SAMPLE APPLIED IMPROVISATION WARM-UPS, GAMES, AND EXERCISES

WARM-UPS

  • 5 things/5 Made-Up Things/5 Really Specific Things — a verbal warm-up in which participants name 5 things.

  • Bad Rap — a verbal warm-up in which participants intentionally avoid rhyming, the opposite of Beastie Rap.

  • Beastie Rap — a verbal warm-up in which participants rhyme.

  • Body Pat — a physical warm-up where a participant lightly pats their body to wake it up.

  • Joyful Nose Hairs — give an emotion to a body part and a sound (no words), and we all express that together.

  • Pass the Clap or Face/Phrace — a classic warm-up, where participants pass a clap or face/sound around the circle.

  • Pass the Ball/Red Ball/Lost Ball — a classic warm-up about focus and energy, where participants pass an imaginary ball.

  • Shake Out 8 — shakes out the limbs to a descending 8 count.

  • Stretch and Share — a classic warm-up where participants share whilst sharing something about themselves.

  • “That’s gonna happen!” — a verbal affirmation game.

  • Zip Zap Zop — a classic warm-up about focus and energy where participants pass words and motion around a circle.

GAMES & EXERCISES

  • Ask the Expert/Expert Interview — participants are experts in a field that have no expertise in and are interviewed by others about that expertise.

  • Conducted Story — participants are tasked with telling a story together; the facilitator will switch between participants who will seamlessly pick up the same story.

  • Counting to 20 — with eyes closed, a group counts up to 20; any time two people say the same number, everyone starts over.

  • Create a Commercial — group game wherein they create a commercial about a made-up product.

  • Follow the Follower — a physical warm-up where all participants are the leaders and followers simultaneously.

  • Fortunately/Unfortunately  — group storytelling game where participants work together to create a story one line at a time; also works on creative problem-solving.

  • Make and Pass a Gift — the group gives mimed gifts to each other and accepts them enthusiastically.

  • Mind Meld — the goal is for two participants to collaboratively free associate together until they reach the same word.

  • New Choice — during a two-person scene, a facilitator or third participant calls out “new choice,” and one person has to make new responsive choices.

  • One Word at a Time Story or Book Title/One Line Story/Headlines/Alphabet Story/Dr Know-It-All — create a collective story, one word/line, etc., at a time.

  • Scenes Cut from a Movie — participants play out a scene from a movie, minus the movie’s context.

  • Story Spine — this is a tool for the creating spine of any story using 8 prescribed lines.

  • Soundscape/Namescape — with eyes closed in a circle, participants create a soundscape.

  • Squeeze Play — participants create a two-minute scene and then replay it over and over with decreasing amount of time, getting to the heart of the scene faster and faster.

  • Truth Bench — two participants sit and talk, listen, and reflect to each other.

  • “Yes, And”/“No, But”/Three Line Scenes/Yes, Let’s/ Totally Totally — “Yes, And” games help people learn agreement, reacting positively to each other, fostering support and listening skills.