering '... with her mouth awry!' while twisting their mouth sideways. Pass this around until everyone holds both poses.

### 3. Pass rounds three through five (4 minutes)

Run Round 3 around the full circle with '... breathing a sigh!' while sighing audibly. Run Round 4 around the full circle with '... with her leg held high!' lifting one foot off the floor. Run Round 5 around the full circle with '... waving goodbye!' waving one hand. Every participant keeps all previously adopted postures active while adding each new pose.

### 4. Release postures and debrief (2 minutes)

Invite everyone to lower their legs, shake out their limbs, and relax their facial expressions. Lead a brief whole-room reflection, taking two or three volunteer responses.


## Debrief questions

- What made it hardest to keep the dialogue going as the physical actions stacked up?
- How did seeing your peers maintain these poses shift the mood in the room?

**Finished output:** Completion of five cumulative rounds of physical and vocal coordination across circles, ending when all participants hold the final posture.

## Remote

Run in gallery view with an explicit speaking order posted in chat. Each speaker turns on their mic, addresses the next person in sequence, delivers the lines, and strikes the posture on camera. Everyone keeps their video on and maintains all cumulative poses throughout.

## Hybrid

Form separate remote and in-person groups. Remote attendees play in a dedicated video breakout room using gallery order. In-person participants work in room circles. Do not combine remote and present participants in a single circle due to video latency and sightline issues.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may remain seated in a sturdy chair for all rounds, resting a heel or lifting a toe slightly during the leg round.
- Anyone may choose to serve as circle prompter, reading the rhymes aloud from a cue card to assist players without holding poses.

## If the session gets stuck

**Participants forget the specific rhyming lines under pressure.**

Post the five lines on a screen or hand out small script cards: 1) One cocked eye, 2) Mouth awry, 3) Breathing a sigh, 4) Leg held high, 5) Waving goodbye.

**Participants struggle with balance during the one-legged stance.**

Encourage players to hold a chair back, touch one toe lightly to the floor, or sit down and extend one foot.


## Terms used here

- Awry: Turned or twisted toward one side; uneven.

## Participant material: Mrs O'Grady Script Reference

Call and Response Dialogue:
Speaker: "Did you hear what happened to Mrs O'Grady?"
Partner: "No, what happened?"
Speaker: "She died!"
Partner: "How did she die?"
Speaker: [Give current rhyming line and adopt posture]
Partner: [Turns left, becomes the new Speaker, and repeats the dialogue]

Note: Maintain all previously adopted poses as new ones are added.

Round 1: "With one cocked eye!" (Close one eye tightly)
Round 2: "... with her mouth awry!" (Twist mouth sideways)
Round 3: "... breathing a sigh!" (Exhale a heavy dramatic sigh)
Round 4: "... with her leg held high!" (Lift one foot off the floor)
Round 5: "... waving goodbye!" (Wave one hand continuously)

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on Playmeo, where it is attributed to Mark Collard.

Preserved the cumulative five-round rhyming dialogue and progressive physical mechanic from Playmeo. Clarified the turn-taking handoff so the partner becomes the next speaker to their left. Adjusted group ranges to 5 to 8 to accommodate arbitrary group sizes cleanly. Set duration to 12 minutes to account for setup, five full rounds, and debrief.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/mrs-ogrady/)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/fun-large-group-games/mrs-ogrady)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/funny-group-game-for-creating-laughter-mrs-o-grady/