Inventing Improv: A Chicago Stories Special Documentary

Chicago’s greatest cultural export just might be improvised theater, which was born at Jane Addams’ Hull House during the Great Depression and carried out into the world by the likes of Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Stephen Colbert. But while to most people improv might seem synonymous with comedy, the art form was devised by a woman named Viola Spolin who wasn’t out for laughs. Find out more about Viola Spolin and today's Chicago improvisers at https://www.wttw.com/improv 00:00 ➤ Preview 01:51 ➤ Intro 04:48 ➤ Viola Spolin's Early Life 07:28 ➤ Jane Addams' Hull House 10:40 ➤ The "Educational Playroom" 12:49 ➤ Viola's Theater Games 18:40 ➤ Young Actors Company 20:15 ➤ Paul Sills' Theater Workshops 23:41 ➤ Playwrights Theatre Club 26:23 ➤ The Compass Theatre 33:49 ➤ Birth of The Second City 46:26 ➤ Viola Publishes Her Theater Games #ImprovWTTW