Emotional Quadrants
The stage is divided into four invisible quadrants, each assigned a different emotion. Wherever a player stands, they must inhabit that emotion completely - and it changes mid-sentence if they cross a line.
About
Emotional Quadrants is a physically demanding scene game that forces players to let the space dictate their emotional state rather than choosing it themselves. Crossing from joy into grief mid-declaration, or from rage into serenity mid-sentence, produces unexpected emotional truths that can be genuinely moving as well as funny.
How to Play
- 1
Divide the stage into four invisible quadrants and assign each one an emotion suggested by the audience (e.g. rage, joy, deep sadness, terror).
- 2
Two players begin a scene from an audience suggestion with a clear relationship and location.
- 3
Wherever a player is standing, they must fully embody the emotion of that quadrant.
- 4
If they cross into a different quadrant mid-sentence, they must switch emotion immediately.
- 5
The scene continues until a natural conclusion or the director ends it.
Variations
- -Eight quadrants for very experienced players. Invisible quadrant: players cannot see the quadrant lines and must infer their emotion from their partner's reaction.