1. Theatrical Improvisation Anna McGahey

2. Overview of presentation Thesis Relevance History People Companies Aspects Forms Teacher & Student Tips Out of Context Application Conclusion Class Activity Citations

3. Thesis Statement In order to become a skilled improviser, one must commit their whole self through participation and focus while keeping an open mind. The improvisation teacher must expose the student to the theatrical environment through various games rather than lectures.

4. What is improvization? Making something up as you go along

5. Relevance

6. Personal Relevance

7. Why you should care

8. History

10. Theatrical Theorists

11. Modern ImprovCommedia Dell’Arte 1500s – 1700s Performers improvised in streets of Italy (http://wapedia.mobi/en/Improvisational_theater)

13. Theatrical Theorists

14. Modern ImprovTheatrical Theorists Constantin Stanislavski and Jacques Copeau 1890s Founders of two major streams of acting theory Used improv in acting training and rehearsal "An actor must work all his life, cultivate his mind, train his talents systematically, develop his character; he may never despair and never relinquish this main purpose - to love his art with all his strength and love it unselfishly” - Stanislavski (http://wapedia.mobi/en/Improvisational_theater)

15. Constantin Stanislavski 1863 - 1938 (www.cothespians.com)

17. Theatrical Theorists

18. Modern ImprovModern Improv Audience participation Theatre games in classroom evolved into an independent art form Viola Spolin – 1930s-1980s Joan Littlewood – 1930s-1970s Keith Johnstone – 1970s Dick Chudnow – 1980s (http://wapedia.mobi/en/Improvisational_theater)

19. Viola Spolin 1906 - 1994 (www.spolin.com)

20. Viola Spolin’s definitions of Improv A predomin-ate function of the intuitive Playing it by ear Trans-forma-tion Playing the game Setting out to solve a problem with no preconception as to how you will do it Process as opposed to result An art form (Spolin)

21. Viola Spolin’s definitions of Spontaneity An off-balance moment The moment when, in full sensory attention, you don’t think, you act! The gateway to your intuition A free moment of self-expression A moment of explosion (Spolin)

22. Seven aspects of spontaniety Games Approval/Disapproval Group Expression Audience Theatre Technique Carrying the Learning Process Into Daily Life Physicalization “The first step toward playing is personal freedom” – Viola Spolin (Spolin)

23. Del Close 1934 - 1999 "Improv is mutual discovery, mutual support. [It is] the adventure of finding out what it is we're doing while we're doing it. All you know is where you've been. You don't know where you're going.” – Del Close (www.centerstagechicago.com)

24. The Compass Players The beginnings of modern improv Students from the University of Chicago, 1955 Group developed into Compass Players Compass Players developed into Second City History "When we started out at the Compass, we were entertaining each other and our peers. Where did you go to hear jokes about Dostoevski or Newton's third law? Certainly not the burlesque house. And in the anti–intellectual environment of the Fifties, it took a certain amount of courage to stand up in public and admit that you had an education you weren't ashamed of." – Del Close (www.sundaynightimprov.com)

26. Training Center est. 1985Chicago Toronto Hollywood "I studied the usual acting methods at college - Stanislavsky and whatnot but none of it really clicked for me. At The Second City, I learnt that your focus should be entirely on your partner. Suddenly it all made sense" - Tina Fey (www.secondcity.com)

28. 11 full-time touring ensembles

29. Important in American societyTINA FEY STEVE CARELL MIKE MYERS JERRY STILLER (www.secondcity.com)

30. Aspects

32. Develops alertness, agility, readiness, and eagerness

33. Has a problem which needs solving“Skills are developed at the very moment a person is having all the fun and excitement playing a game has to offer” – Viola Spolin (Spolin)

34. The Commitment Meter “Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself” – Charlie Chaplin Students must put themselves out there instead of worrying about looking stupid (http://www.storyrobot.com/improv)

35. Forms of improv Short scenes constructed from predetermined game Developed by Viola Spolin Example: Whose Line Is It, Anyway? Shortform (http://wapedia.mobi/en/Improvisational_theater)

36. Forms of improv Longform Scenes related by story or character Examples: Spontaneous Broadway Panto The Harold http://www.storyrobot.com/improv (http://wapedia.mobi/en/Improvisational_theater)

37. Trust Players must… Trust partner Trust their instinct “Improv is about teaching a person that it is okay to look foolish and say silly things; that only by saying what is silly can you get to what is truly funny. The more you trust yourself, the more amusing you can be.” – Tim Soter (www.sundaynightimprov.com)

