‘Oh, There You Are’ Acting Warmup Exercise

Purpose

This fast-paced, interactive activity strengthens delegates’ ability to express emotion, improvise dialogue and respond spontaneously in character. Variations of this are often used as warmup in acting courses. Scene relays enhance skills in emotional range, role-play and non-verbal communication. The exercise encourages humour, empathy and spontaneity. It is effective in courses on communication, storytelling, leadership presence, team dynamics and presentation skills. The consistent structure of the greeting line allows even quieter delegates to join in with clarity and confidence.

Objective

Delegates take turns delivering and responding to a simple greeting line “Oh, there you are…”. They use different tones, emotions and scene contexts. Over successive rounds, they build short, improvised scenes with varying emotional tones and themes.

What You Need

• Open space for delegates to form a circle
• A list of sample themes for Round 3. Examples are provided below but adjust according to your training needs.

Setup

• Ask delegates to form a standing circle.
• Explain that this exercise has three rounds, and the phrase “Oh, there you are…” (or a slight variation) will be used as a creative anchor.
• Emphasise that the activity is about tone, creativity, spontaneity. It is about building confidence in emotionally charged interactions, not scripted performance.

Round 1 – Emotion Relay (3 minutes)

• Get one delegate to start by pointing to someone across the circle and say: “Oh, there you are…” in a clear emotional tone of their choice (e.g. joyful, angry, surprised, scared, embarrassed).
• The person who receives the line should mirror or react with their own version of the same phrase using a different emotional tone. Then point to someone else.
• Continue around the circle. There is no need for backstories or added lines, just the phrase and emotional variation.
• Encourage fast pace and exaggerated delivery to warm up the group.

Round 2 – Scene Starter Relay (6 minutes)

• Same circle format.
• This time, get one delegate to start with: “Oh, [Name], there you are…” followed by a short improvised line that implies a situation or relationship with an emotion. Name, is the name of the person they are pointing at.

Example

“Oh, Claire, there you are… I’ve been hiding in that bush for two hours waiting for the signal!”

• The person addressed should respond in character, improvising a short reply.
• Then they should turn to someone else and initiate a new, unrelated scene using the same structure: “Oh, [Name], there you are…” + new improvised line.
• Let the scenes flow naturally. Each is self-contained and there is no need to continue storylines.
• Encourage variety of emotions such as joy, suspicion, guilt, panic and awe.

Round 3 – Themed Scene Relay (6 minutes)

• Announce a theme that applies to the entire round. Examples are:

At the supermarket

Spy thriller

Hospital

School reunion

Lost in the woods

Crime scene

• Now every interaction must follow the format of Round 2, but with all scenes relating to the chosen theme.
• Keep the pace brisk. Encourage quick, spontaneous dialogue. Each exchange should last no more than 10–15 seconds.
• Rotate themes every 2 minutes if time allows.
• Follow with a discussion to wrap up.

Timing

Explaining the Exercise: 2 minutes

Activity:

Round 1: Emotion Relay - 3 minutes

+ Round 2: Scene Starters - 6 minutes

+ Round 3: Themed Scenes - 6 minutes

= 15 minutes

Group Feedback: 5 minutes

Discussion

Ask delegates to reflect on the experience:

• Which round did you find most challenging, and why?
• How did emotional tone change the meaning of a simple line?
• What strategies helped you improvise a quick, believable response?
• What did this exercise reveal about your comfort with spontaneity or emotional expression?
• How could this type of quick thinking help in real-life conversations, presentations or conflict situations?

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