Viola Spolin
Viola Spolin was an American theatre academic, educator and acting coach. She is considered an important innovator in 20th century American theater for creating directorial techniques to help actors to be focused in the present moment and to find choices improvisationally, as if in real life. These acting exercises she later called Theater Games and formed the first body of work that enabled other directors and actors to create improvisational theater.
Background
- Born in
- Chicago
Trending & Selected Quotes
Trending topics shown first"The most significant change in the games themselves is the addition of 'Follow the Follower' , a variation on the 'Mirror' game in which no one initiates and all reflect. This game quiets the mind and…"
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly that playing can pull many a director and cast out of a tight spot, freeing all of them from the fear-producing trap of memorizing, characterizing and interpreting…"
"Games develop personal techniques and skills necessary for the game itself, through playing. Skills are developed at the very moment a person is having all the fun and excitement playing a game has to…"
"That which is not yet known comes out of that which is not yet here."
"Everyone can act. Everyone can improvise. Anyone who wishes to can play in the theater and learn to become 'stage-worthy.' We learn through experience and experiencing, and no one teaches anyone anyth…"
"Through spontaneity we are re-formed into ourselves. It creates an explosion that for the moment frees us from handed-down frames of reference, memory choked with old facts and information and undiges…"
Works & Publications
No works or publications documented yet.
Timeline
1906
Born
Birth1994
Died
Death
Influenced By
Thinkers whose ideas shaped Viola's philosophy
No known influences documented.
Influenced
Thinkers whose work was shaped by Viola's ideas
No influenced thinkers documented yet.
Source Attribution
Information about Viola Spolin is sourced from curated knowledge bases and cross-referenced for accuracy. Influence relationships are scored by thematic overlap and historical plausibility.
Related Thinkers
See all →Explore Further
Related Quotes
"Worry is a purely selfish expression. The fact is that to worry or suffer mentally you have to have an opin…"
— Barry Long"Excerpts in Portuguese and English from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj's I AM THAT"
— Nisargadatta Maharaj"You can't disobey the rules every time you disapprove. However, when you're considering something that cons…"
— Mario Savio"Dangerous is a people's voice charged with wrath."
— Aeschylus"One of the most powerful forms of information is feedback on our own actions."
— John Kotter"Just as in climbing a mountain we leave behind the earth where we stand, to reach the heart of God we have …"
— Radhanath Swami
Related Thinkers
Related Topics
Deep Dives
- Nisargadatta Maharaj on life
- Nisargadatta Maharaj on truth
- Nisargadatta Maharaj on knowledge
- Nisargadatta Maharaj on freedom
- Nisargadatta Maharaj on mind
- Nisargadatta Maharaj on philosophy
- Nisargadatta Maharaj on love
- Nisargadatta Maharaj on time
- Nisargadatta Maharaj on nature
- Nisargadatta Maharaj on books
- knowledge & Beauty
- knowledge & Change

