Singers prepare their voices. Dancers stretch their limbs. Improvisers need to warm-up their minds, bodies and the team. Professional talent uses the following exercises regularly before rehearsals and performances.
TIP: HOW TO WARM UP Before getting with the group get yourself ready to work. In classes and educational programs you often do this as a group. But you have individual needs you need to address. And in the professional world you rarely get a group warm up. For the sake of the team, audience and yourself, be prepared. The goal of the warm up is to get yourself ready to perform. To get the best results, treat every class and rehearsal like a performance. There are things that you can only learn from experiencing a performer’s life. Like sports, you can only become an expert actor, singer, dancer or improviser by ingraining skill sets into you muscle memory and subconscious mind. When you warm up every day, you eventually get to a point that you wake up ready to rock. Once you warm up, stay warm. If you let your self relax – and even worse, slump – it is that much harder to get your self back up. Ask any athlete, it is easier to stay pumped up than to constantly alternate between focus and relaxed states.
STEP 1) STRETCH your body to wake up every limb. Shake out your feet and hands. Loosen up your lower back, shoulders and neck. If you have chronic tension or pain inform your teacher right away. They might have some exercises for you or ways to protect during class. (Learn THE WARM UP taught by Walt Frasier) Actors and dancers refer to something called THE PERFORMER’s BODY. Beyond reasons of safety, the performer’s body is more aware than most. When your muscles are limber, your mind follows behind.
STEP 2) Wake up your speaking voice. Do some tongue twisters. Vocalize some “Aaaahs” and “Oooohs” at high, medium and low pitches. Get louder and louder until you can be heard through out the space.
STEP 3) Play some of the following games to wake up the brain and get the team working together.
USUALLY STANDING IN A CIRCLE…
PASSING IMAGINARY BALLS CLICK HERE for instructional video and how to play
FREE WORD ASSOCIATION: Go around the circle in order. One at a time, players yell out any word that comes to mind. Never think. Just yell out the first thing in your head. Make eye contact with the person that intends to follow you (to your left or right). If you are next make eye contact and receive the energy of the prior speaker.
ZIP, ZAP, ZUP: Player one claps, points and makes eye contact with another player in the circle while saying “ZIP!” Player two does the same saying “ZAP!” Player thee says “ZUP!” Continue indefinitely. Big energy and focus will allow this game to wake up the team.
COUNT to 21:The whole team closes their eyes. As a team count to 21. Anytime two or more speak together, start back at 1. The team must listen to each other, each other’s breath. At a recent rehearsal, EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH cast members achieved this on the first try. This is not the norm, but it is the sign of a team working together.
ONE WORD STORY: Create an original story. Each player can add one word at a time. Every word is important. Listen to the entire team so that your word will make sense grammatically and to the story. Project so that others can understand you. Make eye contact with the player before and after you, and then follow the story around the circle with your eyes. This will ensure the highest level of focus.
ONE SENTENCE STORY: Similar to ONE WORD STORY, each player gets to add a full statement. Each statement should add details to the scene and/or forward the action of the plot.
LIMERICK: Create a series of original Limericks – 5 line poems in the pattern AABBA – one line per performer. Player one, two and five share a rhyme scheme. Player three and four have their own rhyme scheme but relate to the rest of the story. Remember how many poems will oddly rearrange words to get a certain word at the end. Many poems sound like they were written by YODA. But these are tricks you can use.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Player one performs and activity. Player two says “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Player one names an activity different from the one being performed. Player two performs the new activity. REPEAT! Version ONE: After you name a new activity, go to the back of the line. Version TWO: stay on stage until you mess up.
Mr. Frasier has appeared on film, TV, Commercials and the Live theaer and is currently the director of intruction for the COMEDY HALL OF FAME FOUNDATION (www.comedyhalloffame.com)See Walt Frasier live in Times Square and touring nationwide in Improv Comedy Troupe EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH. (www.eightimprov.biz)
