by Gary Schwartz | Nov 4, 2022 | Games, Improv Games, The Spolin Players
FOCUS On producing sounds vocally that are usually given by recordings. Description After agreeing on the Who, What, Where, one or more players, hidden from the audience’s view make the noises to create the effects to enhance the onstage action and help...
by Gary Schwartz | Aug 22, 2021 | Games, Giberish, Improv Games, Spontaneity, The Spolin Players
Fluency with Gibberish and Verbal Agility One player goes out. Audience co-creates a story. The focus is for one player to tell that story in gibberish to the returning player. The player who does not know this story must translate each part of the gibberish story...
by Gary Schwartz | Oct 9, 2020 | Games, Improv Games, Refining Awareness, The Spolin Players, Who Games
FOCUS On holding a facial and bodily expression through a scene. Description 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...
by Gary Schwartz | May 13, 2020 | Refining Awareness, The Spolin Players
The focus here is on what has happened in the past or what will happen in the future: Two players agree upon a Who, What and Where and explore this What on stage. They ‘hold’ the What’s Beyone as the focus between them, while the players are involved...
by Gary Schwartz | Oct 18, 2018 | Giberish, Improv Games, The Spolin Players, Verbal Agility
Gibberish English The audience suggests who and where two players might be, while a third player/sidecoach switches them unexpectedly between English and Gibberish throughout the scene. Notes on Sidecoaching When sidecoaching Gibberish English, make sure you...
by Gary Schwartz | Oct 18, 2018 | Improv Games, Refining Awareness, The Spolin Players, The Where, Who Games
Allowing Who (relationship) to reveal itself without telling We do not want to be told who we are in this game. We want to discover it by paying attention to how our fellow player relates to us. Often this is called ‘endowment’ but too often it is done by...
by Gary Schwartz | Oct 18, 2018 | Improv Games, Refining Awareness, The Spolin Players, The Where, Who Games
Art Gallery Akin to Who Am I?, many often call this game “Endowment”. How it is played in current Improv training bears little resemblance to the original exercise. Players A and B. A is seated and B enters the art gallery and has given A some unusual...
by Gary Schwartz | Oct 18, 2018 | Improv Games, Sidecoaching, Space Objects, The Spolin Players, The Where
On Building and Using the Where “Many actors find it difficult to “reach beyond their noses” and must be freed for a wider physical relationship with the environment.” Improvisation for the Theater Most modern improv practice puts very little...
by Gary Schwartz | Oct 18, 2018 | Give and Take, Improv Games, Refining Awareness, The Spolin Players, Verbal Agility
Contrapuntal Argument A, B and C Two players and a timekeeper and a scorer. Contrapuntal Argument A The players begin an argument involving both of them, with both developing and unfolding his own theme. They are to talk simultaneously and without pause. The object is...
by Gary Schwartz | Oct 18, 2018 | Improv Games, Refining Awareness, The Spolin Players, Verbal Agility, Viola Spolin
Singing Dialogue Viola Spolin was aware that singing uses another area of the brain and is important to help ‘unhook’ your dialogue from the meaning. New rhythms and patterns emerge and can also help memorized dialogue in scripted material, as a...
by Gary Schwartz | Oct 18, 2018 | Games, Give and Take, Improv Games, Lecture / Explanation, Refining Awareness, The Spolin Players
No Motion with the Spolin Players The concept of No-Motion is a quiet holding onto a moment for as long as one can, before it becomes static. As you go into no-motion it is both a thing to do and a thing to hold (like a mantra). When in No-Motion you are the eye of...
by Gary Schwartz | Oct 18, 2018 | Follow the Follower, Improv Games, Refining Awareness, The Spolin Players, The Where, Verbal Agility
Dubbing is Following the Follower The Game of Dubbing requires a warm-up of two-team mirror, follow the follower and mirror speech. This has all those earlier exercises in it, all rolled into one great, fun game. It’s easy to fall into traps. Watch to make sure...
by Gary Schwartz | Oct 18, 2018 | Follow the Follower, Improv Games, Refining Awareness, Sidecoaching, The Spolin Players, Viola Spolin
Action / Interaction / Transformation One of the most gratifying games to play for me is Transformations. Finding new relationships in partnership with another player in a kaleidoscope kind of way is so invigorating. No Urgency / No Motion / Heighten and...
