What do an egg beater, a bicycle and a toaster have in common? They are some of the items kids had to act out during a workshop at the Whidbey Playhouse.

Theatre Improv workshop, which met this week, gave budding thespians a chance to think quickly on their feet, a skill that will come in handy as many perform in upcoming plays.

Fifteen kids, complete with sack lunches and backpacks, attended the two-hour class held in the rehearsal hall next to Whidbey Playhouse on Midway Boulevard. Improv workshop is one of several workshops offered by Whidbey Playhouse this summer.

After warming up and completing a few introductory games, participants broke into teams and had to act out a variety of appliances, such as a sink and a lawnmower.

“It’s pretty fun, but you really have to think to do it,” said Chaz Petteway, a student in the workshop.

The next part of the workshop looked like something out of on the improvisational TV show “Whose Line is it Anyway.”

Several kids stood up in front of the group and acted out a scene in a supermarket. They had to use one of an assortment of hats to develop a character.

“It’s probably the funnest one of the workshops,” said Reid Gerardi. “You get to be yourself more and get to be other people at the same time.”

He added that the class also teaches him to think quickly, which is a skill needed in case someone forgets their lines during a play. He said that has happened to him when he performed plays at school in Coupeville.

Even before the workshop, three instructors were putting the final details together for the class. They discussed the secrets to success.

“As long as it stays fun, they’ll keep doing it,” said Kathryn Young to the other instructors, Justina Price and Kyle Northcutt, shortly before the class began. Participants finished off the last several minutes of the workshop with a rousing game of tag.

Summer Program Coordinator Rebekka Handschke said this is the first time an improv workshop was offered. It is one of several workshops Whidbey Playhouse is offering to the youth in the area.

Providing several workshops will give youth a chance to be exposed to a variety of aspects of a production, said Handschke.

Other workshops that are scheduled this summer include Theatre Illumination, Basic Theatre Dance and a make-up workshop.

Handschke said Whidbey Playhouse has scheduled two summer youth productions in the past, but changed to one play this summer to give youth a chance to learn about various specific aspects of a production.

Several performers are taking advantage of the workshops and the summer production as well.

Of the 15 students attending the Improv Workshop, 13 of them are part of Whidbey Playhouse’s production of Dear Edwina.

During a break at the Improv workshop, several kids took the time to crack open their playbooks and brush up on aspects of the production that is set to open later this month.

Gerardi said he often spends most of the day at the Whidbey Playhouse where he attends the workshops and is performing in the play. For him, his days can go from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while other performers often practice until the middle of the afternoon.

Dear Edwina is a musical about a young girl who, along with her friends, puts on an advice play every weekend.

Youth began auditioning for the play in late June and the show is set to open Friday July 30, at 7:30 p.m.

For more information, call Whidbey Playhouse at 1-800-606-PLAY.