DEC
10

Holiday Warm-Ups

By Lavinia Roberts 

Lavinia Roberts is a theatre teacher and award-winning playwright who’s passionate about arts education and about creating zany, engaging, and meaningful plays for schools and community theaters. 

Season’s greetings!  ‘Tis the season to be jolly on stage and in the classroom, to move the body with good cheer, energy, and holiday spirit.  Get into the happy holiday spirit during rehearsal, before a production, or in the classroom with these cheerful vocal, physical, and focal warm-ups.

Holly Jolly Vocal Warm-Ups

Laugh like a...!

Standing in a circle, call out different holiday-themed ways for the troupe to laugh together.  Ideas can include laughing like Santa Claus, a cheerful elf, as a caroler (think “Deck the Halls,” as in, “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha!”), a giddy child, the Grinch, or even Ebenezer Scrooge.

A-caroling we will go!

Have students sing (or say), the chorus to “Deck the Halls,” in different ways, in different environments, or as different characters.  Examples could include singing joyfully, singing while freezing outside, or as Santa Claus.

Seasonal sounds story

Warm up voices and the imagination by inviting actors to create sound effects to a holiday story.  Include fun and festive sounds in your story like a crackling fire, a snowstorm, a sled whooshing by, reindeer hooves on the rooftop, Santa’s laugh, the sound of carolers or holiday tunes on the radio, or even have jingle bells they can use at appropriate times in the story.

Same line, different way

Have students to go in circle and, one-by-one, pantomime opening a present, then saying, “Oh, you shouldn’t have.  Really.”  But have each actor “perform” the line and action differently.  Encourage actors to be creative about what they are opening and how they react to the gift.

Reign in the reindeer

Have students practice projecting their voice to the back of the theatre or classroom by pretending to be Santa Claus calling out to his reindeer:  Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Cupid, Comet, Donner, Blitzen...  and of course, Rudolph.

Merry and Bright Physical Warm-Ups

Feasting facial warm-up

Have your group circle up facing each other.  Then, start the warm-up by having everyone pantomime eating various popular holiday foods!  Maybe start with an extra sticky piece of toffee that really works the jaw.  Then, have them suck on a candy cane, really drawing in their cheeks.  Have them blow on and drink hot chocolate that is too hot, or have them eat their least favorite holiday food — perhaps overcooked Brussels sprouts or Aunt Mabel’s fruitcake.  Finally, let them eat their favorite holiday cookie!  You could even go around the circle and have everyone share their favorite holiday food for others to pantomime eating!  Finish with a stomachache, or maybe a post-meal nap, yawning and stretching out the body and face at the end of your imaginary feast.

Gift-giving charades

Have each actor “open a gift” while the rest of the class guesses what the gift is!  You could alternatively have students pantomime their favorite winter activity or beloved holiday tradition for the class to guess.

Festive freeze dance

Play the classic game of freeze dance with a seasonal twist by having students dance freely around the space to festive holiday tunes, like “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” or other spirited seasonal songs.  When you stop the music and call out, “Freeze!”  participants must remain still.  The challenge is for students to stop immediately and stay completely still when the music is stopped.

Walk like a...  reindeer?

Have the ensemble walk around the space while you call out different wintery ways for them to move, such as ice skating, having a snowball fight (in slow-motion, maybe?), as Santa Claus with a heavy bag of gifts, as a prancing reindeer, as a nutcracker, as a stressed holiday shopper, etc.  Or, let the actors choose their own holiday-inspired ideas!

Season’s greetings improv

Have actors assume a character and walk around the space to festive holiday music.  Then, stop the music and tell the actors to pair up with another actor and offer season’s greetings to the other person.  Their greeting exchange should define both the setting and their relationship to each other.  Examples could include long lost friends at an airport, frenemies at a holiday party, Santa Claus with his reindeer, the Nutcracker to the Mouse King, or strangers waiting in line to see Santa.

Wintery Warm-Ups to Focus the Mind

“I opened my stocking...”

A festive and fun way to focus the mind, this is a variation of the classic game, “I packed my bag.”  Students stand in a circle and the first person says, “I opened my stocking and inside was a...”  followed by whatever they choose.  Then, the next person repeats that stocking stuffer and then adds one of their own.  This repeats around the circle!  (Note:  As the facilitator, I like to go last and be the one to have to say all the items.)  Variations of this game could also include “I cooked our holiday dinner and made...”  or “All I want for Christmas is...”

One-word “Winter Wonderland” story

Either in pairs or as a class, invite students to create a holiday-themed story where each player adds one word to the story at a time.

Seasonal categories

Start the game by sitting in a circle, giving a ball or soft object to one student actor and having them share a yuletide category such as holiday foods, winter sports, or holiday songs.  Then, the actor tosses the ball and whoever catches it must add to the “category” before tossing the ball to another actor.  When they catch the ball, the player must say something in that category that hasn’t been said yet before tossing the ball to someone else.  The goal is for the group to get as many unique items in a category as they can.

Holiday telephone

“Telephone” is a familiar listening game, where one person whispers something to the next person, who whispers the same line to the following person until the message has gone around the whole circle.  The final person says the message out loud for the whole group.  Add a yuletide twist to this classic game by whispering lines of dialogue from popular holiday movies, song lyrics, or seasonal greetings.

‘Tis the Season to be Grateful

In a circle, go around one at a time and have everyone say a word or phrase and/or a make a movement or gesture that represents something they are grateful for this holiday season.  The rest of the group can repeat the word and action in unison.

Here’s to a wonderful theatre production and holiday season!  Best wishes for the New Year ahead.  I hope these seasonal warm-ups bring wonder and delight to you and your students.  Wishing you and your troupe good cheer, on stage and off.  May the stars in your classroom and your holidays shine bright.