Improv Hobby's Home

Warm-up games are one of the most important parts of the rehearsal process and in the coaching class Jeff Griggs taught, this is the list the group came up with. The class spent a chunk of time brainstorming this and a lot of exercises were written down.
By the way, my notes from the class are at improvhobby.wordpress.com (without these lists) but that's where I actually do my write-ups of the classes that I take; I have to warn you though they really read like notes taken in a class. Why at wordpress? I had the wordpress blog before I had access to a website blog and I'm loathe to give it up, so instead, I'm trying to compartmentalize.

Warm up list -
1.    George
2.    Bunny bunny
3.    boink boink
4.    samurai
5.    where the fuck is the celery
6.    zip zap zop
7.    zip zap local style
8.    badada
9.    This is a what
10.    word association
11.    Big Booty
12.    Hot Spot
13.    Gibberish Hot spot
14.    Space Ball
15.    Rick Murphy Sound Game
16.    Beastie Boy rap
17.    Bad Rap
18.    Fred Schneider
19.    Stupid Ninja Names
20.    Draw - Howdy
21.    Two Circles
22.    Phone Banks
23.    Enemy/Protector
24.    Do You Like Your Neighbor
25.    Energy/Pace
26.    Firing Line
27.    Gibberish Line
28.    One word story
29.    Tag
30.    Body hoo-ha’s
31.    This because
32.    What are you doing
33.    Phrase Association
34.    Shakes
35.    10 things
36.    Show us how you get down
37.    The ball (red)
38.    Character Cavalcade
39.    Zoom Zoom
40.    Pass the clap
41.    Name circle game
42.    Memory
43.    Pass the Tone
44.    Up the Butt
45.    Count Down
46.    flaming retard
47.    Energy ball
48.    Paper Ball
49.    Bippety Bippety Bop
50.    Yes And
51.    Name circle (stomp at end)
52.    Character Yes
53.    Switching places
54.    Yes, Yes
55.    Dance 8
56.    Alliteration Firing Line
57.    obake
58.    Categories
59.    Alien/tiger/cow
60.    Assassin
61.    Machine Game
62.    What’s in the box
63.    Ad agency
64.    Courtroom
65.    Why not
66.    Breathing
67.    Walking in Space
68.    Thick Space
69.    Positive/Negative space
70.    Improv Ballet (flocking)
71.    Animal/body/voice (animal morphing)
72.    Rants

As a coach of a team it's important to have a good exercise list, as Jeff Griggs said in his coaching class at Laughtrack Theater. This is the list of exercises and categories we came up with in the class. Not too many here, but for time purposes we just created the categories and added a few to the list. There are lots more and hopefully in time I'll start adding on to them.

Fundamental Exercise List to add to:
1) Yes And
    Yes And Scenes
    What you said is important because
    Ad agency
    This is important because
2) Characters
    Character Walk
    5 Through the Door
3) Relationships (emotions and heightening)
    Status Exercises
    Master and Servant
    Master and Multiple Servants
    High Status/Low Status card game
    Gibberish Scenes
    No Argument Scenes
    Secret Want
    Platform, tilt, resolution, tag
4) Environment/spacework
    Join the activity
    Silent Scene (yes and ex. Too)
5) Listening
    Silent Scenes
    Count to 5 and speak
    1 word to 5 words and back (dialogue countdown)
    Match level of Emotion
    Match volume
6) Group work
    The Machine

I find it interesting that the word Hobby and Improv for those that do it for a living seems to have negative connotations when put together. As a mindset I think it's pretty valuable. Hobbies are meant to be enjoyed, it brings pleasure and relaxation. Although by definition it's not meant to be an occupation I don't think it's wrong to be grateful when you can make a hobby your job. Who wouldn't want that?
Two thoughts that worry me, as a person that is very thankful to have had the opportunity to work professionally in something they love, would be that people may treat it less as a hobby (fun and relaxing) and instead make it stressful and essentially "work," which I have been guilty of. The other thought that I like to dwell on from time to time is the mindset of a true hobbyist. They are fanatic and completely dedicated to their hobbies, they spend time and money on truly being good at it, it's self-learned, well-studied, and there's a lot of love and passion for the "hobby". That is awesome, but maybe not as awesome as a toy horse (which is still definition number two).