Research Paper on:
Overview of Improvisational Theater

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
IMPROVISATIONAL THEATER: Spolin, Bogart and Steinman Written by B. Bryan Babcock for the Paperstore, Inc., January 2001 Introduction Theater allows us to "look" at ourselves  more easily. Improvisational theater asks the performer to interact with the audience under the control of a given time limitation. This discussion will examine the professional goals and  styles of Viola Spolin, Anne Bogart, and Louise Steinman. Improvisational Theater Professionals - Goals and Styles Viola Spolin (1906 - 1994) During  the late thirties, Spolin took the job of "drama supervisor" in a recreational project with the Chicago WPA. Although sometimes labeled as Roosevelts "make work" effort of the  Great Depression, the WPA kept a vast group of diversified people employed and occupied during hard times. Spolins task was to help them find a healthy way to "relax."  Considering that she was working with various ages, cultures and ethnicities, this initially appeared to be a daunting task. Using the innovative techniques of her previous teacher Neva  Boyd, she invented imaginative "games," that would assist the individual participant, adapt and focus on their own creative skills, rather than their competitive ones.  According to the Los Angeles Times (1974), "The games emerged out of necessity," Spolin said. "I didnt sit at home and dream them up. When I had a  problem (directing), I made up a game. When another problem came up, I just made up a new game. " This premise, created  from a combination of frustration and desperation, eventually became the core factor for a series of books based on the concept of "theater games." The concept uses the