Theatre Warm-Ups

Diction Exercises

1.) I am the very model of a modern major general. I have information vegetable, animal, and
mineral. This particularly rapid, unintelligible patter isn’t generally heard and if it is it doesn’t
matter.

2.) What t-t-do to die today, at a minute or two ’til two. A thing distinctly hard to say, yet harder
still to do. For there’ll be a tat-too at a twenty ’til two and a rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat at two,
and the dragon will come when he hears the drum, at a minute or two ’til two today, at a minute
or two till two.

3.) When does the wrist watch strap shop shut? Does the wrist watch shop shut soon? Which
wrist watches are Swiss wrist watches? Since Swiss wrist watches work swell!

4.) A big, black bug bit a big brown bear, and the big, brown bear bled blood.

5.) She stood on the balcony, inexplicably mimicking him hiccupping, amicably welcoming him
in.

6.) T-t-t-t D-d-d-d T-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t D-d-d-d T-t-t-t D-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d. P-p-p-p B-b-b-b P-p-p-p-
p-p-p-p-p- B-b-b-b P-p-p-p B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b. K-k-k-k G-g-g-g K-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k G-g-g-g
K-k-k-k G-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g. S-s-s-s Z-z-z-z S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s Z-z-z-z S-s-s-s Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-
z. T-t-t-D-d-d-P-p-p-B-b-b-K-k-k-G-g-g-S-s-s-Z-z-z. T-t-t-D-d-d-P-p-p-B-b-b-K-k-k-G-g-g-S-s-
s-Z-z-z. T-D-P-B-K-G-S-Z. T-D-P-B-K-G-S-Z.

7.) Eating an apple

8.) The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain—except in Hertford, Hereford, and Hampshire
where hurricanes hardly ever happen.

Projection Exercises

1.) Throwing Sounds: Meet-Met-Mot-Moat-Moot

2.) Vocal Focus
3.) Counting
4.) Breathing with Your Diaphragm

Movement Exercises

1.) Mirroring
2.) Flocking
3.) Shay-Shay-Koolay
4.) Zoof
5.) Grandmother’s Footsteps