Before we go on stage – even to rehearse – you need to do some simple exercises. This is called a warm-up and helps to 'warm up' your body so you are relaxed when you go out to play your part and entertain the audience.
1. Stand tall. Straight back. Feet slightly apart. Hands hanging loosely by your side. This is the relaxed or 'neutral' position and means we are ready to move in any direction the director wants.
2. Imagine you are covered from head to toe with rain-drops. Shake them all off. Every last one of them.
3. Imagine there is a chocolate bar on the ceiling almost above your head. Without moving any other part of your body, stretch your head back as far as you can and then bring it back to neutral. Do it again…and again then look to the right as far as you can and back and to the left and back.
4. Hands by your side. Try to touch your ears with your shoulders. Draw your shoulders as far up to your ears as you can. Up and down. Shrug your shoulders and flick out your hands from the wrists. Say 'who cares', 'who cares'. 'I don't' 'I don't care'.
5. Draw one shoulder at a time up to your ears as far as you can. Then draw an imaginary circle with your shoulders. Right first, then left. Then both together.
6. Stretch up to the ceiling with your right arm as high as you can. Go up on your tiptoes as well. Try to reach the chocolate bar – it might be there after all! Let your right arm fall back to your side. Repeat with your left hand. And right and left and right and left.
7. Hands on hips. Move the upper half of your body to the right and at the same time, move the lower half of your body to the left. Now reverse the situation and move the bottom half to the right and the top half to the left.
8. Stretch out your right hand. Imagine you are a puppet and there is a string from your right hand attached to your right knee. Raise your right hand and bring your right knee up at the same time. Repeat with your left hand and your left knee. Now alternate them: right, left, right, left…
9. Balancing on your left leg, stretch your right leg out in front and from the ankle down, draw a circle in the air with your right foot. Repeat with the left foot.
10. Gentle jogging on the spot. Begin slowly then sprint as hard as you can on the same spot and then slow down. And gentle jogging and sprint...etc...
11. Now shake off all those raindrops again and we are warmed up and ready to go!
