Improvisation (theatre)

Improvisation (theatre), in theatre, a technique in which the actors create their own actions and words. It is used both as an aid to rehearsal and as a means of devising entire plays. The Russian director, Konstantin Stanislavski was one of the first to use improvisation to help his actors explore their characters and the world of the play. Sometimes actors will improvise within a highly structured framework, sometimes the framework will be very free and open.

Elements of improvisation have probably been present in theatre from the earliest times, especially in folk theatre. This is certainly true of traditional Asian theatre today. Forms such as Yakshagana in southern India, and Ketoprak in Java (see South East Asian Theatre: Indonesia—Java) blend formal narration, song, and dance with improvised passages in which the actors may interact with the audience. Perhaps the most famous European use of improvisation was in the commedia dell’arte, which appeared in Italy in the mid-16th century; in this case the actors worked from a scenario to improvise the entire play before the audience. In the 20th century, groups such as New York’s Living Theatre made extensive use of improvisation in their productions, while British playwright Caryl Churchill used improvisation workshops with actors in the development of many of her plays.