To start off my Drama Portfolio, I'm going to start from the very beginning. Not the first week of classes beginning, but the thing that takes place at the beginning of every good drama lesson.. 

The Warm Up 

Everyone knows that an athlete needs to do a good warmup before doing a physical exercise. But did you know that actors and actresses also need to go through the warm up process prior to a play or even an activity? I most certainly did not.

Prior to this class my drama experience was rather limited. I had never been in a play or acted at all so I was pretty nervous going into this course. Thankfully however, each week would begin with a different drama warm up which not only helped us to become more comfortable and confident, it also helped us build our arsenal of drama activities for future lessons. 

In this blog post I will be highlighting a couple of my favourite drama warmups and activities. 

1. Circle Up & Home Base 

These first two I'm going to discuss together because I feel like they are so similar and have the same benefits. These act as such good classroom management tools that once implemented, a teacher can call "Circle Up!" or "Home Base!" and the students will immediately find their positions and be ready for the next instruction. The two work so well hand in hand as well because many drama games, activities, and warmups take place either in a circle formation or in a spread out formation. By having the two formations memorized and ready to go, transition time will be a lot faster than having to tell students to spread out, find your own space - not too close together - etc, etc. This technique takes all of that problem solving out of the equation and can be implemented in the first week or first day of class. 

2. Zip! Zap! Bop! 

Zip Zap Bop worked as both a drama game as well as a drama warmup. It made sure we were paying attention, able to think on our toes, collaborate with our class, and roll with the punches (especially when you get bopped multiple times in a row). This activity was a ton of fun and is definitely something I'll be using in my future classes.