Warm Ups
These games and exercises are great for getting players warmed up before a show or rehearsal.
Alien Tiger Cow
Instructions
- The group forms a circle.
- On the count of three all players strike a pose and make a noise as an alien, a tiger, or a cow.
- Alien: Hold your two index fingers up to your head like antennae and say "Bleep blorp!"
- Tiger: Throw your hands out like your clawing and roar.
- Cow: Hold your hands up to you stomach with your fingers sticking out like udders and say "Mooo!"
- Then repeat!
- You can play with the intention of everyone trying to land on the same pose or eliminate the minority group each time until there is only one or two players left.
Purpose
- This is a fun easy way to warm up. Great for children or beginners.
Tags
Child Friendly -
Exercise -
Party -
Warm Up -
Bad Rap
Description
- Players stand in a circle and snap, clap, or pat a rhythm.
- Everyone chants together in rhythm: bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap.
- The first player raps a line, establishing the rhyming word.
- Everyone chants together between each line.
- The next player raps a line setting up an obvious rhyme for the last word of the previous line but then chooses a non rhyming word to end the line.
- The next player in the circle uses the last word of the previous line to set up an obvious rhyme but then again doesn't go for it.
- Continue the pattern as long as your group likes!
Example
- Group: bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap
- Player 1: I sure would like to eat a snack!
- Player 2: (thinking of the rhyme pack) I always stick together with my wolf crew!
- Group: bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap
- Player 3: (thinking of the rhyme dew) I love the grass in the morning covered in wet!
- Group: bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap
- Player 4: (thinking of the rhyme debt) I have bag credit because I'm in finance bad!
- Group: bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap
- etc...
Variations
- Have the next person finish your line with the non-rhyming word.
- Example:
- Group: bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap
- Player 1: I sure would like to eat a snack!
- Group: bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap
- Player 2: (thinking of the rhyme pack) I always stick together with my wolf...
- Player 3: crew!
- Group: bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap bad rap _ bad rap _ bad rap
Tips
- Try to set up the next person with an easy word to rhyme. Single syllable words are usually safe.
- As soon as you hear the person before you's end word, think of a rhyme, then build up to it and pick a different word at the last second.
- Synonyms are usually the way to ge, but a curveball can be fun too.
Tags
Exercise -
Listening -
Musical -
Party -
Warm Up -
Big Booty
Description
- Players form a circle and designate someone to start as Big Booty.
- The rest of the players starting to the left of big booty will be assigned a number, starting at one and counting up.
- To start the game the players will all start patting, snapping, or clapping a moderate rhythm.
- All together everyone chats "Awwww snap! Big Booty Big Booty Big Booty!"
- Big Booty will start by saying "Big Booty number #" in rhythm, filling in the # with one of the players numbers.
- That number player will respond with their own number and then another number with the format "number #(their number) number #(a new number)".
- They can also send it back to big booty like this: "number #(their number) Big Booty".
- If a player messes up by saying their own number, not realizing they've been called, or taking too long everyone chants says together: "awww snap!" then they go to the end of the line and everyone who was after them moves down a number.
Example
- Everyone: Aww snap! Big Booty Big Booty Big Booty!
- Big Booty: Big Booty Number 3
- Player 3: Number 3 number 8
- Player 8: Number 8 number 5
- Player 5: Number 5 Big Booty
- Big Booty: Big Booty number 2
- Player 2: Number 2 Number 7
- Player 7 is blindsided: Uhh uhhh uhh
- Everyone: Awww snapp
- Player 7 goes to the end(the right of big booty) and everyone from number 8 and higher moves down a number.
- Rinse and repeat!
Purpose
- This game makes a great warm-up, or ice-breaker.
- Players of this game need to be in the moment and listening, ready to react and respond when called up.
Tags
Exercise -
Listening -
Party -
Warm Up -
Bunny Bunny
Description
- The group forms a circle and everyone begins patting their legs in rhythm and chanting "zoom-ba zoom-ba".
- One player will start by saying(in rhythm) "bunny bunny" while making two pairs of bunny ears with their hands and pointing them at themself.
- That same player with then repeat the above step but point the bunny ears and someone else in the circle.
- That person who was pointed to will repeat the above two steps pointing to a new person, and we pass it around the circle.
- While any player is doing the bunny ears part, the two players on either side of them should face towards them and wave their arms left and right chanting "ticky tocky ticky tocky"!
- This game can go as long as it needs to or until it feels like we've exhausted the fun or novelty of it.
