Red Ball. Green Ball. Orange Kayak?

Red Ball.

Green Ball.

Purple Ball.

Yellow Candlestick.

Orange Kayak.

Blue Bowling Ball.

Silver Shuriken?

Red Ball, Green Ball is my favorite improv warm-up game. Essentially, players are passing objects to each other. It starts off slow, and slowly, chaos starts to ensue. I'll start with the instructions on how I facilitate the exercise. I hope that it makes sense. Please let me know if you need any clarification!

• Start in a standing circle.

  • This game can be played while sitting with minor adjustments.

• First, pantomime a ball in your hands, and say you are holding a Red Ball.

• As you pass the item, say the player's name, and the item you are passing.

  • Example: "Emily, Red Ball"

• The person receiving the item responds by saying the item's name, and "Thank you".

  • Example: "Red Ball, Thank you."

• Pass the Red Ball around the circle, with participants following the same script.

  • It is often helpful to play games with people's names prior to this group.

  • Remind folks that you will forget each other's names in the moment, and that that is okay, and you can always ask for a reminder

  • To make this game a bit easier, you can also change the name portion to "Hello," emphasizing the importance of eye contact.

• I encourage players to replicate the item's proper weight and size.

• I tend to have the group practice passing the ball to their right, and let it go around the circle 2 times.

• Once it lands back in my hands, I let participants know we can hand the ball to anyone in the circle, and I do so by handing it to the person across from me.

• After a couple of turns with the Red Ball, I introduce a Green Ball into the mix. Now, 2 items are moving around the group.

• Here's where you get to start being creative.

  • I introduce a Yellow Candlestick, holding it by the stem.

  • I introduce an Orange Kayak by lifting it above my shoulder.

  • I introduce a Blue Bowling Ball by heaving it with both hands.

  • (For more advanced players) I toss in a Silver Shuriken by flicking it to another player.

    • Add what you come up with on the spot!

• The game ends as you slowly toss out items until there is none left.

My first question after finishing this game with participants is usually, "How was that?" Reflections I generally hear are "chaos," and I love to hear it. I tend to ask, "What sort of skills were we practicing?" I'm mainly looking for attention, listening, and presence. In addition, we're gifting things to others, and we're receiving from others as well, something that will happen on stage during improv scenes. We're acknowledging what the person is gifting us, letting them know we understand what they said, and are building that muscle.

Prior to starting group, I write, "Name, Item. Item, Thank you" on our white board, in case glancing over at the script will help some folk get the hang of it. If you'd like to practice this game sitting, it may look like a mix of tossing the items, and passing them to their partners next to them in the circle.

I hope that this was helpful, and adds a fun game into the mix!