After a long school day, how do we transition from an academically-driven day to a theater mindset? With the warm-up, of course! I’m a strong believer in meditation, for it always helps me feel better when I’m stressed or worried. Bad vibes are the last thing that we need for rehearsal.
My favorite part of the warm-up (as I’m sure others can attest to) is the moment we all take to find joy and feel it in our bodies. And I don’t mean general happiness, but rather genuine joy. How many times a day do people actually stop what they are doing and attempt to feel joy? Probably never. As Mr. Howard often says, feeling joy is probably the most important part of the day.
While the warm-up features exercises such as calisthenics, voice warm-ups, and breathing exercises, I always look forward to seeing everyone take a moment to come together to get in the right mindset. Though I still have another year ahead of my Berkshire career, many senior captains will be leaving this May. For the past three performances I’ve been in, we’ve warmed up together. Soon, they will go on to their next endeavors.
I can’t tell you how many times the warm-up has saved me, especially on performance nights. It serves as a reminder that we are all here to do something special and beautiful—something that not everyone gets to do. I know that I can always count on everyone to back me up, and they can count on me as well.
So when you get the chance to meditate, do it. It does not take very long. Whether you may think that you may not need to warm-up to start your daily activities, I guarantee that you will feel better.
-Jeffrey Erazo
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