Warm-ups are important to protect an actor's mind, body, and voice.
The students will:
1. Find a spot to sit. Ask students to close their eyes and focus on a number. Push all other thoughts out of their heads and just see their number. They will not think about the test they have to take, the friend that made them mad, the dinner they are going to eat with their parents... only focus on their number. When they have pushed away thoughts that are not focused on the present moment, they will open their eyes.
2. Stand. Reach to the sky and arch backward. Then behind over and touch the ground stretching hands to the floor.
3. Slowly rise to a standing position. They will need to come up vertebrae by vertebrae letting the head be the last part that settles to the standing position.
4. Shake out their hands, feet, and shoulders.
5. Vocalize: HaHaMaMa and go through the Vowel Tree. If they are unfamiliar with the Vowel Tree, you can use this video:
https://youtu.be/khcOefeW23c6.
Staying focused, they will play the ball game.
a. The students need to stand in a circle facing into the circle.
b. The teacher will begin by throwing 1 ball to the first student. The teacher will continue to throw a ball to the first person until they are throwing at least 2 balls per person in the circle. Use tennis balls or something that is soft, as you will pick a person to throw to, then they pick a different person to throw to, then so on... until every student is catching from a student and throwing to another student. It helps if you have the students hold up a hand so that 2 students don't throw to the same person.
c. The goal is to have the students go through the entire process and not drop the ball. They should be able to hold focus and not drop the ball for 5 minutes.
