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In
all forms of improvisation, the actors invent the dialogue
and action as they perform. Because of the unpredictable
nature of such a performance and the unexpected events that
occur, improvisation lends itself naturally to comedy, and
the specific term "improv" usually refers to a form of high-energy
comic entertainment. It is also possible for improvised
scenes to be emotionally dramatic, or experimental and non-narrative.
Improvisation is also one of the primary tools used in actor
training. It has also been used by many companies and artists
as a means of generating text and content for later performance.
This is sometimes referred to as "organic" theatre, and
is especially favored by creators of political theatre,
experimental theatre, and practitioners of drama therapy.
There have been literally thousands of improvisational excercises,
games, techniques, and formats developed for use in the
theatre, with more being discovered all the time. Many are
games invented for recreation which have been adapted for
performance or training. Specific games are often designed
to develop or showcase particular skills, such as physical
expressiveness, creation of characters, responsiveness,
relaxation, openness to suggestion, trust, or comic wit.
Improv Process
In order for an improvised scene to be successful, the actors
involved must work together responsively to define the parameters
and action of the narrative. With each spoken word or action
in the scene, an actor may make an offer, which means that
he or she defines some element of reality: this might include
giving another character a name, identifying a relationship,
location, or using physical gestures to define an invisible
space object. These activities are also known as endowment.
It is the responsibility of the other actors to accept the
offers that their fellow performers make; to not do so is
known as blocking, which usually prevents the scene from
developing. Some performers may deliberately block (or otherwise
break out of character) for comedic effect (this is known
as gagging), but this generally prevents the scene from
advancing and is often frowned upon by improvisers. Accepting
an offer can also be accompanied by adding a new offer,
often building on the earlier one; this is a process which
improvisational actors refer to as "Yes, And..." and it
is considered the cornerstone of improvisational techinque.
Improv performance also allows an active relationship with
the audience, and frequently improv groups will solicit
suggestions from the audience, as a source of inspiration,
and way of getting the audience excited and involved, and
as a means of proving that the performance is not scripted.
A subset of improvisational theater is improvisational comedy,
which applies the techniques of improv to a comedy form.
The unscripted nature of improv also implies no predetermined
knowledge about the props that might be useful in a scene.
Improv companies may have at their disposal some number
of readily accessible props that can be called upon at a
moment's notice, but usually improv performers will use
miming techniques to create space objects, or imaginary
props. Space objects can be created by shaping the hands,
such as by pretending to hold an object such as a telephone
or handgun. As with all other types of improv offers, actors
are encouraged to respect the validity and continuity of
space objects defined by themselves and by other performers;
this means, for example, taking care not to walk through
previously referenced walls or tables.
Because improv actors may be required to play a variety
of roles without preparation, they need to be able to construct
characters quickly with physical representation, gestures,
accents, voice changes, or other techniques as demanded
by the situation. The actor may be called upon to play a
character of a different age or sex. Character motivations
are an important part of successful improv scenes, and improv
actors must therefore attempt to act according to the objectives
that they believe their character seeks.
Many improvisational actors also work as scripted actors,
and "improv" techniques are often taught in standard acting
classes. Improvisation is often used in acting training.
The basic skills of listening, being clear, confidence,
and performing without thinking are considered important
skills for actors to develop.
Improv Theatre History
Modern improvisation finds its roots in Commedia dell'arte,
(Italian, meaning "comedy of professional artists") which
was a form of improvisational theater which began in the
16th century and was popular until the 18th century, although
it is still performed today. Traveling teams of players
would set up an outdoor stage and provide amusement in the
form of juggling, acrobatics, and, more typically, humorous
plays based on a repertoire of established characters with
a rough storyline.
Today, many theatre troupes are devoted specifically to
staging improvisational performances. One of the most prominent
is the international organization Theatresports, which was
founded by Keith Johnstone, an English director who now
lives in Calgary, Alberta. Johnstone wrote what many consider
to be the seminal work on improvisational acting, Impro.
Other important figures in the development of improvisational
theatre were Viola Spolin and her son Paul Sills, founder
of Chicago's famed Second City troupe and inventor of Story
Theater, and Del Close, founder of ImprovOlympic and creator
of the long-form improv known as "The Harold".
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