Funny Business: Lessons on Creativity from Improvised Theatre

Improvisation was founded by radical thinkers. Viola Spolin, the grandmother of improvisation, wanted her performers to find a "a road back towards intuition." Paul Sills, her son, wanted to spark a "revolution rooted in primeval wisdom." Del Close, co-founder of the iO Theater, imagined a world where "the only rule is that there are no rules."

However, as improvised theatre devolved into improvised comedy, its radical lessons were lost. Then, during COVID-19, every major U.S. improvisation theatre collapsed. The old model didn't work. It's time for us to think creatively about improvisation.

Drawing on history, anthropology, and science, Funny Business explores the past of improvised theatre to understand its urgent lessons for the present. It aims to revive the radical dreams of its founders and challenges us to think differently about the future.