Embrace the moment and the give and take of improv with this high-energy warm-up.
The Basics
Players form a circle. One begins by passing a random and supported sound across the circle with a clear physical take. The receiving player then catches this spontaneous sound by repeating the offer to the best of their ability before allowing the energy to immediately change into a different sound that they then pass clearly across the circle to a new recipient. Sounds are caught, repeated, then transformed in this manner with increased attack and abandon.
Example
Player A sends a “whoosh” across the circle to Player B.
Player B receives the offer by recreating the “whoosh” (both verbally and physically), and then sends a “cha-cha-cha” to Player C.
Player C echoes the “cha-cha-cha” before transforming it into a “shazam” and directing it to Player D…
The Focus
Receive, react, respond, repeat.
Traps and Tips
1.) Seek energy. There can be a tendency to offer up the smallest or safest sound for the group, especially with newer companies or players, so challenge yourself to play the game with gusto and full commitment. If participants expend the minimum amount of energy, they will predictably receive the minimum amount of reward.
2.) Seek acceptance. Do your best when mirroring the choice of the prior player. (While there are “no wrong choices” it’s probably unhelpful to make that peculiar noise that only you can make for this reason as you want to set up your partners for joy.) The action of repeating the prior choice can feel a little alien at first, as players want to rush to their own idea, but this practice of truly seeing and hearing the offers of others provides an important lesson and tool.
3.) Seek inclusion. This is standard advice for all ensemble games that include some element of random choice, but make sure you aren’t excluding anyone from the sequence. If you’re working in a particularly large group, it’s wise to break up into multiple smaller circles of 10-16, as many more than this can cause the game to lag. Also, seek inclusion in terms of ability and limitations. While the exercise promotes spontaneity, it’s certainly in the spirit of improv to craft an offer that you know the intended recipient can use without discomfort or embarrassment.
4.) Seek speed. Again, this can be a rather inelegant measure of a game’s utility, but if the momentum falters or never quite seems to leave the starting gates, this usually indicates an unhelpful level of thinking, planning, and assessing. Sounds don’t need to be gobsmackingingly original or unique; prior choices might become recycled or serve as the inspiration for current efforts; players might (will) inadvertently pass along the selfsame noise they just received on occasion. None of these “fumbles” ultimately matters. If you’re struggling to find a fun and risky speed, the concept of “hot potatoes” can help, with players striving to hold onto the focus for the shortest amount of time as possible.
In performance
This game shares a lot of terrain with the language-based Word Ball which I’ve considered as a variant of the mainstay Word Association exercise examined here. Most of the pointers listed for these games certainly apply to the current undertaking.
And you can mine the library for the multitude of other fun improv warm-ups here.
Cheers, David Charles.
www.improvdr.com
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Photo Credit: Kalani Senior
© 2025 David Charles/ImprovDr
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