Improv Games and Exercises Online

Free Video Library of the Improvisational Games and Exercises of Viola Spolin, author of "Improvisation for the Theater"
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How to use this Site

This site is meant to be a companion to the book Improvisation for the Theater by Viola Spolin (Northwestern University Press). Spolin’s work focuses on all aspects of theater and addresses all the areas that the growing actor/director/improviser/coach must be concerned with:

There are videos on Theory as well as Games/Exercises. Each game has a particular focus that deals with one or more aspects. Verbal, Sensory, The Where (Stage Space), The Who (character and relation) and the What (activities and motivations), etc. They are further broken down into various sub-categories.

Improv Games

Viola Spolin created over 200 Improv Games and exercises.  Our free improvisational game library of videos is one of the most complete on the internet. They are great examples of the techniques taught in “Improvisation for the Theater

Improvisation Workshops

Our Improvisational Workshops are designed for large or small groups.  Learn Improv from one of the originators’ best students.  Team Building and learning were never so much fun!

Mentoring for Improv Coaches

If you teach improvisation classes, there aren’t a lot of highly qualified Spolin side-coaches out there.  Gary Schwartz has been teaching improv for years and can show you how to best use Spolin’s theater games.

Products

Our downloadable audio and video improvisational resources will inspire you to implement Viola Spolin’s techniques into your everyday life.  Get instant access to improv training.

Vocal Sound Effects

Vocal Sound Effects

Choose a short statement that could embody a ‘life script’ or attitude such as “Nobody loves me.”, “I never met a person I didn’t like.”, “Life is just a bowl of cherries.”  Then repeat that as a mantra as you do a spacewalk and send the chosen phrase to various parts of the body until the idea has ‘taken hold’ and affected your physical self and hold the feeling throughout the scene (Who, What, Where).

Eyewitness Gibberish

Eyewitness Gibberish

ONE PLAYER GOES OUT. AUDIENCE CREATES A STORY FOR ONE PLAYER TO TELL THEM THAT STORY IN GIBBERISH. THE PLAYER WHO DOES NOT KNOW THIS STORY MUST TRANSLATE THE GIBBERISH STORY INTO THE ENGLISH VERSION.
AUDIENCE APPLAUDS WHEN HE/SHE GETS IT CORRECT. In this version difficulty with fluency becomes hilarious as the player tries to figure out what is being said.

Seeing the Word

Seeing the Word

Stories coached in this manner can become extremely vivid and exciting for both teller and audience. Great for working on long speeches.