Warm Up Activities For Theater 1 and Advanced classes

Theater 1

Word Ball Students will stand in a circle and the first student will hold an imaginary ball. He or she will toss the ‘ball’ to someone in the circle while they shout the first word that comes to their mind.

The Quiet Game You know what it is…

Mirror Game  This staple of drama classes is often overlooked in favor of newer games, but for your new drama students, this classic acting game can be fresh and fun. Divide your class into pairs. Choose one person in each pair to lead; the other will follow. Students sit facing each other, and the leader begins large, slow movements that the follower will imitate, as if the leader is their own reflection in a mirror. After a minute or two, switch.

Advanced

Shape Makers Divide everyone into small groups of four to six. Call out the name of an object and all the groups have to make the shape of that object out of their own bodies, joining together in different ways while you count down slowly from ten to zero. Usually every group will find a different way of forming the object. Examples could be: a car, a fried breakfast, a clock, a washing machine, a fire. Students must also make the sound that the object makes

Body Switch  Students choose one person in the class and ‘switch bodies’ they must talk, walk and act as the other person would. The exercise helps make connections with other students and is also a great vocal and physical warm up.

Picture Game Group stands outside a designated performance space. One person runs into the space, forms her body into a statue and announces what she is, as in "I'm a tree. "Instantly the next person runs on and forms something else in the same picture. "I'm a bench under the tree.” The next person further adds to the picture. "I'm a bum on the bench." "I'm a dog peeing on the tree." "I'm the newspaper the bum is sleeping under.“ Etc., until the whole group is part of the picture. Start again. And again. Etc. Coach this to go very, very fast.