Biography

Viola spolin

November 7, 1906 to November 22, 1994

Viola Spolin was an actress, educator, director, author, and the creator of theater games, a system of actor training that uses games she devised to organically teach the formal rules of the theater. Her groundbreaking book Improvisation for the Theater transformed American theater and revolutionized the way acting is taught.

Workshops

WORKSHOPS AROUND THE COUNTRY and online

Sidecoach Aretha Sills (granddaughter of Viola Spolin and daughter of Paul Sills) offers Spolin Improvisation workshops in-person and online. Explore the transformational theater games of Viola Spolin to enhance your training as an actor, improviser, educator, director, writer, or to experience more play in your daily life.

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Publications

improvisation for the theater

Viola Spolin's improvisational techniques changed the very nature and practice of modern theater. The first two editions of Improvisation for the Theater sold more than 100,000 copies and inspired actors, directors, teachers, and writers in theater, television, film. These techniques have also influenced the fields of education, mental health, social work, and psychology.

Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director's Handbook

Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director’s Handbook is a practical application of Viola Spolin’s famous method that guides directors and their companies step-by-step through all phases of the rehearsal period. Spolin shows in easy-to-follow detail how her techniques can be used for a variety of theater situations, ranging from selecting plays or material to be performed, casting, and building a harmonious company to warming up actors, creating stage space, and overcoming opening night jitters.

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News

Learn about upcoming workshops, events, and more.

Resources

PaulSills.com is the online home of Paul Sills’ Wisconsin Theater Game Center, which has been offering Spolin theater game intensives since 1987. Also features articles and information about Paul Sills and Viola Spolin.

The facebook page of Sills/Spolin Theater Works posts current and archival articles, photographs, workshop info, and more on an ongoing basis.

We're on Instagram! Get news, updates and see wonderful historical photos here.

Click below to find VIOLA SPOLIN MEMES!