Warm-ups
Before doing sports, you warm up. Every child knows that. Since theatre is also a form of physical work, one should warm up a bit before starting the actual exercises. On the one hand you can prepare yourself physically and on the other hand you can gain distance to the things that have occupied you all day long. There are many ways to shake everything off, clear your head and prepare your body: Catch playing, ball games, singing, stretching exercises, moving to music. Below are a few concrete examples of how to start an exercise session.
Categories
Experience
Energy
Competences
Alien, Tiger, Cow
Alien, Tiger, Cow: The Quick Group Wake-Up The short version: Alien, Tiger, Cow is basically the group take on "Rock, Paper, Scissors" —...
Alliterative Names
A name game for new groups to get to know each other. Players stand in a circle. One steps forward, makes a gesture or movement, and say...
Ball Metamorphosis
The players are standing in a circle. An imaginary ball is thrown by the moderator. Each time a player receives the ball and throws it to...
Balloons
Which group has the most breath? Find out which group has the strongest lungs by trying to keep your balloon in the air longer than the o...
Barney
A silly but nice little warmup game which requires quick reaction and a group rhythm. All players form a circle. One player stands in th...
Be my fan
The players walk through the room and play rock-paper-scissors with the first person they meet. Whoever loses becomes a fan of the winner...
Bippity Bippity Bop
In this — at times slightly macabre — warm-up game, players stand in a circle with one person in the middle. The player in the middle wal...
Blind Stalker
Synonyms Screamers, haunted house, vampyre game Introduction This warm-up builds trust amongst workshop participants and helps break t...
Blinking place change
One (A) is in the middle of a large circle formed by all other players. Now the players are looking for eye contact with each other in a ...
Block of ice
This is a warm-up practice for the beginning of a rehearsal. The players stand quite stiff and immobile like in a block of ice frozen. H...
Bunny Bunny
Bunny-Bunny: When the Rhythm Calls the Shots Picture this: you're standing in a circle, everything's chill — and then "Bunny-Bunny" gets...
Call and Reply
Call and Reply All players form a circle. Then they all make a change of pace together with clapping, which sets the basic beat and is ma...
Call and Response
All players form a circle and establish a shared rhythm with a step-clap pattern. One player sings a line in gibberish. The whole group ...
Car Wash
This is less of a warm-up and more of a cool-down to enjoy at the end of a training session. Players stand in two rows facing each other...
Catch Me If You Can
A classic running game for larger groups. One player is the catcher, standing on one side of the room. All other players stand on the op...
Category Die
This is useful as a warm-up and it is also useful in performance even. The exercise forces you to be spontaneous and it also helps you ...
Category Snap
Video example Improv Warm-Ups: Category Snap
Charades - Misunderstand
This warm-up works like the classic party game Charades. A player receives a simple, easy-to-guess term from the facilitator (ideally a ...
Circle Up
During this warm-up exercise, the arms are stretched diagonally upwards and the legs, which are stretched out a little bit off the ground...
Clap Focus
Synonyms Snap Focus Introduction This warm up is to get people listening, responding fast and reacting without thinking. Everyone gets...
Clapping Circle
Various warm-up games where players stand in a circle and pass a signal — usually a clap — according to a fixed pattern or randomly. Bas...
Click Bang
Two players face each other, moving in sync — slapping their thighs simultaneously on each beat. On the next beat, each player simultane...
Counting with Gestures
Players form a circle. Player 1 starts by calling '1' while tapping either their left or right shoulder. Tapping the left shoulder passe...
Cross Circle
Synonyms Name Game, Shriner’s Warm-up Introduction This warm up will help us all get moving, listening and learn a few names. Let’s fo...
Digits
Synonyms Shared counting, countdown, synergy Introduction This exercise is designed to get us all in synch. Get into a tight circle. ...
Drill Sergeant
Similar to 'Yes, Let's!' and 'Simon Says.' All players stand in a straight line as if in the army. The facilitator picks one person to b...
Duck, duck, goose
Duck, duck, goose or duck, duck, gray duck is a traditional children's game often first learned in pre-school or kindergarten then later ...
