To develop plasticity in the facial muscles and tongue, have actors stand in a circle. One actor will begin by making as extreme a face as possible -- opening the face up in a huge expression of smiling surprise or, alternately, closing the face down in a tight-lipped, sour look. The actor who has made the first face "passes" this face to his right. The actor on his right takes this face and transforms it into its extreme opposite for the person on his right. This next person in the circle sends the opposite face to his right, and the exercise continues until the circle is complete..
Actors stand in a circle. Each actor, one at a time, offers a short tongue twister to the group, who repeat the words in unison. Tongue twisters require a slowing of everyday speech rates so that all sounds can be articulated clearly. Some useful, short tongue twisters include: "Unique New York," "Black bugs' blood, blue bugs' blood," "Red leather, yellow leather," "Babbling baby Bobby" and "Thick thistles throbbed in Thelma Thimble's thumb." Repeat a tongue twister a number of times in a row, so that participants can practice the repeated sounds. Gradually speed up the rate of talking so that more and more clear diction is required on the part of the actors.
This game helps actors develop the clarity of their vocal diction over increasing distances. Put your actors in pairs. Give each pair a ball. Have the pairs begin very close together, with each actor passing the ball to his partner as he says a short line of text. Gradually, have the actors spread farther and farther apart, until they are throwing the balls (and their lines) across the space to their partners. The aim of this game is for the actor receiving the ball to make sure that she also receives, easily and clearly, every word of her partner's text, no matter how far apart they are.
This game requires actors to stand still, working solo. Have each actor begin speaking a short piece of memorized text to her hand, held up in front of her face. The leader should circulate amongst the actors, making sure that the diction is clear and easily understood. Once the actors have practiced speaking to their hands, each actor should choose a location in the space to which to send his text: for example, the exit sign at the back of the house, the door to the dressing room, the curtain or the lighting instrument hanging just beside or above him. For this game, the actors do not move, each only choosing a new location to which to send her voice each time the leader calls, "Change."