Free Association

Introduction

This warm-up will help us get into the moment for improvisation, and help us feel easier about being silly.

Description

The group can be structured in circles, and one person starts off by saying any word. The person to her left let us fly with the absolute first thing that comes to mind when they heard the previous word. There should be no pause to find “something funny” or to edit their thoughts. This is not a psychoanalysis exercise, but one to get people pulling down those barriers to creative thoughts. Associations like “boss-napalm” are quite common, and not too much to worry about.

Gimmicks

Try it in gibberish.

Variations

The firing line is where one person is required to do all the word associations. Six people line up and fire off words that they have pre-planned the player on the firing line responds immediately with a free word association.

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