Yeah, doing a vocal warm-up before calling a show had never really occurred to me before but I did it on my last show and it really helped. It made sense really! If your calling a busy show (200 cues + type thing) then your practically using your voice for the whole show not to mention that it would probably already be strained from the tech. Doing something like a vocal warm-up also really helped me focus and calm before the show. Here's some that we used, they all improve diction etc.;
Say the following in these different styles; Slowly, Quickly, Emphasizing Continents, Emphasizing vowels etc.
"To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock,
In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock,
Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock,
From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!
To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark dock,
In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock,
Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp shock,
From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!
A dull, dark dock, a life-long lock,
A short, sharp shock, a big black block!"
Do the Grand Old Duke of York - first time through without saying the work UP or Down at all. The Second Time saying them. Third Time Not etc.
The Grand old Duke of York he had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.
When they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only halfway up
They were neither up nor down.
Say these slowly but being careful to pronounce all the vowels and continents fully;
Thoughtful thinkers think things through.
An awed audience applauded Claude.
There's your cue, the curfew is due.
Boots and shoes lose newness soon.[/i - there's a whole list of these on the web somewhere!