Working together physically to create pleasing stage pictures is important. This type of exercise is designed to build awareness of the other actors and each person's place in the group.
Have the members of your team create a human machine with each person contributing a physical action and a sound. Arrange the human pieces in order so that each action feeds into the next like an assembly line. Create the machine so that you have a chain of events passing through each actor in turn.
Another dramatic image exercise is to assign one group member to act as a sculptor. The remaining actors pretend to be human clay. Tell the sculptor to arrange the actors to portray a picture of a scene or event. The clay must cooperate with the sculptor.
A third variation on this theme is to have the team members move around the room in exaggerated ways. Call out one person's name. Upon hearing his name, he must instantly freeze in position. The other actors must quickly arrange themselves around him to create a frozen picture.
Being aware of the space around you and using it in a cohesive way with your team helps create the alternate reality needed to tell stories through drama.
Describe a scene to your actors that creates a setting. It could be a jungle or the surface of the moon. Tell the actors to begin moving and act as the first character that comes to mind that fits the setting. Have the team members cooperate in their interactions, rather than competing for attention.
In a second variation of this activity, have one actor move into the room and mime using a door. This can be any kind of door, but it should be specific. Have her go through the door and complete a simple action, e.g., she passes through the door into a bathroom and brushes her teeth. Tell another actor to go into the space, repeat the first actor's sequence and add another action, remembering they are still in the same space.
Listening to what has been said before and responding to it in character, is a valuable skill. Use story telling exercises to build this ability into your team.
Have your team members sit in a circle. Tell the first one to start a story with one or two sentences. Have each actor add a sentence or two in turn. They must add to and cooperate with everything that has been said before, rather than trying to change the whole story. End the story when it no longer progresses smoothly.