I’m starting a new quasi-regular segment this week. On select Mondays, I’ll be posting warm-ups that you can use at the beginning of improv classes or to prepare for an improv show. If you have found these warm-ups to be personally useful, please leave a comment below!
Hot Spot is a fun singing game! With everyone standing in a circle, one person moves to the center of the circle and starts singing a song. It can be anything, just the first song to come to mind. As the other people in the circle begin to recognize the tune, they sing along. As soon as someone in the circle is inspired, they tap out the singer and take over the spot in the center of the circle, singing a new song. The new song can be one that contains similar lyrics (like “Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart” to “Achy Breaky Heart”), was recorded by the same artist, or just belongs to the same genre. You don’t have to explain how you got from song A to song B, and don’t worry about whether it makes sense to everyone else.
Purpose:
This game has a two-fold purpose: to build energy and to build support among the group members. We will often do it before a show to remember to loosen up and have fun. Also, just like in a scene, it is your responsibility to make your partners look good – always tap someone out before they start to flounder with lyrics they don’t really know.
Tips for Success:
Tag out early and often. Don’t worry about it if you can’t quite work out the complete lyrics in your head. If you have an idea, give it a shot and let the group come to your aid. This is a really good game to train that tag out response, which is necessary in games like Freeze and Tag Out Monologue. You know literally thousands of songs. Just sing one of them. And don’t worry if you think you can’t sing – just belt it out. Nobody expects you to be on American Idol.
This sounds fun. I want to play this.