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Title: Improvisation for the Theater: A Handbook of Teaching and Directing Techniques (Drama and Performance Studies) by Viola Spolin, Paul Sills ISBN: 0-8101-4008-X Publisher: Northwestern University Press Pub. Date: July, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95

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Average Customer Rating: 5 (9 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: If you can only buy one book.
Comment: In fact any other book you may buy will have most of spolins ideas.
If you are guiding any one in an improvisational education. this is the best. It is very important for improvisers to learn about comedic improv through spolins techniques. all other forms of improv is about the joke which lets face it is only funny because you know the performers. but spolin allows you to discover the scene not the joke. and if you are naturally a funny person chances are your scene will be funny. this is not to say that the funniest guy wont have a serious scene .some times when an improv is a true improv you have to let it be what it is whatever it is.
great book. great book .fun book. gauranteed to give you guru status if you follow her instruction. after all you will be giving the most wonderful gift to all your students. your students will develope as improvisers the correct way and will be able to work with anyone.

Rating: 5
Summary: The Bible of Improv
Comment: Or, thanks to the new and brilliant approaches of Halpern and Johnstone, The Old Testament of Improv.

At any rate Viola Spolin influenced improv more than any other human being. She was the first, the pioneer. Her son, Paul Sills, founded both The Compass and Second City. He carries on her work.

Easily 90+% of all improv exercises taught in American universities are derived from her. And most mediocre books on ipmrov are small samplings of re-cycled Spolin exercises, without her focus.

Which is a nice way to segway into telling the reader that even 'The Bible' is bound to disappoint if one misses the theme of Spolin's thought.

Without it one simply gets a collection of 'games' that are ponderously cross referenced. (And a big so what.) It'll gather dust on the bookshelf as a 'reference work'

Here's a secret: Spolin was far less concerned with the comedy audience suggestion improv theater ( Second City notwithstanding.) Her main concern was training actors.

(Her influence has been vastly underestimated, e.g; Meisner trained actors should check out her "Preocupation A" exercise. You'll get deja vu. And Spolin came first.)

She took one of Stanislavsky's best idea, "Concentration of Attention" and ran with it. She created the credo of POC (point of concentration) and 'sidecoached' the players into weaving magic . . .

Rating: 5
Summary: Great for teachers of drama too!
Comment: Not only useful for the "serious adult" improv artist--as a drama teacher who works with underprivileged kids I find this the best book out there for helping them develop a sense of "mastery" on stage, a drama more alive to them than memorizing lines. Recommended for anyone who works with young actors!

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