- Optionally the group can slowly ramp up the speed and end it once it becomes to fast to continue.
Purpose
- Great warm up to just prepare to be silly.
- Helpful listening exercise.
- Good for building up energy.
Tags
Child Friendly -
Energy -
Listening -
Party -
Warm Up -
Character Matching
Description
- Improvisers form a circle.
- One improviser will cross the circle to approach another improviser and initiate a 3-4 line scene with them.
- The initiating improviser will make a strong character choice, embracing the physicality, characteristics, and voice of that character as they approach and initiate.
- The improviser who was approached will take on the same physicality, characteristics, and voice as the approaching improviser and respond to their initiation.
- They should take on the same characteristics even if the approaching improviser makes it clear in their initiating line that they are not the same type of character(see example below).
- After 3-4 lines total the inititating improviser will take the place of the other improviser, who will now approach someone else in the circle as a new character and initate a new 3-4 lines scene.
- Go until everyone has had a turn to both initiate and respond to an initiation.
Example
- Different declared characters but matching anyway
- Improviser 1: *approaching hunched over, walking with a cane, speaking with an eldery voice* "When I was your age little timmy, baseballs only costs a nickle!"
- Improviser 2: *taking on the same elderly physicality and voice* "Well gee wilikers Mr. Griffordson I can't get a toothpick for that price these days."
- Improviser 1: "That's because the commies!"
- Both characters match the character and perspective
- Improviser 1: *approaching as a twitchy little gremlin* "Ehhhh! Grimble, I'm hungry for human flesh!"
- Improviser 2: *taking on the same physicality* "Yes! I want a skin muffin and a venti blood frappe!"
- Improviser 1: "Ooooh splurging today!!!"
Purpose
- You get to play a variety of characters in a short amount of time.
- You get to practice changing yourself based on someone else's actions/initation.
Sources
- How to be the Greatest Improviser on Earth by Will Hines - p. 41
Tags
Character -
Exercise -
Warm Up -
Justification Realtor
Description
- One player starts a scene as a realtor preparing an open house.
- Shortly after a few guests(usually 2-3) knock on the door and are welcomed to view the house.
- The realtor shows the guests around and one by one the guests ask questions about the absurdities of the house.
- These questions involve a bit of scene painting of absurd things we don't already know about the house.
- It is the realtors job to logically justify these absurd features of the house.
Example
- Guest: Excuse me, could you tell me a bit about this rusty blood stained trap door here in the floor?
- Realtor: Ah certainly! One of this home's primary security features. There is a ferocious blood thirsty beast underneath that door. If ever you're in danger from a home intruder, you need only pull that lever.
Purpose
- This exercise allows improvisers to practice:
- playing a grounded character
- scene painting
- coming up with inconsequential absurd ideas
- justifying
Tags
Exercise -
Justification -
Listening -
Scene Work -
Warm Up -
Mind Meld
Description
- Players form a circle.
- Players think of a random word and raise their hand.
- The first two players to do so will count down from three and say their word at the same time.
- Everyone now tries to think of a word the connects the two previous words.
- You can't repeat a word that's already been used in a round.
- The first two to think of a connecting word raise their hand then count down from three and say their words at the same time.
- The goal is for the two players to say the same word at the same time and the round ends when that happens.
Example
- Two players: 3... 2... 1...
- Any player: Car! (at the same time) Any other player: Peanut!
- A leading player, teacher, or anyone can repeat the two words for anyone who didn't catch them.
- Leader: Car and Peanut!
- Two players: 3... 2... 1...
- Any player: Shell! (at the same time) Any other player: Inside!
- Leader: Shell and Inside!
- Two players: 3... 2... 1...
- Any player: Clam! (at the same time) Any other player: Crab!
- Leader: Clam and Crab!
- Two players: 3... 2... 1...
- Any player: Seafood! (at the same time) Any other player: Seafood!
- Celebrate accordingly as decided by your group!
Purpose
- Played with speed this can be a good get out of your head game.
- This game helps establish a group mind, helping improvisers see how each other thinks and makes connections.
Tips
- Play with energy.
- Try and keep the speed up between guesses.
- Don't be precious trying to think of the perfect connection, just go for it.
Variations
- You can play it around the circle rather than by raising your hand to volunteer.
- You can play speed mode where you don't take any time between guessers and imediate start counting down from three after each set of guesses.
- You playing in pairs or a larger group.
Tags
Exercise -
Listening -
Party -
Warm Up -