Viola Spolin was born in Chicago, Illinois in the year 1906. Spolin died about 15 years ago in 1994. Even in her training as a settlement worker, she was interested in the relationship between “traditional game structures” and social behavior. Viola Spolin is known for her Theater Games/ Improvisation Theater endorsed by comedy troupes worldwide. Her Theater Games were designed to temporarily remove the actor from his/her age and background to show them that different words and objects can have multiple meanings.
SOME of Spolin's theater games:
· GiGibberish Interpreters: An audience gives 2 players a subject to speak about. One player talks in Gibberish and the other translates the Gibberish into English. I can’t speak idiot. Can you translate idiot to this idiot?
· GiGibberish Relay: one person is assigned to the middle and attempts to translate what the other players on each side of hi/her are saying (they are speaking in gibberish)
· InIntensify Emotions: The audience again plays a role; they are responsible for giving the setting and role to each of the two players. Another player is responsible for shouting out the emotions that the two players have to include in their scene. Ever seen Top Chef? There was an episode where the chefs had to cook dishes based on the themes given by the audience at coincidently the Second City Company (Spolin's son company).
· DDubbing: One of my favorite activities of Spolin’s. Two players choose a scene from a movie and two other players dub in their voices.
· WWho Am I: One player is chosen to act a part but he/she doesn’t know what that chosen role is without interacting with the other players. The role is chosen by the audience.
Other Important Information about Viola Spolin:
1946-1955: Founded the Young Actors Company for participants 6 years and older. Spolin incorporated her Theater Games (although at the same time, they were still a work of progress)
1955: Founded the 1st country first improvisational company
1977: Published a work based on her Theater Games for teachers
Other, Other, tid bits
Was once a Director to the Second City Company
Did extensive work with her son Paul Sills
With Viola Spolin, we have this constant interaction of the audience with the participants. To the point where the audience should be considered players in the drama. Similar to what we learned and experienced this semester in Process Drama. Even when a group was sent up to present, the remaining individuals did not have a static role. Often there was this dynamic. What did you like about the performance? Was there something you would change about the scene, why?
A lot of Viola Spolin’s theater games are similar to the activities that the 1st group in class (Theory of Creative Drama Fall 09’) put together. In their activities, we had this theme of the drama being in the hands of the participants (i.e. the molding of clay, the statue exercise). Viola would be so proud...
Why is Viola Spolin important to me?
When I saw her name, I didn't know the significance until I "WIKIed" her name. I saw the words "known" and "improvisation together and I was smitten and wanted to know more about her. As I read further from other sources, I saw that she played a major role in CREATING what we know as improvisation today. I personally love improvisation because it gives so much more story into the motivations of the characters and it gives the individual the license to be free and explore the world created within the drama without the restriction of the script.
"Through spontaneity we are re-formed into ourselves. It creates an explosion that for the moment frees us from handed-down frames of references, memory chocked with old facts and information and undigested theories and techniques of other people's findings. Spontaneity is the moment of personal freedom when we are faced with reality, and see it, explore it and act accordingly. In this reality the bits and pieces of ourselves function as an organic whole. It is a time of discovery, of experiencing, of creative drama."
"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 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."
Published Works of Violin Spolin:
1963 (1973, 1999) : Improvisation for the Theater: A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques
1975 (1989) : Theater Game File Handbook
1985: Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director Handbook
1986: Theater Games for the Classroom: A Teacher's Handbook
2000: Paul Sills' Story Theater: Four Shows
2001: Theater Games for the Lone Actor
References:
"Google Books: Viola Spolin." books. google.com. Google Books. n.d. Web. 7 Dec 2009.
Schwartz, Gary. The Spolin Center. Intuitive Learning Systems. 2008. Web. 5 Dec 2009.
"Top Chef Improv." Hulu.com. Hulu. n.d. Web. 8 Dec 2009.
"Viola Spolin Famous Quotes, Quotations, Proverbs." QuoteMountain.com. Quote Mountain. 2003, 2004. Web. 7 Dec 2009.
