King

King 1

One player is the King. He sits on a chair (throne) and says which emotion he wants to see represented by the others. They step forward one at a time. They try to portray that emotion, or rather to genuinely feel it and to evoke it. If that emotion is also triggered in the King, the player who triggered it takes their place. If the player triggers nothing in the King, he says: "Away with you!" or something similar, and the next player can try.

King 2

The player who portrays the King sits on a chair (throne) and invents a character they want to play, without telling their fellow players. The aim of the others is now to step up to the King one at a time, to offer him something, bring him something or ask him a question, etc., and through that to be accepted by him so they may enter his palace. If the King doesn't like how and what is offered, or how fast and close someone steps up to him, he turns the player away. Then someone else can try. Players already turned away, but also players already accepted, can try with another offer to (re-)enter the palace; everyone has several attempts.

Sense of the exercise

This exercise trains emotional commitment, the courage to be vulnerable in front of others and, in the second variant, the ability to read a fellow player's status and expectations quickly without them being verbalised.