40. Speak in short sentences

41. Enter someone else’s personal space

42. Touch face nervously

43. Use long, rambling sentences

44. Try to keep distance from other people(Salinsky & Frances-White)

45. The Audience and the Actor Fast, clever scenes Taking a chance and being guided by: A series of rehearsal/performance games which develop training and discipline Everyday skills Listening Observing Communicating What audience sees: What actor sees: On stage, improv theories aren’t obvious because improvs are fast and clever (www.sundaynightimprov.com)

46. Storytelling Why is storytelling important in improv? Humans are collaborative in nature As an actor tells a story on stage, audience members immediately start inventing stories as to what is happening (Salinksy & Frances-White)

48. Believability(Salinsky & Frances-White)

49. Teacher & Student Tips

50. How to be a good improvteacher Don’t acknowledge students’ neuroses Praise hard work Praise anything the students do that’s outside of their comfort-zone Practice what you preach Never tell students off (http://www.storyrobot.com/improv)

51. How to be a good improvteacher Don’t rush the students Make variations on exercises Preserve a safe environment Keep the focus Don’t teach, expose Use warm-ups frequently Be flexible (Spolin)

52. How to be a good improvstudent Always volunteer Tell the truth Give it a shot Don’t try to impress Keep it up Spread the love (http://www.storyrobot.com/improv)

53. Out of Context

54. Interpreter’s Theatre Technique used in classrooms to help students understand literature The Theatre of the Mind Focuses on creating a picture in the mind of the audience rather than providing an exact visual picture of a scene “We’re in this together” “In trying to interpret the meaning of the literature to their classmates, students became personally involved with their characters” – Pamela Smith “It is impossible for you to communicate a selection to an audience unless you understand it thoroughly yourself first” – Cogar and White (Smith, Pamela)

55. Script-based improv in classroom The autobiography Written by actor on his/her character Includes events in script and not in script Develops depth and forces history Forces students to look deeper than Cliff Notes The letter Written by actor on stage to another person in the world of the play Demands both thought and language as the character The improv Actors improvise scene depicted in the story but not written in the script (Tretler)

56. How does IMPROV relate to ORGANIZATIONS? Six key areas that link improv exercises to the practice of management: 3 2 1 “Improvisation is an orientation and a technique to enhance the strategic renewal of an organization” - Crossan (Crossan)

57. HOW DOES Interpreting the environment Let the environment teach you Free-up intuition Crafting strategy Blend of intended and emergent Cultivating leadership Give and take Fostering teamwork Yes-Anding Tug-of-War Developing individual skills Vulnerability Being in-the-moment Assessing organizational culture IMPROV relate to Organizations? (Crossan)

58. HOW DOES Interpreting the environment Members unable to use unfamiliar patterns of helping customer needs Crafting strategy Anticipate/depend on customer needs Cultivating leadership Adaptability to leadership roles Fostering teamwork Open to new ideas Share common goal Developing individual skills Result of commitment: convincing Assessing organizational culture By-product of learning is laughter IMPROV relate to organizations? (Crossan)

59. Management Strategy CEO Assets Relationships between coworkers Customer input Improv Theatre Script Producer/director Sets/props Relationships between fellow actors Audience input more PARALLELS PARALLELS (Crossan)

60. Careers in improv Join improv troupe Comedy stand-up Teach workshops Corporate entertainment "To me, it doesn't matter whether or not people pursue acting careers. If acting class makes their lives richer and gets them to open up and lead warmer, emotional lives, it's worthwhile." - Alan Miller (Salinsky & Frances-White)

61. Application

62. Overview Research Planning Workshop 1 Workshop 2 Observations A pplic a tion

63. Overview Research Planning Workshop 1 Workshop 2 Observations A pplic a tion

64. Planning Overview Research Planning Workshop 1 Workshop 2 Observations Goals Definitions Warm-ups Concepts Games Observations A pplic a tion

65. A few examples of Improv Workshop 1 Overview Research Planning Workshop 1 Workshop 2 Observations Introduction Warm-Up A pplic a tion Teaching Game MANY thanks to Amanda Vandenburg, Steven Copp, Carlos Martinez, Melissa Reinbold, and Corey Cohen

66. A few examples of Improv Workshop 2 Overview Research Planning Workshop 1 Workshop 2 Observations Warm-Up Game A pplic a tion Game MANY thanks to Amanda Vandenburg, Steven Copp, Carlos Martinez, Melissa Reinbold, and Corey Cohen

