by Gary Schwartz | Nov 21, 2014 | Blog
Spolin’s pathway to the Unknown The [Spolin’s Theater Games] exercises are artifices against artificiality, structures designed to almost fool spontaneity into being–or perhaps a frame carefully built to keep out interferences in which the player waits. Important in...
by Gary Schwartz | Nov 21, 2014 | Blog
What if…? “What if I can’t do it?” That’s where it starts for me. I get afraid. “Afraid of what?” “Not being able to do it? Then people will laugh at me?” “Hey! I’m in an Improv class, isn’t that what I want?” the voice in my head is having a discussion with another...
by Gary Schwartz | Nov 21, 2014 | Blog
The game of Building a Story is a staple with improv groups around the world. It is the essence of collaboration by building a story one word at a time and by sharing ideas using give and take and intense listening. Invariably, the challenge wakes you up and your...
by Gary Schwartz | Nov 21, 2014 | Blog
In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few… Zen master Shunryu Suzuki Beginner’s mind is experiencing a thing for the first time. “Firsts” are always memorable. Improvisation is a constant search for ‘first times’. I once...
by Gary Schwartz | Nov 18, 2014 | Blog, Creativity, Games, Improvisation for the Theater, Theory
The most subtle and essential element in Spolin Games is sidecoaching. The sidecoach is at once a fellow player, a grounded teacher and a canny director. Sidecoaching is as much a skill as it is an art. It therefore requires the same intuitive ability evoked by...
