Inventing Improv: A Chicago Stories Special Documentary
Chicago’s greatest cultural export just might be improvised theater, which was born at Jane Addams’ Hull House during the Great Depression and carried out into the world by the likes of Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Stephen Colbert. But while to most people improv might seem synonymous with comedy, the art form was devised by a woman named Viola Spolin who wasn’t out for laughs. Find…
Pass the ball, I’m not afraid to fail
There is an improv game we play with adults at recovery treatment centers. The exercise calls for someone to start with an imaginary ball of energy. The first person is holding the ball, moving it around with their hands and describing what it is. “I’m holding a beach ball,” says the first player. After pretending to bounce it a few times, they toss the ball to another player in the…