Improvisation
For Actors and Performers
What is the Theater For?
What is possible within the boundaries of performance, and how can those boundaries be expanded? We can rediscover how to use theater not just as an escape or form of entertainment, but a tool of empowerment, deep artistic exploration, ceremony, and protest.
I ask workshop participants not to act or, "pretend", but to experience. As Spolin said, it's a capacity to experience that makes a great performer. The person who can experience a lush multitude of things on stage can communicate that experience from the inside out. At its core, improvisation is the art of people behaving together with no plan. A summary of the entire human experience. I pass these workshops on in hopes that students of theater will find new ways of presenting improvisational acting that would never have occurred to previous generations of players in this tradition.
When working with actors, I offer precise feedback on stage picture, object work, connection to the scene partner, and focus. Connecting to the focus allows us to freely experience the world we are creating with our scene partner. I consider this method to be ad reductio: we are not accumulating a set of skills, rather we are removing a set of blocks and habits that we have grown accustomed to in social life.
Modalities of Improv
Artistic
Expression
Scene work encourages a deep connection with our emotions, allowing us to create collaborative masterpieces in real time
Healing
As a therapy, wellness practice, and medicine, improvisation allows us to connect to ourselves and one another through trance, visualization, ritual, and deep inner work.
Stage Training
Theater games translate into an amazing stage performance. In the tradition of Spolin, Johnstone, Grotowsky, and Stanislavsky, we project to the reality of the scene to make stories come alive for the audience.
Fun!
Improv has a reputation as comedic. Laughter is merely a byproduct of the magic it produces. These games allow us to tap into our inner child and rediscover how to play in the most basic ways.
Students warming up at Planet Ant Theater in Detroit
Improvisation Is A Practice
Like Martial Arts or Yoga
This tradition came to me via the Atlanta school of David Webster, who trained at Second City during the era of Del Close. Del sought to preserve the diversity and artistic integrity of the medium despite an increasing emphasis on comedy.
Close was influenced by the direct disciples of Viola Spolin, who founded the practice of improvisation in Chicago in the 1920's. At Jane Addams Hull House, Spolin developed theater games to teach communication skills and stage direction. The magic of the practice lay in Spolin's attitude toward wonder and the unknown. She believed it could bring new possibilities into existence, develop minds, and open ancient doors.
Viola was not being hyperbolic when she said that her improvisation exercises could save the world. Their results were not measured in ticket sales but in the growth of the students as individuals. I distribute workshops in that spirit and aim no lower.
The goal of an individual session of practice is what Viola called, “The Explosion.” This is a moment of true inspiration, freedom, and flow. It can only be reached by setting ego and expectation aside. It is that which the mystic and the artist seek in common. Unfortunately, today's comedy club environment tends to be inoculated against it. My expertise is in cultivating an environment where that state can be reached by newcomers and veterans alike. It’s my hope that participants will learn this ability and carry it into their other work. We can make ground for Viola. We can inspire creatives to pursue that magic beyond words which can transform worlds.
“Improvisation with Bobby Phillips is a wonderfully immersive, meditative, and fun experience! His approach challenges you to open your perspective in creative and transformational ways. His classes have changed the way I view improv. Not just something to work on toward a stage performance, but something that translates into the performance of life itself.” - Genna R
“I was a little nervous going into the workshop but Bobby is so welcoming and supportive that my nerves settled almost immediately. It’s obvious that he cares about the craft and passing his knowledge on to anyone who is interested in learning.” - Jeremy B
“The structure of the class and the exercises he provided brought real energy and creativity out of everyone that was attending the class. It was so much fun to watch everyone let loose, dig deep, and express themselves.”
- Austin K
“In a short period of time, I was able to transform into my inner child with
a group of total strangers. I had a blast!” - Tommy C
“Learning Spolin games with Bobby is like a breath of fresh air. The workshop is a grounded and connected experience where creativity flows. It tapped into a playfulness and curiosity inside of me.” - Ellen M
“I had such an eye-opening experience. It has definitely helped me a lot in my
personal growth as an actor and a person!” - Lydia C
Student Testimonials
Embodiment exercises at the Division Avenue Arts Collective
Praise from David Webster, Emmy-Winning founder of
Whole World Theater
"I have had the good fortune to both teach Bobby and watch him teach improv for the stage. It is refreshing to witness the continued movement of bringing truth in acting to improv comedy. Having each experience, rather than pretending, is perhaps the greatest advancement of our medium.
It has been my life's work and I am proud to see it continue with such a kind and talented young director. His style improves the experience for the audience and actors alike. Bobby is wonderful with actors and their feelings. I invite you to join his class and realize the benefits as a person and as an actor."
Improvisation as Medicine
During my journey to study this craft, I spent time leading sessions at an ayahuasca center in Ecuador. I was surprised to discover that the guests at this center, who had come to do deep work on themselves, were so prepared to be vulnerable that they made incredible leaps both as actors and self-healers after just a few experiences. We quickly transitioned from basic exercises to emotional personal work and performances for the staff. This changed the way I approach teaching, and I cater certain workshops to involve elements of ritual and self-work.
A shamanic visionary journey, the fundamental personal meditation used across cultures to explore the subconscious and unconscious mind, is essentially an improvisation in which the meditator playfully says yes to that which arises in the mind, and derives answers to their questions from the images that occur to them. We enter into such a meditation with an intention, we take seriously what we discover, and we use this imaginative journey as a point of departure for our deep scene work together.
When engaging in improvisation in this modality, be prepared for the experience of being simultaneously playful and serious. We will open up about our fears and insecurities, say things on stage that we wish we could say in our lives, and hold space for other participants to be vulnerable in their scenes.
Promo for a workshop at Planet Ant
For Corporate Team Building
People crave connection as much as they fear it. When we allow ourselves to play, connecting becomes the easiest thing in the world. Groups that meet frequently to create, cooperate, plan, and deliver results, are already operating on a similar frequency and will find that the experience of improvising together creates an even deeper bond. Let's open up, show up as our inner children, and create an atmosphere with our coworkers that can last beyond the session and into our daily lives together. Mirroring one another, having conversations in gibberish, and maybe even singing for one another, we will create memories that remind us of who we are and how we relate to the people we work alongside.
When's the next workshop?
