Wait! I'm Not Warmed Up Yet!

Show-biz glamorizes the importance of actors arriving hours before a performance. Movies and television shows about musicals and the lives behind the set, usually make a point to include a scene where the actors are in dressing rooms warming-up for all of five minutes. Realistically, these vocal and physical warm-ups can take hours to complete. If an actor is called for a 7 a.m. rehearsal, shoot, or show, the actor is going to have to sacrifice about three hours of sleep, taking into consideration hair (30 minutes-1 hour), make-up (30 minutes- 1hour), vocal warm-up (30 minutes), physical warm-up (30 minutes-1 hour), and transportation (varies) if the actor is not located on the set. So, why not just ditch the whole warm-up charade all together? I'm glad you asked.

Dana Harrison (me) performing a steam facial, provided by a small pot of water

 Throughout the day, the voice comes into contact with several forces that can ultimately damage its structure. The voice encounters the excretions of buildings such as pollution and smog, car exhausts, toxic human-manipulated smoke (first, second, and third hand smoke, including the smoke of other drugs such as marijuana), dry atmospheres (airplanes, construction zones/sites, warehouses), cold air, and loud places (bars, lounges, a kindergarten classroom) that lead to an elevation in the voice and often the grinding of the vocal folds. Avoiding one or more of these vocal threats is nearly impossible. Instead of living in a plastic bubble until showtime, actors work vocal regiments into their daily routine.

Warming-up starts long before the company is called (company- actors in the show; call- specific time the actors must arrive on set). Here are some precautions actors keep in mind:

Dehydrators
To properly function, the vocal folds (popularly known as vocal cords) must be moist. Drink plenty of water (at least 80 ounces a day)! Avoid vocal dehydrators: coffee, sugar, antihistamines, liquor (or alcohol in any form, loud atmospheres, and smoking.

Acid Reflux
Acid reflux leads to inflammation of the vocal folds, hoarseness, and vocal nodes (bumps that form on the vocal folds and prevent the folds from abducting). Tomatoes (and other highly acidic foods), chocolate, peppermint, spicy foods, refined sugar, caffeine, food two hours or less prior to bedtime, excessive eating, salt, and gum, all increase acidity levels in the body.

Mucus Builders
Mucus smothers the throat and moves along the throat in a slug-like manner. Avoid dairy products, chocolate, dust, nuts, allergens, pollutants, and again—SMOKE! Water is the ultimate anti-mucus solution!


Immunity Boosts
Wash your hands, with soap and water, often. Do not share beverages, food, or utensils with anyone. Get plenty of sleep on a regular basis. Strengthen your immune system with garlic, onions, echinacea, zinc, and vitamin C. Exercise.

There are countless tricks and remedies for the protection of the voice. Growing in popularity is the nasal cleansing Neti Pot. Essentially, the Neti Pot is a nasal irrigator that cleanses the nasal cavity.

The benefits of warming-up are endless. Often times audience members will leave a performance and say one or two actors were better than all of the other actors. This is often because those one or two actors warmed-up thoroughly. Warming-up allows the muscles to loosen, aligns mental focus, and connects the actor to his/her character.  

Unfortunately for the actor in demand or the theatre majoring college student, the best ways to warm-up are the most time consuming. Exercising daily, 8-10 hours of sleep, a healthy diet, properly stretching the mouth, larynx, nasal cavity, and spine, are all the tricks of the trade.

This article is not solely in relation to the actor; all of the above applies to any entertainer.

Tip: Perform a quick steam facial! Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Before steaming face, TURN THE STOVE OFF. Wait until the water stops boiling. Place face in the steam the water provides. Lightly blow steam to produce a more rapid flow of steam.

Special Thanks to Nicole Mattis (vocal coach and dialectician), Department Chair of Frostburg State University's Theatre & Dance Department. Much of this information is a compilation of what I have learned in her Voice & Movement I and II, Voice & Speech, and Dialect courses.