1. Barker 1
Aubrey Barker
Criticism and Theatre History
MWF 11a – 11:50a
November 30, 2012
Viola Spolin
“The games emerged out of necessity,” Viola Spolin said. “I didn’t sit at home
and dream them up. When I had a problem [directing], I made up a game. When another problem
came up, I just made up a new game.” (Interview, Los Angeles Times, May 26 , 1974.) Viola
Spolin was talking about her “Theatre Games” system; which she is internationally known.
Spolin was an actress, director and theater educator. Throughout this paper I will examine the
influence that Viola Spolin has had on child theatre by analyzing her “Theatre Games” system;
her career path that incorporates child theatre and the influences that she still has in theatre
today.
Viola Spolin was born November 7, 1906 in Chicago, Illusions. Initially, Spolin was
trained at Neva Boyd’s Group Work School to be a settlement worker. At Boyd’s Spolin learned
areas of group leadership, recreation and social group. All of these aspects had a great influence
on Spolin’s traditional game structures to affect the behavior of inner-city and immigrant
children.

2. Barker 2
Viola Spolin taught children as young as the age of six her “theatre games” which
involved a problem that the actors would have to come to a solution. “When an actor steps out on
stage and says, 'I don't know'... that's the beginning of creativity.”
(economictimes.indiatimes.com) Many of Spolin’s students included, Mike Nichols, Elaine May,
Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Jim Belushi, Gilda Radner, David Steinberg, Alan Arkin, Valerie
Harper, Ed Asner and many others. Spolin’s book Improvisations for the Theater, (1963.) about
two hundred and twenty games have been collected that Spolin herself had created and
developed throughout her involvement in the theater life.
An article titled, More about Viola
Spolin,on www.intuitivelearningsys.org states
that “Spolin's Theater Games are simple,
operational structures that are each built upon a
specific focus or technical problem. The games
have a liberating effect for the players. There are
games to free the actor's tension, games to
cleanse the actor of subjective preconceptions of
the meaning of words, games of relationship and
character,games of concentration - in short,
games for each of the areas with which the
growing actor is concerned. The games also
heighten sensitivity, increase self-awareness,
Viola with her Young Actors (note: Alan
Arkin is 3rd from the left and Alan
Alda 2nd from the right, looking over her
shoulder) from
http://www.spolin.us/violabio/

3. Barker 3
and effect group and interpersonal
communication.”
Through this explanation, we are able to understand that these games allow the children
to “play around” with different movements, voice, and emotions that get them out of their
comfort zones and into a relaxed environment. A teacher talks about one of these games called
“Yes And” in the article The Games We Play (http://schooltheatre.org) and said, “I use “Y es And”
as a preliminary exercise activity this way: In groups, students sit in a circle. The first student
says, “I think we should have a product that will get me to school faster.” The second person
must first say “Yes!” and then he or she adds a detail related to the first idea, such as, “Yes! It
could be a pair of shoes that hovers five feet above the ground and flies at the speed of forty-five
miles per hour.” The third person says, “Yes! And while it’s zipping over cars, it mixes a protein
shake so you don’t have to waste time making breakfast.” The circle repeats three times.
Once students have a wide array of details related to the product, they give the product a name, a
price, and imagine its competition. Then they improvise a commercial using at least five of the
brainstormed features, including a demonstration of the
product, for the other groups. “Yes And” reinforces the
idea of remaining open to all suggestions as the teams
are refining their commercial.”
As you can see this game “Yes And” is a great way to
get the imagination of children working and to have a
ViolaSpolin, http://www.spolin.us

4. Barker 4
fun, exciting way for children to interact with one another. This same teacher continues in the
article, The Games We Play, to talk about another
game Spolin created called “Portraits.” This game is where the students come up with an idea of
a statue.
Write them down on a piece of paper and hand them to the director. Then in groups the children
wait for the name of one of the statues to be called out and The student on the right turns, poses
in a realistic or abstract impression of the title, and freezes. The student next to the first turns and
poses, with the requirement that he or she must be touching the first student. By the time each
student has posed, all students are connected. When the fifth student has posed, they have
created—without talking and collectively deciding the work of art that only moments earlier had
been but a title. As a final step, I ask students to heighten, intensify, or “blow up” the image
on the count of three.
These games seem very simple and unlock the
creativity in the child’s mind. It also is a challenge to test each
child in getting out of his or her comfort zone.”“Do not teach.
Expose students to the theatrical environment through playing,
and they will find their own way.” – Viola Spolin”
(http://www.spolin.us.) This quote sums up the mission that
Spolin set for herself with inner- city and immigrant children.
Spolin’sstudentsplayingone of her
manyTheatre Games, www.spolin.us

