Viola Spolin
Acting II
Viola Spolin
10/16/13
Viola Spolin
Viola Spolin was a big trendsetter when it came to American theater in the 20th century. She was a theater educator, director, and actress that was mainly recognized for her Theater Improv Games. Her book, Improvisation for the Theater is sometimes considered to be the bible of improv. “Spolin developed acting exercises or ‘games’ that unleashed creativity, adapting focused ‘play’ to unlock the individual’s capacity for creative self-expression.”
Viola had twenty different improv games and not all games appear in all her shows. A couple of games stand out because we’ve done them in class or they just sound interesting. Who Am I? is a game where one of the players is sent out of the room and then audience gets to decide who he is. When the player’s allowed access back into the room, he has to interact with the other players to figure out who he is. The next is Gibberish Relay in which three players are chosen to play and then two have to leave the room for a moment. Then audience gets to decide the character and action of the first player—which he has to relay to the second player. When the second player thinks that they understand what was relayed to them, they’ll clap and then try to relay the message to the third player. It’s then the third player’s responsibility to tell the audience what they thought was told to them.
Viola was a very inspirational person and some of that inspiration was reflected in her quotes. Her sayings could truly help an actor/actress by itself. For example, “Make the invisible VISIBLE!” One quote that should always be applied is: “True improvisation reshapes and alters the student-actor through the act of improvising itself. Penetration into the focus, connection, and a live relation with fellow players result in a change, alteration, or a new understanding for one or the other or both… The intuition gained remains with the player in everyday life, for whenever a
Viola Spolin
10/16/13
Viola Spolin
Viola Spolin was a big trendsetter when it came to American theater in the 20th century. She was a theater educator, director, and actress that was mainly recognized for her Theater Improv Games. Her book, Improvisation for the Theater is sometimes considered to be the bible of improv. “Spolin developed acting exercises or ‘games’ that unleashed creativity, adapting focused ‘play’ to unlock the individual’s capacity for creative self-expression.”
Viola had twenty different improv games and not all games appear in all her shows. A couple of games stand out because we’ve done them in class or they just sound interesting. Who Am I? is a game where one of the players is sent out of the room and then audience gets to decide who he is. When the player’s allowed access back into the room, he has to interact with the other players to figure out who he is. The next is Gibberish Relay in which three players are chosen to play and then two have to leave the room for a moment. Then audience gets to decide the character and action of the first player—which he has to relay to the second player. When the second player thinks that they understand what was relayed to them, they’ll clap and then try to relay the message to the third player. It’s then the third player’s responsibility to tell the audience what they thought was told to them.
Viola was a very inspirational person and some of that inspiration was reflected in her quotes. Her sayings could truly help an actor/actress by itself. For example, “Make the invisible VISIBLE!” One quote that should always be applied is: “True improvisation reshapes and alters the student-actor through the act of improvising itself. Penetration into the focus, connection, and a live relation with fellow players result in a change, alteration, or a new understanding for one or the other or both… The intuition gained remains with the player in everyday life, for whenever a