Improvisation For The Theater: A Handbook Of Teaching And Directing Techniques (Drama And Performance Studies)

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Here is the thoroughly revised third edition of the bible of improvisational theater.Viola Spolin's improvisational techniques changed the very nature and practice of modern theater. The first two editions of Improvisation for the Theater sold more than 100,000 copies and inspired actors, directors, teachers, and writers in theater, television, film. These techniques have also influenced the fields of education, mental health, social work, and psychology.Also available: Spolin's Theater Game File

Series: Drama and Performance Studies

Paperback: 412 pages

Publisher: Northwestern University Press; 3 edition (July 28, 1999)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 081014008X

ISBN-13: 978-0810140080

Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.3 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #35,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #5 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > Direction & Production #6 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television > Direction & Production #26 in Books > Arts & Photography > Performing Arts > Theater > Acting & Auditioning

It is important to realize, before purchasing "Improvisation for the Theater," that it will not teach you the silly games and clownish humor you see on "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" Funny though many people find that show, it bears only a shirt-tail relationship to improvisation as Viola Spolin conceived of the concept.First of all, she probably would have been horrified to discover that many people now regard improvisation and comedy synonymous. In her system, improvisation could have been comedic, tragic, surrealistic, or anything in between. The label hung on the performance was secondary to its quality, consistency, and depth.In this, Spolin's classic textbook (newly updated and expanded by her son and daughter-in-law, her intellectual executors and heirs), she lays down the ins and outs of improvisation for performance. Activities listed in this book are designed to conduct a full workshop for improvisational actors. There are games listed for absolute beginners, orienting them to the demands of the stage, so there is no false expectation of prior experience. The games, moreover, are almost all adaptable to all ages, so a children's workshop won't feel you're going over their heads, and an adult workshop won't feel they're being condescended to.The chapters are arranged in the sequence Spolin felt would be most efficient in creating a fully-dimensional improv show that would capture audience attention and be satisfying for all involved. Not everyone will agree that this is the best sequence, and with a little time and consideration, the games can be reordered to suit an individual director's tastes.

Improvisation for the Theater: A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques (Drama and Performance Studies) When Romeo Was a Woman: Charlotte Cushman and Her Circle of Female Spectators (Triangulations: Lesbian/Gay/Queer Theater/Drama/Performance) Approaching the Standards, Vol. 1: Bb (Jazz Improvisation) (Jazz Improvisation Series) Digital Performance: A History of New Media in Theater, Dance, Performance Art, and Installation (Leonardo Book Series) The Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies, Volume 2 (Oxford Handbooks) Notes on Directing: 130 Lessons in Leadership from the Director's Chair (Performance Books) How to Run a Theater: Creating, Leading and Managing Professional Theater The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Focus on the Family Radio Theater) (Focus on the Family Radio Theater) The Longman Anthology of Drama and Theater: A Global Perspective, Compact Edition Beat Drama: Playwrights and Performances of the 'Howl' Generation (Methuen Drama Engage) Drama Games For Devising (NHB Drama Games) Charles Dickens: The BBC Radio Drama Collection: Volume One: Classic Drama From the BBC Radio Archive Othello: Lenny Henry in Shakespeare's Othello (BBC Radio Drama Full Cast Drama) Directing the Story: Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation American Puppet Modernism: Essays on the Material World in Performance (Palgrave Studies in Theatre and Performance History) Performance Evaluation of Complex Systems: Techniques and Tools: Performance 2002. Tutorial Lectures (Lecture Notes in Computer Science) Applied Drama: The Gift of Theatre (Theatre and Performance Practices) From Revolutionary Theater to Reactionary Litanies: Gustave Herve (1871 1944) at the Extremes of the French Third Republic (Studies in Modern European History) Directing for the Stage: A Workshop Guide of Creative Exercises and Projects Play Directing: Analysis, Communication, and Style