Zip Zap Zop
OVERVIEW
Zip Zap Zop is one of the most famous, ubiquitous theater games in existence. Popular at theatre camps, collegiate theater departments and community theaters, it perhaps not that surprising to learn it is also a favorite of the improv community. Commonly used as a warm up exercise, Zip Zap Zop is likely to appear in workshops focused on:
Agility
Communication
Listening
Staying In The Moment
Team Building
REQUIREMENTS
Number of Participants:
Minimum: 5 participants / Maximum: 16 participants
Time Required:
Minimum: 10 minutes / Maximum: 15 minutes
Materials Needed:
None
EXERCISE INSTRUCTIONS
Arrange players in a circle. Explain that your are going to play a rhythmic focus passing game in which players will pass focus from one to the other by indicating someone else in the circle in rhythm with a movement and saying either Zip, Zap or Zop. The movement can be a point, a snap or a clap as long as it is done in a directive fashion.
As you play, if a player fails to say the correct next word in the pattern (perhaps saying Zap when they should have said Zip) they have made an error. Either the group should communually acknowledge the error and start the pattern anew or the person is considered out and the game starts anew. In this way the circle can whittle down to just two players and eventually one can win.
Variations include Matching Zip Zap Zop in which anything a player notices about the way focus is passed to them is mirrored and amplified in their next pass. Since everyone is doing this, Matching Zip Zap Zop often becomes a game filled with scream, heightened movement and emotional moments. It's fun!
INSTRUCTOR DISCUSSION POINTS / LEARNING TAKEAWAYS
AGILITY
Players need to pay careful attention to where focus is being passed if they expect not to make a mistake. They also need to stay on top of which word comes next in the pattern without panicking.
If working on agility it makes sense to play a competitive round of Zip Zap Zop where everyone's head is one a swivel and their minds are racing.
COMMUNICATION
Although almost all of the onus of keeping the pattern alive falls on whoever is receiving focus, people passing focus can be unclear. If working on communication it might be useful to note moments when player passes focus unclearly, perhaps by passing between two players or passing much faster than the rhythm would indicate they should.
LISTENING
Encouraging the group to communually acknowledge moments when there is failure, ie moments when the Zip Zap Zop pattern is broken, is a good way to work on listening and staying in the moment. It asks everyone in the group to pay attention to the larger pattern and to take notice when something surprising happens.
This is not about pointing fingers and saying someone is wrong (even though this version does literally do that) it is about being present and noticing disruption as a group. This approach was first brought to The Radical Agreement Project's attention by Murphy McHugh.