Honey, I love you, but I can’t smile

Depth · what it can open●○○○1 — informational

Holding · facilitation1 — host

Trust · group readiness★any

Disclosure · what is sharednone

One person goes to another and says 'honey, if you love me, give me a smile'. The other has to reply, straight-faced, 'honey, you know I love you, but I just can't smile'. If they crack, they take the middle. The whole game is one person trying to make another laugh while both keep a script.

Hold with care

One person is approached and worked on directly, at close range, until they laugh or the caller gives up — being the target is not comfortable for everyone
The script is affectionate in form ('if you love me'); in some groups that reads as play and in others it does not

Practical

Time: 5 min
Group: ?–∞ · large-group
Settings: in-person
Mechanisms: behavioral-rehearsal, creative-expression
Change scope: state · repeatable

Instructions

Where: resources.trinitycollege.com/hubfs/Trinity%20Drama%20Games%20… — Drama Games (Trinity College London), open
Availability: Open online — published at the link, free to read

Source link checked 1 Sep 2026 — reachable

This directory describes and points home; the instructions stay with the people who made them.

Origin

Trinity College London, 'as suggested by drama teachers' — Drama teaching

In this directory via Drama Games (Trinity College London)

status: checked · added 2026-08-31