THE SPOLIN SESSIONS
The presentation of the commentary of Viola Spolin. Direct transcript quotations from master classes given by the 'godmother of improvisational theater’. This is Viola’s spoken word, raw spontaneous communication, that exemplify both her process and philosophy.
Video of her peers, disciples, critics and admirers, discussing her early life and iconic place in American Theater.
VIOLA SPOLIN
quotes
posted December 2020
March 1977
VS: “I have found a book called LATERAL THINKING which I had not read before but which clearly defines why I’ve always said, ‘off the subject’, and why I’ve said that, ‘we’re coming in from a different way’…It’s lateral thinking, a most astonishing thing. Oh for God’s sake, he’s saying, what? I know, about the mind thing…that’s called, security. If you go for security, nothing will happen. You might be comfortable. That’s all. You get staler and staler and duller and duller as your security grows. In crisis and in imbalance that’s when we are open. Allow something new to happen.
“In Points and Reminders (in the book) people want to go back to old frames of references. They won’t listen. That’s why DJS (player) was interesting to me. I’m sorry he left. He couldn’t understand and I couldn’t understand how to get it to him… Old frames of reference are very comfortable. Opening students is very uncomfortable.
“KSS (player) is very comfortable…in play.. OK. And some aren’t sure of what’s happening and some are getting some recognition of what is going on. I’ve hollered a bit, because you aren’t getting it. We know why the games work. We know their value. Sure they produce nice theater and help the kids in school. But there’s always that question mark. I have it and then it’s gone.
“So, my dear people, I read this book. Here’s a man – a physicist, a mathematician, Rhodes Scholar. This is just one little quote:”
‘…The play process can turn up intricate patterns…The chance process of play provide combinations that they would never have thought of otherwise. Even if the usefulness of play were accepted, very few people would find themselves able to play. It is difficult to do something deliberately and yet not be deliberate. It is difficult to set off in a direction towards the unknown.’
“Ain’t that true. Ain’t that true.”
“I’ve indexed it somewhat – Explore and Heighten (in the book) – things that are related to the work. Here – Imagination! I used imagination in the early manuscript. Then stopped using it… A teacher asked why I felt that way about imagination. I feel it’s limited – in the head. Now here again (book in hand) … This is a man in a totally different field:”
‘The great usefulness of play as the other source of human experience, the originality, figures and relationships that arrive by chance during the process of play… Chance had no limits, but imagination does.’
“I wanted to kiss this man. Where is he? His name is De Bono… Edward De Bono. I’d like you to read it.”
posted February 2020
March 1977
VS: “… But you understand what I mean when I occasionally say a player is in isolation. I think frequently about the isolated player. The isolated player is stuck within himself. To get the isolated player to come forth… “
Player: “I want to tell you about this fifth-grade teacher we are working with—“ (…something about some of the children not participating and now they do?)
VS: “These are things we want written. To show the development of kids who are withdrawn, shy and (they) suddenly come forth. Why? There’s always a reason. Their coming forth is not accidental. I myself never kept logs…There is no written history… The fact that changes are happening with children … if we can capture and get enough kids, young, so that this becomes effortless, we can see how the hidden can come forth in a context other than theater. That’s all. The sharing with the audience is important. The fact that the exercises and the games are protective and a safe harbor to come forth in…”
posted January 2020
March 1077
VS: “Some of these games are so simple they fool you. Someone sees something’s happened (to them) on stage and says, “Oh boy, I’ve got it – Talent.” But then we choose, the culture chooses in a curious way, those who are the exemplary personification, the epitome of what we do as players and audiences here.”
VS: “When fantasy enters, pretend enters, you are playing around with your own emotions. Unless you are a consummate actor it is unpleasant to look at.”
posted January 2020
March 1977
VS: “I read that psychiatrists are on the way out…..They said in twenty years psychiatrists would be out because they are always on the subject. They are always on the subject which is you and your problem which you can’t solve in your own mind. You might get a little insight, some advice, a little understanding. But that ability to keep together.. The love of that love of sports that we have…. It is said about baseball that fans live out their fantasies… I don’t agree with you. I suggest that this is just a phrase. I suggest that. Think about it. What is happening is that all of them are keeping their eye on the ball. The fact that we have selected those top people to play the game. People ask me why I said, ‘talent has little to do with it’. Well talent does have something to do with it in the sense that all of us can approach it, but sandlot baseball does not mean that there won’t be any big league baseball. So why deny the pleasure of sandlot baseball? Same thing with theater and TheaterGames. Why deny a whole group of people the pleasure of playing in theater? That does not mean that they will all be actors and great directors and fine writers.”
