I recently conducted a
teacher training workshop at an improv festival, where most of the participants
were unfamiliar with the work of Viola Spolin, the mother of improvisation. This is not uncommon. However, in a discussion about the choice of
games the teachers use in their workshops, most were Spolin based. They just
learned them under different names. Also not uncommon.
I recommended Viola’s book “Improvisation
for the Theater” as an essential resource and for re-indoctrination.
David Shepherd also attended
the festival, where he quickly became known as “the ancient one.” In 1955 David created Compass, the first
professional improv theatre in North America
with Paul Sills, Viola Spolin’s son. Sixteen years later, David created the
Improv Olympics with Howard Jerome, a format that was designed as a loving
celebration of Viola’s work. David is a Spolin purist and when he brought the
Improv Olympics to Chicago in 1981 it came with a letter of understanding for the players acknowledging Spolin’s games as the inspiration
for the format.
An impromptu forum was
arranged for David, which I moderated for the staff and volunteers of the
festival. During the forum David was
asked what he considered to be the most important aspect of improv. David replied “It’s all about the where!” The audience
smiled, but there was no follow up question and silence followed. Since many in
the audience were seasoned improvisers, I didn’t want to insult anyone by
asking “You all know what the where is, right?” It‘s possible that they were
intimated by being in David’s presence and were waiting to see if he was going to
add anything.
I asked David if I could
elaborate further and he replied enthusiastically “of course!” Sharing knowledge
that David bestowed upon me 45 years ago, I presented a 30 second overview of
the where; “The where, which is also called the location, setting or
environment, is created by constantly discovering details. Through those
details, you connect with how you feel, which is expressed through the use of
imaginary objects and activity which become more realistic when endowed with
qualities (temperature, texture, weight). The where connects you with other
players and keeps you in the moment.” Smiling, David turns to the audience and
says “This is a very smart man!”
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| Impromptu forum with David Shepherd (middle) and Michael Golding (right) |
As the result of preparing
David Shepherd’s improv archives for delivery to Northwestern University,
I’ve been able to monitor the evolution of David’s formats. My first exposure to improv
was on David’s Responsive Scene radio show, where the who/what/where scene
structure was set up as; WHO is in the scene? WHAT is the scene about? WHERE
does the scene take place? Once I
started playing in the Improv Olympics the WHAT was changed to WHAT are you
DOING? In the Responsive Scene the WHAT was story based. In the Improv
Olympics, it was activity based.
That shift solidified my
focus in a scene. I already knew who I was, what I was doing activity wise, and
I had a where to explore. Everything that followed story wise was based on the
here and now and built on the foundation of collaborating with my fellow players
through agreement.
I teach my students to enter
scenes with a strong activity, which helps in the exploration of the where. Surprisingly, I have to provide them with examples of what an
activity is. Most of them come up with passive choices – watching TV,
texting, reading. When I ask for suggestions for an activity that two people
can do together I get fighting, sleeping and intercourse.
As I slowly transition into
old school improv dude who screams at the millenniums to get off his mainstage
grass I’m developing a few crotchety impressions of the next generation of
improvisers. Not all the necessary improv skills are utilized on stage. A lot
of talking. Not much exploration of the where. On Facebook improv pages the work tends to be over analyzed. I found this skill page from one of David
Shepherd’s training manuals. For me, it’s all there. Nine simple sentences. Wisdom
from the ancient one.
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| From a David Shepherd training manual |
Michael Golding is a writer, director and improv
teacher. He can be contacted for
workshops, festivals and private consultations at migaluch@yahoo.com. Michael participated in the evolution of the
Improv Olympics & Canadian Improv Games. Artistic director of the Comic
Strip Improv Group in N.Y. & created the Insight Theatre Company for
Planned Parenthood, Ottawa. He is a faculty member at El Camino College
in Los Angeles,
working with at-risk teens and traditional students. He wrote and co-produced
the documentary "David Shepherd: A Lifetime of Improvisational
Theatre" (available for free on YouTube).
His book, Listen Harder, a collection of essays, curriculum and
memorabilia on improvisation and educational theatre, is available on Amazon,
Barnes & Noble and CreateSpace. Michael holds a BFA degree in Drama from
New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts & an MA degree in
Educational Theatre from NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education &
Human Development.