Physical Warm-ups

All actors must start by warming up their bodies and their voices. Here are 22 highly-detailed physical warm-ups that can help you teach like a pro if you are new to teaching drama, or refresh your bag of tricks if you’ve been teaching for a long time!

Example:

Super Stretch

Have students spread out so that they cannot reach their neighbor and say the following:

Say!

• Stand on your tippy, tippy toes and reach up to the ceiling. Stretch as far as you can. Imagine your fingers touching the ceiling. Maybe you can reach so high that you actually go through the roof and reach for the clouds.
• Now let your body relax. Let your arms fall loosely at your sides. Let your knees relax. Let your toes relax.
• Bend at the waist and just let yourself slowly hang down, down until your fingers are touching the floor.
• Stand up straight again, totally relaxed.
• Now stretch out your right arm and try to reach the person next to you. Stretch as far as you can, with your whole body, really try and reach them.
• Let your arm start to relax. Stand up straight again.
• Do the same thing with your left arm. Reach for your other neighbor. Stretch as far as you can, with your whole body!
• And relax.
• Go ahead and shake yourself out a little.