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VS: “A person who had difficulty in reading did not find difficulty. There may be an interesting clue in here. As I said earlier, approaching the reading as the obstacle and many of our children approach it that way, that obstacle was removed. That focus, that double focus should be studied very carefully to find out. Do it in your workshops. This would be the ideal thing. To do something like this, everybody, wherever you are working,,,Do it. This was the idea of fieldwork. That you would all come up with different probabilities and variations or problems that need to be overcome. I don’t know exactly if this would solve the difficulty with reading but it is an interesting first step.”
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VS: “….If you notice that when she told the story she did it with a great deal of physicalyzation. So perhaps if you would look at words as activators…not just words on a page..... The willingness of accepting focus wasn’t a willingness necessarily to read; you accept the problem. And you worked at it. Do you hear what I’m saying here? You try it with your kids and you yours. It might be interesting.”
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VS: “It has always been remarkable to me how in any 3-way conversation, the conversations are so sharp…the retaining of them later. I think it has something to do with that willingness to let go of security.. The fact that so many different things are coming in simultaneously does not matter. If any of you have ever been in an accident…one of mine was going backwards down a hill without any brakes. The clarity of the moment is still with me. The multiple stimuli of that moment were extraordinary… do this, do that. (hands clapping together loudly…impact) It would seem that when the organism is in a heightened state, that all of us is working – all parts of ourselves are working. Most of the time we are fragmented. “Oh, I can’t read.” “Oh, I have to remember this.” “Oh, he/she doesn’t like me.” Or whatever. When the focus is clear and there is full attention; body, mind, cellular, intuitive, and we are functioning as tight working organisms. When we function at this level…. It is that full attention – not to many things – but to one thing, to allow things to come in. So the focus is not so much focusing on what you are doing, but the ability the focus brings to you to allow you to be fully attentive. It’s a diversion from attitude. The focus is not so much on that…what’s the focus? What’s the rule? They are only there to make all of you function. That sounds right, doesn’t it?...The focus is a device to pull yourself totally together. On your toes, alert, and so on. Keep your eye on the ball. Keeping your eye on the ball isn’t for the ball. You don’t drop the bat and look around for that the ball (giggles from the group) “Oh, there it is. I see it.” Keeping your eye on the ball is so all of you is functioning. And when anything unexpected happens, you can handle it because all of you are there.”
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posted December 2019
March 1977
VS: To player, “Where along the way did you ask yourself the question: ‘Am I doing it right?’ Audience, do you know when she asked that? How did I know?”
Player: Because I was just sitting there.
VS: “You gave yourself away.”
Player: How?
VS: “You looked at me. Teacher.”
Player: I don’t remember that.
VS: “I said you gave yourself away.”
Player: (started to say something but it became just a stutter or sputter.)
VS: Don’t defend.
Player: I don’t recall doing it.
VS: “Of course you don’t. I said you gave yourself away. If you recalled, you would not have given yourself away. It doesn’t matter. If you kids keep on defending yourselves, my work in the last four months has been for nothing. For nothing, nothing, nothing. You are still defending position. I don’t attack you, Player. I love you. I don’t know about I love you, but I am very fond of you. (laughter) That makes it even harder on a person when that possibility exists. Okay, I have been in the theater for years and the littlest indication is important. I had my kids rehearse barefoot so I could watch their toes. Why do I watch their feet. Because if they say something like this (passionately speaking) and their feet are dead, I know damn well, it’s just words from the mouth. I happen to be a body person. I’m quick to the body. That comes from years in this work. Remember – trivia is not trivial. It is in the trivia that we give ourselves away. Giving yourself away means that you are giving yourself away. That’s all.”
archival footage
