Improv Warm Ups

I had a request to explain some of the improv games/warm-ups I had mentioned earlier.

Freak Tag: One person is it. They take on a physical characteristic and a vocal characteristic (i.e. walks like a freak and makes a weird noise). Something freaky. Think zombies. That person moves around the floor, never running, moving at fairly slow rate, and continues to hold the physical characteristic and the weird noise. They try to tag one of the other improvisers.

When tagged, the "Freak" is transferred, and the original improviser goes back to normal while the tagged improviser becomes the freak. They take on a new physicality and make a new noise. They should try to choose a physicality based on their own physical stance when tagged (ie if tagged in the corner, bending over and holding your hands up protectively, then walk around bend over with your hands held up).

Keep "passing the freak" around from person to person. At some point (probably when everyone is getting tired), the facilitator should yell out "Viral!" At this time, the Freak is now a virus. The person passing the freak stays as a freak, until everyone is infected.

Jeepers Peepers: Everyone stands in a circle, and looks down at the floor. The facilitator yells "Go!", at which point everyone looks up. They can either look to their left, right, or straight ahead. If you find yourself making eye contact with another improviser, you scream and fall to the ground. You can just repeat like this, or when you fall down, you are "out" until everyone has fallen to the ground.

Sevens: A quick energy builder. Everyone stands in a circle, and puts their right hand in the center. Everyone counts from one to seven very quickly, punctuating each number with their hand. Then again with the left hand, right leg, and left leg. Then do this again counting from one to six, one to five, etc., all the way down to one.