5. Barker 5
In 1946 Spolin founded the Young Actors Company in Hollywood. According to
www.spolin.us, “This company continued until 1955, when Spolin returned to Chicago to direct
for the Playwrights Theater Club and subsequently to conduct games workshops with
the Compass, the country’s first professional, improvisational acting company.” 1960 – 1965
Spolin worked with her son, Paul Sills, in Chicago, as workshop director at his Second City
Company while continuing to develop her Theatre Games theory. In 1963, Spolin published
Improvisation for the Theatre, which consisted of about two hundred and twenty
games/exercises. This book has become a guideline for many teachers in theater and also
teachers in other fields. Spolin continued to work with Sills when she co-founded the Game
Theater in Chicago. This theater “opened only one evening a week and sought to have its
audience participate directly in Theater Games, thus effectively eliminating the conventional
separation between improvisational actors and audiences who watched them.” (www.spolin.us.)
Www.spolin.us continues to state that, “Spolin served in 1970 – 1971, as special
consultant for productions of Sills’s Story Theater in Los
Angeles, New York, and on television. On the West Coast,
she conducted workshops for the companies of
the Rhoda and Friends and Lovers television series and
appeared as an actress in the Paul Mazursky film Alex in
Wonderland (MGM 1970).” The publication of the Theater
Game File in 1975 made her unique approaches to teaching
and learning more readily available to classroom teachers.
ViolaSpolin’sbook,Improvisationfor
the Theater.Firstpublishedin1963.

6. Barker 6
Other accomplishments by Spolin are the establishment
of the Spolin Theater Game Center in Hollywood in 1976; in 1979 she was awarded an
honorary doctorate by Eastern Michigan University, and until recently she has continued to teach
at the Theater Game Center. In 1985 her new book, Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director’s
Handbook, was published.
Viola Spolin is not known to many actors today, but many of the warm ups that they take
part in when they are at rehearsal are credited to Spolin directly or an adaptation to many of her
Theater Games. “We learn through experience and experiencing, and no one teaches anyone
anything. This is as true for the infant moving from kicking to crawling to walking as it is for the
scientist with his equations. If the environment permits it,
anyone can learn whatever he chooses to learn; and if the
individual permits it, the environment will teach him
everything it has to teach.” (quotes.dictionary.com)Many
teachers that are not even involved with theater use some
of her games/exercises in lessons as introductory material
or “ice breakers.” One of Spolin’s biggest impacts of today
was her son, Paul Sills.
Paul Sills (1927 – 2008) “convinced his mother to come work her magic on a company
that brought Improvisation into being.” (www.sillsspolintheaterworks.com.) He greatly believed
in his mother’s theory and wanted to help her develop these games any possible way he could.
Paul Sills,ViolaSpolin’sson
www.spolin.us

7. Barker 7
He was involved with many of his mother’s
accomplishments and helped open many of the
theaters Spolin was able to develop and test her philosophies. According to www.spolin.us,
“He truly understood the philosophy his mother created and he tirelessly sought to bring it into
the theater and the lives of so many.”
Another group that Spolin has had influence over with her Theater Games is the Spolin
Players. Founded by Gary Schwartz and Pat Musick, “they used the same basic format as Sills
with some coaching and advice by Viola Spolin.” (www.spolin.us.) They began their run in 1988
and continue to perform in Los Angeles today. They are the last performing troupe to be coached
by Viola Spolin and then by Gary Schwartz. Gary Schwartz is currently still currently coaching
the Spolin Players in Los Angeles.
Gary Schwartz states, “Viola Spolin was my teacher, dear
friend and mentor.Her work changed my life.” (gary-
schwartz.com.) Swartz passion is teaching Spolin’s Theater Games
to anyone who wants to explore their inner creativity. He is
currently holding workshops and also coaching at the Spolin
Players. Since her retirement in 1980, Ms. Spolin authorized Gary
Schwartz, Director of Intuitive Learning Systems and Improv
Odyssey to continue her work. (gary-schwartz.com.)
Gary Schwartz,studentof ViolaSpolin
gary-schwartz.com

8. Barker 8
Viola Spolin died November 22, 1994 but her Theater Games live on through many
people. There have been many adaptations of these games and their original forms still are
practiced today. Throughout Spolin’s life, she has dedicated to the importance of imagination
within a child’s mind. She tediously worked on her theories to develop them to help young actors
develop skills and connect with the audience. She has left her mark on the history of theater and
her theories are still changing and developing today.
“”Everyone who involves himself or herself and
responds with his or her total organism to an art form usually
gives back what is commonly called talented and creative
behavior. When players respond joyously, effortlessly, you will
know that the theater is, then, in their very bones.” - Viola
Spolin” (/www.spolin.us.)
Viola Spolin

9. Barker 9
Bibliography
http://www.spolin.us/violabio/
http://www.jbactors.com/actingreading/actingteacherbiographies/violaspolin.html
http://www.intuitivelearningsys.org/viola.html
http://sillsspolintheaterworks.com/biography/
http://gary-schwartz.com/about/viola-spolin
http://www.paperbackswap.com/Viola-Spolin/author/
http://schooltheatre.org/publications/dramatics/2011/01/innovators-viola-spolin
http://www.spolin.us/aboutus/
http://quotes.dictionary.com/author/viola+spolin?page=1#vcESmcq67d6Uf64x.99
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/Viola-Spolin/quotes/