Improvisational Comedy

Improvisational comedy (also called improv or impro) is comedy that is performed with a little to no predetermination of subject matter and structure. The performers discover their lines and actions spontaneously, typically following a general theme and format, often in response to audience suggestions. Improvisational comedy is a form of improvisational theater.

Origins

Improvised performance is as old as performance itself. From the 16th to the 18th century, Commedia dell'arte performers improvised in the streets of Italy. Many silent filmmakers such as Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton used this approach in the making of their films, developing their gags while filming and altering the plot to fit. The Marx Brothers were notorious for deviating from the script they were given, their ad libs often becoming part of the standard routine and making their way into their films.

Modern theatrical improvisation began in Chicago in the 1950s. The theatre games of Viola Spolin evolved quickly to an independent artform worthy of presentation before a paying audience. The Compass Players (David Sheppard and Paul Sills) and Second City were among the first organized troupes, both originated in Chicago, Illinois and from their success, the modern Chicago improvisational comedy movement was spawned. Simultaneously, Keith Johnstone's group The Theatre Machine, originated in London was touring Europe. This work gave birth to Theatresports, at first secretly in Keith's workshops, and eventually in public when Keith moved to Canada. Notable also was San Francisco's The Committee theater active during the 1960's.

Improv comedy techniques have also been used in film, television and stand-up comedy, notably the mockumentary films of director Christopher Guest, the recent HBO television show Curb Your Enthusiasm created by Larry David, and the routines of Ross Noble, Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters, and Eddie Izzard, who often improvise onstage.

Theatrical improvisation

Improvisational comedy as a stand-alone, theatrical artform generally falls into two categories: short form and long form.

Short form

Short form improvisation consists of short, unrelated scenes usually driven by an audience suggestion with a predetermined game, structure, or idea. In short form games, which take from two to ten minutes, the performers attempt to create a comprehensible scene from audience suggestions while conforming to the specified (and sometimes purposefully restrictive) rules of the game. Wit and speed are favored. Short form is often used as warmups, for beginners to learn basic principles of improv, or even portions of a long form.

Many short form games first created by Viola Spolin and Keith Johnstone are still performed to this day. Television audiences would be most familiar with short form through the UK and US versions of the television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Short form improvisation is performed around the world and is closely identified with the competitive improv formats of ComedySportz and Theatresports.

Long form

In long form, often termed Longform, performers create shows in which improvised scenes are connected and progressive, interrelated by story, characters, or themes. Audiences are often asked for one or more suggestions or inputs which drive the narrative of the performance, as opposed to the more structured short form. This may take the form of a specific existing type of theater, for example a full-length improvised play or Broadway-style musical. Or, the scenes may be largely unrelated with the exception of a single point of inspiration. Unlike short form, no further inputs are solicited, and the length can be anywhere from 20 minutes to 2-hours at the extreme. Long form improvisation can at times be episodic, spanning several shows with the same characters, each show taking the aforementioned time. Some long forms are narrative while others focus on character development, exploration of relationships, or the extrapolation of themes and ideas. Long form improvisation is performed around the world, and is especially widespread in Chicago, one of the most active communities of modern improvisational theatre. Perhaps the best known long form structure is The Harold, developed by ImprovOlympic cofounder Del Close. San Francisco style long forms (or play-length long forms) are 2-hour single-story long forms rooted in the idea that if someone can perform something scripted (like a play, movie, or musical) then it can also be improvised just as well. In Canada, Toronto has been home to a rich improv tradition. The Second City francise has produced such comedy stars as Mike Myers and the comedy clubs of the city produced the Kids in the Hall and more recently, the soon to be aired Modern Convenience.

The improv community

Many theatre troupes are devoted to staging improvisational performances and growing the improv community through their training centres. One of the most widespread is the international organization Theatresports, which was founded by Keith Johnstone, an English director who wrote what many consider to be the seminal work on improvisational acting, Impro.

Improv luminaries

Some key figures in the development of improvisational theatre are Viola Spolin and her son Paul Sills, founder of Chicago's famed Second City troupe and inventor of Story Theater; Dudley Riggs, founder of Minneapolis' Brave New Workshop; Del Close, founder of ImprovOlympic and creator of the long form improv known as "The Harold" along with his partner Charna Halpern; Keith Johnstone, the British teacher and writer–author of Impro, who founded the Theatre Machine and whose teachings form the foundation of the popular short form Theatresports format and Dick Chudnow, founder of ComedySportz which evolved its family-friendly show format from Johnstone's Theatersports.