Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director's Handbook, Updated Edition

An updated edition of a key reference text by “the high priestess of improvisational theater”A major force in the development of American theater, Viola Spolin devised pedagogical techniques that have influenced and inspired legions of actors, improvisers, and directors. Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director's Handbook, first published in 1985, is a practical application of Spolin's famous method that guides directors and their companies step-by-step through all phases of the rehearsal period. In Theater Games for Rehearsal, Spolin shows in easy-to-follow detail how her techniques can be used for a variety of theater needs, from selecting performance material, casting, and building a harmonious company to warming up actors, creating stage space, and overcoming opening-night jitters. This new edition, edited by Carol Bleackley Sills, incorporates Spolin's wished-for updates: four important exercises have been added, and instructions presenting her improvisational approach have been clarified throughout. Sidecoaching instructions and game evaluations are boxed and highlighted for on-the-spot reading by the director during rehearsal. With these additions and improvements, Theater Games for Rehearsal: A Director's Handbook brings Spolin's ideas to a new generation with greater accessibility and excitement. Featuring a new foreword by renowned film director Rob Reiner, the updated edition is mandatory for any theater bookshelf.  Read more