When Improvisation Was Illegal

The origins of improvisation on stage are often traced back to Commedia dell’arte, which became popular in Italy from the 16th century onward.

The roots of the art form most widely known today as “improv” or “impro” can be traced to two main traditions: one associated with Viola Spolin in the United States, and the other with Keith Johnstone in Britain.

In the 1930s, Viola Spolin worked in WPA (Works Progress Administration) programs that aimed to help immigrants adapt to American society. Among the goals were to break down social barriers, help people express themselves in a new language, build confidence, and create connections between people from different cultural backgrounds.

Spolin developed theatre games to help the children of immigrants in the United States feel more comfortable in their own skin and adapt to their new environment. Improvisation was therefore initially used in the United States as a social tool to help people from different cultural backgrounds communicate and integrate.

Her son, Paul Sills, later experimented with his mother’s theatre games together with fellow students at the University of Chicago. They founded The Compass Players, often considered the first modern improvisational theatre group in the United States. Their work later laid the foundation for The Second City (1959), which became one of the most influential improvisational theatres in the world.

Amy Poehler, Matt Walsh, Matt Besser, and Ian Roberts studied improvisation in Chicago and later founded the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) theatre in New York in 1996.

Improvisation on stage was actually illegal in England until 1968, when the Theatres Act abolished the censorship that required all theatrical productions to receive prior approval from the Lord Chamberlain. Before that time, directors and actors could run into trouble if they deviated from the approved script, for example by improvising on stage.

British theatre practitioner Keith Johnstone attempted to work around the censorship by referring to improvisational performances as “workshops” or “rehearsals.” He later moved to Canada, where he became the founder of Theatresports, a form of short-form improvisation that many people recognize from the television show Who’s Line Is It Anyway?

In the United States, long-form improv has become particularly popular. In this format, improvisers create an entire show on the spot, often using certain structures such as The Harold, which was developed in the 1970s by Del Close in collaboration with Charna Halpern.

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At its core, improvisation is about creating something from nothing, without deciding anything in advance. The word improvisation comes from the Latin word improvisus, meaning “unforeseen” or “unexpected.”

When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most famous speeches in history in 1963, the “I Have a Dream” section was partly improvised. King had been reading from a prepared speech when Mahalia Jackson called out from the crowd, “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” King then set aside his prepared text and began describing his dream of justice and freedom. These inspired responses to the moment resonated around the world.

Improvisation has long been used as a tool for experimentation, practice, discovery, and the creation of new material in music, dance, theatre, and many other fields. Today it is increasingly popular worldwide and is used in classrooms, workplaces, team training, leadership development, and in both healthcare and therapeutic settings.

Improvisation is not only a classical art form. It is also a way of responding to the unexpected and a powerful tool for understanding the present and discovering new paths forward.