Description Long

Improvisation can come in different forms, from written to spoken. It is a creative process that does not need any preparation. It is a great tool to discover new ways and change the way of thinking. Therefore new Ideas can develop that can even lead to new structures. Improvisation is often used in the Theater and for the creation of Music. Nevertheless it can be applied to many different subjects, and to foster creativity during a process of creation. Improvisation in Theater is used to combine knowledge, experience and the abilities of the participants. It is important that the participants are open for new ideas and are focused on the activity. The participants act with little material and little guidance, which allows them to bring in their own experience and to create something new together, even if they don't know each other.

Illustration

Preparation

1. Think about the topic of your workshop.
2. What setting could be useful to start with? Think about roles for the actors to start with.

Execution

1. Split the participants into 2 teams. One of them acting, the others giving inputs and collecting ideas.
2. Give the acting team a couple of roles and inputs for the start.
3. After the input team can write terms on a visible board to change the direction of the play.
4. The input team should also note down the ideas that are created from the actors.
5. Discuss the ideas created in a plenum.

Hints from experience

To lead the participants through the play and in the direction of the topic, prepare flashcards with inputs.

Tools list

• Flashcards
• Props

References

www.till.ch/spiele/ImprovisationenKanalisieren

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity_techniques

bundesverband.bdp.org/content/bdp-frankfurt-improvisationstheater-workshop