Mondays can make many people feel down, but today’s daily drama exercise is sure to energize aspiring actors for the upcoming week! CEPA and Spotlight want to encourage young actors that even though there is no stage, they can still work on their acting abilities and have fun.
Monday’s drama exercise is….TONGUE TWISTERS!
Tongue twisters are a fantastic way to warm-up and practice good articulation. Working with tongue twisters allows an actor to focus on what they are saying, how to say it, and speaking clearly.
First you want to warm up your face, yes, your face.
Your face has muscles in it that can tighten just like the muscles in your leg or hand. So, scrutch up your face like you tasted something super sour then relax your face. You will want to do this a couple of times.
After that you want to make an expression as wide as you can, like you’re screaming on a fast roller coaster(but don’t actually scream). Once you have done these expressions a few times each, you are ready for tongue twisters.
Here are a few of my favorite tongue twisters to try out:
- She sells seashells by the seashore. (the classic)
- Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers
- If a dog chews shoes, whose shoes does he choose?
- Red leather, yellow leather
- (If you are looking for a more challenging one),
Betty bought butter,
But the butter was bitter,
So Betty bought better butter,
To make the bitter butter better.
Take your time with these, the goal is not to be super fast immediately. Start by saying each one slowly, and make sure you are pronouncing them right and articulating(expressing clearly). Gradually increase the speed as you go. Once you start getting faster, the words can get jumbled up.
Try to say them quickly and correctly – but it’s harder than it looks!
That’s the whole idea of tongue twisters. Take about 5-10 minutes with this, you can do these tongue twisters easily around the house throughout the day. If you want, record yourself performing your tongue twisters and send them in to [email protected] and they can get posted on our social media pages. I would love to see them!
I hope this brightens up your Monday! Be sure to check back throughout the rest of the week for more daily exercises for actors.
For more tongue twisters and acting warm-ups, check out:
“3 Facial-Warmups for Actors”- https://www.masterclass.com/articles/7-acting-warmups-games-and-techniques-for-actors#7-acting-warmups-for-actors
“Tongue Twisters for Actors”- https://actingcoachscotland.co.uk/blog/tongue-twisters-actors/ (number 4 on this list is a super favorite of mine)
