Acting 101: Warm Ups

As everyone in acting can attest to, good warm up time spent is time well spent indeed. A warm up not only loosens muscles and keeps the body limber for the acting performance ahead but it also helps sharpen the reflexes, mind and ability to react to others upon the stage. Acting is not merely speaking lines and moving across a stage, taking bows at the end of the show, but acting is a whole body experience and one that needs be started in a way that prepares the whole being for the show ahead.

Warmups can be as simple or as difficult as the director wishes them to be. Warm ups in relationship to a lesser movement oriented show may be centered more on speech and less on intricate movements than say a warm up period that those who are going to produce many and varied physical activities on stage might use. Fencing, musical theatre and those shows which are more physical in nature benefit from a more drawn out, complete warm up time and thus the production of the show is better as well. Vocal warm ups are common and most directors have their favorites, but physical and imaginative warm ups are important as well and need to be addressed as well to have a fresh, sharp show.