Fitness

Make no mistake: Drama class is not for the faint of heart. Creating theatre is physically and mentally strenuous and drama students need to be strong. Performing onstage and working backstage are demanding and require focus and endurance. In drama and theatre, your body is your instrument so you need to keep it “in tune.” For that, we’ve rounded up some great articles to help your students incorporate health and physical fitness into their routines. What are your best ways to help your students get strong and stay well? Note: When discussing health and physical fitness, students should not feel that they have to lose weight, get toned, or change their body type to get roles or otherwise succeed in theatre. Fitness comes in all shapes and sizes. Focus on choices that help students to feel healthy, strong, and well, rather than on outward appearance. • First and foremost, water. Most of us do not consume enough water despite having a multitude of fancy water bottles and mugs. Did you know that the average human body is 60% water? Water keeps our organs and cells healthy, and of course keeps us hydrated. Water keeps the vocal folds lubricated and helps them recover faster after heavy use. So when you need a pick-me-up, grab your water and take a big sip. • Why do we warm up before drama activities? Both to get us into the “drama mindset” and to ensure our bodies are in peak physical condition to leap, dance, twist, cavort, and every other wonderful and wacky movement that the director comes up with. Here are some physical warm-ups for you: 3 Fun and Physical Warm-Ups to Get Your Actors Moving: Doodles, Elephant Walk, and Puppet Dance Party. As well, here are some physical, vocal, and mental warm-ups and tips, all in one article! • Physical fitness is important for any drama student to work on their strength, flexibility, and endurance, which are necessary for both plays and musicals. Here are 3 Fitness Tips for Drama Students that are fun, or your students might enjoy dancing in the drama classroom, which is a great way to incorporate movement and physicality into the day. • Vocal health is imperative, regardless of whether you are performing a musical or a play. Here are three tips for keeping your voice healthy, three MORE tips for keeping your voice healthy, and advice from teachers about teaching vocal safety to students. • Here are some vocal exercises for your students: A Simple Breath Control Exercise for Actors & Singers, Projecting Your Voice Without Yelling, A Vocal Exercise for the Articulators, and Tips to Improve Enunciation. As well, here’s a troubleshooting guide for why your actor isn’t projecting their voice and tips for solving vocal projection issues. • We say this to our students all the time, but it bears repeating: When it comes to showtime, it’s important to make smart choices. Things like getting a proper amount of sleep, eating nourishing food, avoiding screaming and screeching, staying away from risky activities where students might get injured, and wearing warm clothing in cold weather may not be fun in the moment, but will keep students healthy in the long run. Even though show week might feel like it speeds by, students need to stay well all the way from opening to closing! • Mental health is just as important as physical health. If your students are feeling anxious or nervous, try some mindfulness techniques or establish some rituals like the show circle. Let your students know that your drama classroom is a safe space and encourage them to reach out if they need additional help.

Fitness? Hey, this is supposed to be drama class, not gym class! I’m not a jock! I’m terrible at sports! Are you telling me I need to lose weight? Fitness is so important for drama students. Drama students need to be strong, both physically and mentally. Performing onstage and working backstage are demanding and require focus and endurance, whether students are dancing in the ensemble, building and painting sets, performing a monologue, running the spotlight, or calling the show from the booth. Being physically fit can help students with all of these tasks. So how can teachers encourage their drama students to take an active role in developing their fitness? Here are three tips that will help. 1 .What are the benefits for your students?Students need to know what’s in it for them. Why bother working out and exercising? What’s the point? They’re already so busy, so how can they cram another thing into their schedules? Share these benefits with your students, and have them come up with additional ideas. (A) Physical benefits – increased energy, better ability to sleep, improved stamina and endurance, increased strength and flexibility. In other words, being physically fit helps students with the physical tasks needed in drama class or in a production. They’ll be able to move more quickly, stand for longer periods of time, and recover after a taxing show more easily. They will notice improved breath control, so singing and dancing will be easier. (B) Mental benefits – growth in confidence and focus, sense of pride in completing a challenging task, stress reduction, and learning new skills helps them to plan ahead and stick to a schedule. What? Being fit makes drama students smarter and more confident? Yes! They’ll be better able to deal with the stresses of working on a production and balancing their busy lives. They’ll feel good about themselves when they are able to get through a demanding piece of choreography without gasping for air. It’s also well known that doing physical activities releases endorphins – the brain’s “feel good” chemicals – which will translate to improved moods and a more positive attitude. Who doesn’t want that in their classroom? (C) Social benefits – bonding with friends and fellow classmates/cast mates (when fitness is pursued in pairs/groups), opportunities to meet new people. Encourage students to pursue fitness goals with their friends. It’s easier to keep each other accountable, and it can be a whole lot of fun being active together. Engaging in physical activity is a great way for students to bond as a group. Note: While a focus on physical fitness may also involve changes to the body (such as toning or weight loss), this is not the focus. When discussing fitness, students should not feel that they have to lose weight, get toned, or change their body type in order to get roles or otherwise succeed in theatre. Fitness comes in all shapes and sizes. Focus on choices that help students to feel healthy, strong, and well, rather than on outward appearance. 2. Fitness should be FUN!This is an important point – fitness should be fun! Yes, it’s hard work, but if students are frustrated and resentful in their pursuit of fitness they are more likely to quit. Sometimes exercise and fitness activities have a more sports-oriented focus that isn’t super-engaging for drama students. So have your students brainstorm a list of fun and different fitness activities that they can try, and that appeal to their theatrical interests. Encourage them to think of creative or unusual ways of incorporating fitness into their daily routines. See if they can put a “drama class spin” on the suggestions, and have them indicate how the activities will specifically help them improve in the drama classroom. Here are some ideas to get them started: • Get together with castmates to learn and/or rehearse choreography from a show, or even choreograph and perform their own dances. • Walk, ride a bike, skateboard, or rollerblade to and from rehearsal. • Play active video games such as Wii Fit or Just Dance. • Create a “Broadway Bootcamp” playlist to use while at the gym (of course, students then actually have to USE the playlist while working out!). • Search for old cheesy workouts from the 80s and 90s on YouTube (like “Sweatin’ to the Oldies”) and try not to laugh too hard while joining in on the exercises (bonus points if they can find a Richard Simmons-esque costume to wear). • Go on a cast and crew bonding trip to play paintball, laser tag, archery tag. Or try a ropes course. Remember, the point is for students to suggest different activities that they would actually do! There’s no point in listing “run a marathon” if they wouldn’t actually do it. 3. Track progress, see results, and reflect on success.Tracking their progress will give students concrete evidence that their hard work is paying off. Have students complete a simple fitness challenge – for example, over the next four weeks, students will complete 30 minutes of physical activity, at least three times per week. Students will record their activities in a log (see our giveaway for a free tracking template!) and reflect on how they feel and any benefits or changes they notice in themselves. *Note: As always, stay safe in the classroom. Tell students that they should consult their physician or other health care professional before starting this or any fitness program to determine if it is right for their needs. Kerry Hishon is a director, actor, writer, and stage combatant from London, Ontario, Canada. She blogs at www.kerryhishon.com.