67. Conclusion

69. What did I learn from my project?A pplic a tion

70. Class Activity

71. Class Activity: “One Word At A Time” “Three men and two women stand on a bare stage. Suddenly, quickly, each says one word at a time. "Jim" "went" "to" "see" "his" "mother." Faster and faster, they speak until the five sound like one person telling one complete story. It is an impressive performance, and even more impressive when one realizes that it is completely improvised.” – Tim Soter Everyone stands in a circle Player 1 starts the story by saying one word The story gets passed around the circle as each player adds one word to the story

72. Citations

73. Citations AllExperts, comp. “Improvisational Comedy at AllExperts.” AllExperts. About, Inc., 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http://en.allexperts.com/ e/ i/ im/ improvisational_comedy.htm>. Anthony. “You Know Everything.” Theatrical Improvisation :) :(. Meetup, 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http://www.meetup.com/ Theatrical-Improvisation/>. Bennetts, Brendon. Weblog post. Story Robot. Ed. Brendon Bennetts. Wordpress, 31 Oct. 2009. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. <http://www.storyrobot.com/ improv>. Berner, Robert L. “Athol Fugard and the Theatre of Improvisation.” Books Abroad 50.1 (1976): 81-84. PDF file. Boulware, Mollie Hall. Personal interview. 10 Jan. 2010. Casson, John W. “Theatre and Therapy.” The Living Newspaper 44.2 (2000): 107-122. PDF file. Centerstage Chicago, comp. WhosWho Chicago: Del Close. Centerstage Chicago. Sun-Times Media, LLC, 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http://www.centerstagechicago.com/ theatre/ whoswho/ DelClose.html#>. Crossan, Mary M. “Improvisation in Action.” Organization Science 9.5 (1998): 593-599. PDF file. Dixon, Randy, Tove Hansen, and Andrew Rogers. The Living Playbook. Ed. Randy Dixon. Seattle: Unexpected Productions, 2001. PDF file. Experience Festival. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http://experiencefestival.com>. Flickr, comp. Flickr. Flickr. Yahoo! Inc., 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com>. Frances-White, Deborah, and Tom Salinsky. The Improv Handbook. N.p.: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd., 2008. Print. Goldstein, Dan. “How To Be A Better Improviser.” Dan Goldstein. Dan Goldstein, 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http://www.dangoldstein.com/ howtoimprovise.html>. Google, comp. “Google Images.” Google Images. Google, 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http:// images.google.com>.

74. Citations (cont.) MacLeod, Hugh. Learn Improv. Ed. Hugh MacLeod. Hugh MacLeod, 1995-2007. Web. 27 Nov. 2009. <http://www.learnimprov.com>. People’s Light and Theatre. Snow White. 2009. PDF file. The Second City, Inc. The Second City - 50 Years of Funny. The Second City. The Second City, Inc., 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http://www.secondcity.com>. Smith, Pamela. “Interpreter’s Theatre: A Tool of Teaching Literature.” English Journal 7.82 (1993): 71-72. PDF file. Soter, Tom. sundaynightimprov.com. Tom Soter’s Sunday Night Improv. N/ A, 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http://www.sundaynightimprov.com>. Spolin, Viola. Improvisation for the Theater. 3rd ed. 1963. Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1999. Print. Stanislavski, Constantin. An Actor Prepares. Trans. Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood. Vol. 1. 1936. New York, London: Routledge, 2003. Print. 3 vols. Stanislavski, Constantin. Building A Character. Trans. Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood. Vol. 2. 1936. New York, London: Routledge, 2003. Print. 3 vols. Stephan, Ed, Daniel Dopierala, and Amy Smith, comps. “Charles Chaplin - Biography.” IMDB. IMDB.com, Inc., 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http://www.imdb.com/ name/ nm0000122/ bio>. Tretler, Lawrence J. “Improvisation in the Theatre and the English Classroom.” English Journal 72.3 (1983): 71-72. PDF file. Tyson, Lucy. Personal interview. 10 Jan. 2010. Wapedia. Improvisational Theatre. Wapedia. Wapedia, 9 Apr. 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http:// wapedia.mobi/ en/ Improvisational_theatre>. Whitehouse, Ben, Amy Whitehouse, and Philip Buuck. Improvoker - Agreement With Attitude. Improvoker. Wordpress Sandbox, 10 Aug. 2009. Web. 15 Apr. 2010. <http:// improvoker.com>.