Emotional Fruit Salad
Video example Improv Warm-Ups : Improv Warm-Ups: Emotional Fruit Salad
Endless snake
The more players, the better: The first player offers his right or left hand. A player comes along and takes this hand and offers his or ...
Escalation
Players stand in a circle. One player makes a subtle gesture or movement to their neighbor, possibly accompanied by a word or sound. The ...
Falling
Synonyms Group gravity, trust game Introduction This is a trust game that requires careful listening skills and quick reactions. It is...
Finger Snap Duel
All players hold both hands in a finger-snapping position (like pistols). As soon as you make eye contact with someone, you must snap you...
Fire - Water - Wind
All players walk through the room in a rhythm set by clapping. When the facilitator calls out a command, everyone must react instantly: ...
Five Things
All players stand in a circle. One player turns to their neighbor and says: 'Name five things that...' followed by a category (e.g. '...y...
Flock Dance
Introduction This is a physical warm-up and ice breaker. One person in front, with two people behind her and three behind them, forming ...
Follow the king
This exercise is called "Follow the King" or "Academy of silly walks" (based on Monty Python): The players run in a chain through the ro...
Forest Circle
Players stand in a circle. Four actions are passed around in sequence: Bunny ears: Thumbs at temples, fingers spread toward the next pl...
Forming Molecules
Everybody runs around the room until the game leader shouts a number. Instantly, everybody forms groups with the same number of players a...
Four Corners
Here is another good ice-breaker for the start of the school year or as a funny way to better introduce people with each other. Four Corn...
Fred Schneider
This warm-up is named after Fred Schneider, the singer of the B52s music group. Fred Schneider has a very distinctive way of performing h...
Free Association
Introduction This warm-up will help us get into the moment for improvisation, and help us feel easier about being silly. Description T...
Fruit Circle
Players stand in a circle. Each person thinks of an emotion and a type of fruit (duplicates are fine). One player starts by walking to a...
Fruit Insults
Players form pairs and stand at a distance from each other. They slowly walk toward each other while hurling 'insults' using only fruit a...
Genetically modified mouse
The players stand together with the game leader in a circle. This places an invisible mouse on the ground, which now runs under the feet ...
Gesture Chain
Players stand in a wide circle with enough space for big movements. In the first round, each player performs an exaggerated household ges...
Go - Stop - Turn - Jump - Clap
Players walk freely around the room. The facilitator gives commands: Stop: Everyone freezes Go: Everyone walks After a while, Turn is...
Greeting Rituals
Players walk around the room. Whenever two players meet, they develop a greeting ritual together. When they meet again later, they greet ...
Groovelicious
The group forms a circle and passes impulses using three different moves: Wush: Swing both arms upward toward your neighbor (like throw...
Group formation
The game master determines the criteria according to which the people in the room should form groups. It says for example: Everyone wil...
Group Sorting
The facilitator calls out criteria by which players must quickly form groups: Everyone with the same eye color Everyone born in the sam...
Group Stop
This is listening warm-up. Everyone start milling about the room. Everyone quietly mills about the room. One person will elect to freeze...
Hand snake
With this fast warm-up game, the task is to allow the flat palms of up to three players to touch each other at the same time. At the begi...
Hey and Ho
You take any two objects. First of all, an object is passed on from A to the right partner B in the circle. Following dialogue: A:"That'...
Hide body
Description An excellent exercise to get to know and learn to trust and touch each other. 5 volunteers, 4 of whom must hide the fifth p...
Hide the Body
An excellent exercise for getting to know each other and building trust. Five volunteers: four must hide the fifth person using nothing ...
Hot Spot
The players form a circle. One player goes in the middle. He starts singing a song and the other players try to join in. If one of the su...
House - Resident - Flood
This warm-up requires a larger group — at least 13 people. Players form groups of three. Two players face each other and form a 'house' ...
House - residents - flood
This warm-up game is only suitable for a slightly larger group: 13 persons and more. It is also called: House creature flood. Groups of ...
I Am a Star
All players line up in a row. One by one, each player steps forward and announces: 'I am [name] and I am a star!' The rest of the group ...
I am a tree
A very popular exercise, suitable for beginners of improvisation The players stand on the stage/around the room. Player A goes to the mi...