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...
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...
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 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...
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 ...
Clapping Circle
The term clapping circle is used for various warm-up games or rhythm exercises in which the players stand in a circle and a signal, usual...
Click - Bang
In this warm-up game, which is a bit reminiscent of "Rock, paper, scissors" or the game "Schnick, schnack, schnuck", two players stand fa...
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...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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' ...
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 Here Now
Players walk around the room, all speaking simultaneously in a quiet voice, narrating their day chronologically — from waking up to arriv...
I Have a Mango
Players stand in a circle. The facilitator leads and the group repeats each line as loudly as possible, accompanied by rhythmic body move...
I Pack My Suitcase
The group stands in a circle. The first player says: 'I pack my suitcase and bring...' adding an item. The item doesn't need to be someth...
Johannes
This is a warmup game, for players getting to know each other and practicing reaction and concentration. All players form a circle. Pl...
Kitty wants a corner
Kitty wants a corner is a classic warm-up and awareness game by Viola Spolin. It trains eye contact, attention to the whole group, and qu...
Laughter Parade
Four or five players stand in a row, all facing forward. The first player (A) starts laughing loudly. After a few seconds, A turns to loo...
Love - Hate - Fear
All players walk through the room. When the facilitator says 'Love', everyone quickly finds a partner and expresses 'love' — without tou...
Mr. Hit me
All players stand in a circle. One player runs off and touches another one on the shoulder. The one tapped says the name of a third perso...
Name Slap
Players form a circle with one hand extended toward the center. Player Z stands in the middle. A player in the circle calls out the name...
Name Syllables
A great name-learning game that helps everyone remember participants' names. Players form a circle. The first person says their name and...
Online Room Walk
An adaptation of the classic room walk for online/video rehearsals. Each participant thinks of a signal — a gesture or facial expression...
Palm Touch
Two players participate. One leads, the other follows. The leader keeps stopping and placing one palm in a specific position and height. ...
Partner Relaxation
A relaxation and loosening exercise, perfect for long improv training days. Also recommended for singing workshops. Players form pairs o...
Pass the Face
All players stand in a circle facing each other. One person starts by pulling a grimace and showing it only to the person on their left. ...
Pattern
The players stand in a circle. A topic area is chosen or given, e.g. professions. One of the players starts and says a profession to any ...
People, Hands, Feet
Players walk around the room. The facilitator calls 'Stop!' followed by three numbers. The first number indicates how many players must f...
Playback Show
This warm-up and play practice have to be prepared. First of all short musical pieces in as many different styles and periods as possible...
Rename Things
Players walk around the room and name objects they see, touching them as they do: 'Wall.' 'Corner.' 'Heater.' Continue for one to two min...
Room Walk
The term room walk covers a group of warm-up games that all share one feature: the players walk around the room (or stage). Some variants...
Rumors
All players stand in a circle. A fast warm-up to practice making offers, accepting them, and building on them. Player A asks their neigh...
Sex with me...
The game is played by choosing a subject of comparison. The players get the prompt "sex with me is like ..." followed by what is chosen t...
Simultaneous Stories
An exercise for two players. Both begin simultaneously with the first sentence of their own story. Then Player 1 continues Player 2's st...
Sword of the Samurai
A slow-motion exercise. Players' arms are swords with poisonous tips. If a player is touched anywhere other than their arms, they die a s...
Syllables
Great game to get to know each other and remember the names of the participants. The participants form a circle. The first person says h...
Sympathy - Antipathy
All players walk through the room. Each secretly picks one person they find 'sympathetic' and one they 'can't stand.' On the facilitator...
Tag Games
Tag games are well suited at the beginning of a rehearsal evening, or in between sessions to wake everyone up again. Some tag games also ...
Ten Fingers
It's a nice icebreaker game. The participants form a circle and hold all ten fingers high in the air. Now the participants ask questions,...