Spolin:A Basic Understanding

I've been looking for some more theory to have rattling around in my brain and I managed to get my hands on Improvisation for the Theater by Viola Spolin. Spolin is regarded as the "American Grand Mother of Improv" and basically all improv theory comes out of her work in some way or another. I haven't finished the book, so if there's a twist ending don't spoil it for me. Here are some

 of the basics that I've gleaned:

Voila! Viola Spolin

Experience and Teaching:

"We learn through experience and experiencing, and no one teaches anyone anything." - Viola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater

The idea that there is no teacher except for experience sounds like a very bold statement to start a book off with and it is. It is supported by the idea Spolin has of a teacher as a guide rather than a dictator. The teacher is only qualified to "lead" the class due to the benefit of having more experience and therefore being more able to help the students navigate troubled waters. The teacher is just as responsible for being in the moment and learning as the students are and classes should be seen as a collaboration rather than a dictatorship.

Spontaneity and Intuition:

"Through spontaneity we are re-formed into ourselves." - Viola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater

 Spolin believed that we experience the world on three levels: the physical, the mental, and the intuitive. In most places, the intuition is left out to dry despite being the most integral part of learning. The reason for both of those things is that intuition only exists in "the now." All the times that the correct answer appears in your head or you just manage to execute something wonderfully without thinking, that's intuition. It's not a magic thing, it's just responding to the moment and reacting with your full capacity.

The Role of the Audience:

"The audience is the most revered member of the theater. Without the audience, there is no theater." - Viola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater

Thank you, Viola, for validating this feeling I've had in my gut forever. And you did it nearly 70 years before I even started performing! A lot of people in theatre will tell you to "ignore the audience" or "pretend they don't exist." If not for the audience, all of the work put into a performance is for nothing. Spolin takes this a step further and insists that the audience must be brought into the performance and share the experience with the performers. They must be treated as individuals whose differing experiences will lead them to different views of the play, but they must be drawn in and treated as guests regardless of that fact.


That's all the Spolin insight that I have for now, more to come on Tuesday when I've cut a little deeper into the meat of the book. I'm excited to read the actual words of a person whose theory has been so ingrained in me through all my theatre, improv, and teaching training. Huzzah for growth as a performer!