When I attended my first improvisational theatre class over 22 years ago and well into my career as an improvisational theatre performer, I was never a fan of warm-up exercises.
I wanted to get to the “fun stuff” immediately (playing short-form improv games, doing scenes, and performing long-form improv.)
No one ever explained to me why warm-up was so important to the teaching/learning/performing process.
When I became an educator/facilitator, my opinion on warm-ups changed dramatically.
(Below) is a post from professional improvisational actor/director/educator/facilitator and podcaster Jimmy Carrane at www.jimmycarrance.com.
He discusses the importance of the improv warm-up for both the educator and the students.
Why Warm-Up Games Should Be Part of Every Improv Class
When it comes to teaching improv, I am old school. Though I have evolved as a teacher and performer over the years, one thing that has not changed since I started teaching is that I love beginning each improv class or workshop with a series of warm-up games.
Warm-up games are essential. This is something I learned from one of my favorite improv teachers, Martin DeMaat. Some improv teachers don’t see the importance of them. They want to cut right-to-scene work or throw the students right into doing a Harold.
Yes, warm-up games take time. Yes, they seem silly and not as important as going right into working on scenes or a long form. I can assure you, however, that by playing warm-up games, students can go deeper and be more grounded in their scenes, not to mention take more risks, if they have warmed up first.
- So, what is the point of warm-up games for the students?
It is simple. To get them to play without self-consciousness or judgment. Warm-up games serve as the bridge between a student’s day and the class, workshop, or rehearsal. So, as a teacher or director, it’s very important to not give many notes, if any, during the warm-up game section of improv class because that takes away the point of making it a time to relax and open up. Occasionally I’ll guide my students during warm-up games, but I am very cautious.
After many years, I have come to the conclusion that it’s not even important for the students to get the games “right.” It’s just about playing. Pure play doesn’t have rules. It transforms from one thing to the next. I will tell my students the directions of a warm-up game just as a starting off point. If it transforms, it doesn’t matter. I love watching a class take zip zap zop and morph it into different sounds and words and then it turns into a game where they are passing and transforming objects. Watching this, you think, this can go on for hours, they are in the zone of free play.
Even if you warm them up by doing a series of short scenes, hold your tongue, because the beginning of class should be all about them getting out there and playing. I often look at it like, let’s get the crappy scene out of the way first so we can do some good ones later.
- How can warm-up games help the teacher?
Using warm-up games at the beginning of the class is a great way, as a teacher, to get connected to the class so you can assess their energy for that day. Students will bring in a different energy to each improv class or rehearsal, and as the teacher/director, it is your job to assess it so you can adjust your teaching to how they are feeling in that particular moment. I remember one time my students came into class all tired and with low energy. Maybe it was the weather or the traffic or that they had just had a shitty day at work, but when they began to warm up, they looked like they were zombies. They had brought their day into class, which gave me an opportunity to make an adjustment. I had them walk around the room and talk about their crummy day and how they were feeling. This helped me know where they were at so I didn’t need to take it personally and so I could keep adjusting to their energy. And once they had a chance to speak about how they were feeling, their negative energy seemed to lift. - How long should you have the class play warm-up games?
Every improv class is different, so this is where you need to trust your instincts. A good rule of thumb that I picked up from Martin De Maat is that you should continue to play warm-up games until they are laughing and having a good time. If that is the case, you have connected their head with their body and the laughter means they are open to learning. My experience is some classes take longer than others to get to this stage based on the group and the day and even the size of the class.
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In my opinion, the warm-up is especially important for the hesitant improv student for it offers the facilitator time and activities to talk them “down off the wall” or to “lower their wall.”
I have recently begun starting my first improv sessions with a new group of students with a list of “realities, not rules” to communicate safety, support, and trust.
I guess by now it shouldn’t surprise me that students often cite (on post-session or post-semester surveys) that they enjoy the warmup exercises the most out of everything that we do.
Now that I understand the why for warm-up it makes so much sense to me.