Improvisation

                Improvisation theatre is when a group of people/actors make up scenes as they go. They usually pick a topic for the skit and then they make up scenarios, dialogue, and props right then. The key to improvisations making things up as you go along. The actors feed off what the others say and do to make a skit.  Improvisation is usually short sketches that last anywhere from a couple seconds to 10+ minutes and they can cover any variety of topics. But, improvisation is not limited to acting it also is used in music, dance, and pretty much any type of the theatre arts. Improvisation dates all the way back to the 16^th century from the Commedia dell'Arte form theatre in Italy. But, it is a timeless art form that is used very frequently today.

                Going to a smaller comedy improvisation show would include the audience sitting around a stage most likely at individual tables. Then actors come out make their introductions and they pick a topic or a scenario to start with. One show in particular, they had a speaker and she made up a story, and as she told the story the other actors had to act out what she was saying. An improvisation performance could be presented in a wide variety of ways; it could have the actors picking topics out of a hat or sometimes they will even ask the audience for topics and use the audience members in the skit. At the end the actors come out and take their bows just like any art performance.

                This shows a class in the middle of acting out the scene.  You can see some of the students jumping in the air acting out the topic while others are sitting around watching. The girl in the grey sweater seems to be midway between thinking of her next move in reaction to theirs. I love this picture of improvisation because it shows them practicing in the classroom with a lot of smiling and laughter making it out to be a fun lively experience.

                This picture is of the actors in the middle of a skit on the comedy television series Whose Line is it Anyways. It was an improvisation show that had 4 actors and they would get a topic and have to act it out and be judged based on their performance and winner was chosen at the end of each show.

                The video is a clip of the television show Whose Line is it anyway. the host is picking names out of a hat and the actors are performing the topics in front of a live studio audience. It is all comedy skits and very hilarious. 

FACTS

Up until 1968 Britain required all theater scripts to be approved by the Lord chamber's office, so improvisation shows couldn't be done on the spot.

There was a Comedy League of America National Tournament in 1988, which features competitions of improv between different states.

Work Cited

Felner, Mira, and Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, 2006. Print.

"Improvisational Theatre." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 June 2012. Web. 06 Mar. 2012.     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improvisational_theatre>.

 Roehl, Bernie. "General Information about Improvisation." ImprovComedy.Org. Improv Comedy. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. <http://www.improvcomedy.org/general.html>.