Redirected from Improvising
Most aspiring actors do a lot of improv. It is a staple of drama and theater classes at most colleges and high schools. Improv comedy troupes often perform regularly (the most famous is Chicago's Second City[?]), using a series of games as an excuse to exercise the basic acting skills taught in improv. Most importantly, according to the dominant acting theories of Constantine Stanislavsky, is that an actor improvising a scene must be trusting his own instincts. According to Stanislavsky (see method acting), an actor must use his own instincts to define a characters response to internal and external stimuli. Through improvising, an actor can learn to trust his instincts instead of using mugging[?] and indicating[?] to broadcast his motives. Improv is also useful in its focus on concentration. Obviously, in an environment in which anything is allowed to happen, the actors must be capable of keeping their concentration throughout, even in difficult and stressful circumstances. Concentration is a staple of acting classes and workshops; it is vital than an actor be capable of concentrating on the scene or action at hand.
In the 1990s, a TV show called Whose Line Is It Anyway? popularized comedic improvisation. The original version was British, but it was later revived and popularized in the United States with Drew Carey as a host.
See also: jazz, free improvisation
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