A back drawing-room with folding doors makes a very nice theater for
acting charades. Almost anything may be used for dressing up--shawls,
anti-macassars, table-cloths, handkerchiefs, cast-off dresses, or a
dressing-gown. The latter is a very useful garment in representing an
old gentleman, while tow or white fire shavings make excellent wigs.
The great thing in a charade is to try and puzzle your audience as
much as you can. You must choose a word of two or more syllables, such
as "Bagpipe." First you must act the word "Bag," and be sure that the
word is mentioned, though you must be careful to bring it in in such a
way that the audience shall not guess it is the word you are acting.
Next comes the word "Pipe," and this must be brought in in the same
manner. When you have acted the two syllables, you must act the whole:
"Bagpipe."
Before beginning the charade, you should arrange who is to bring in
the charade word or syllable. You must also settle what you are going
to say, or at least, what the act is to be about. Let every scene be
well thought out and be as short as possible. You must be as quick as
ever you can between the acts, for all the fun will be spoiled if
you keep your audience waiting. If you have no curtain or screen, the
actors must simply walk off the stage at the end of the scenes.
To act charades well, one requires a little practice and plenty of
good temper, for, of course, only one or two can take principal parts,
and therefore some of the children must be content to take the smaller
ones. It is a good plan to take it in turns to play the best parts,
and if the elder children are kind and thoughtful, they will try
to make some easy little parts, so that their younger brothers and
sisters may also join in the fun. Here we give you a very simple
charade, the words of which you may learn, and then act, after which
you will very likely be able to make up charades for yourselves.
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