Chicago Stories
Inventing Improv: A Chicago Stories Special Trailer
Preview: 10/22/2021 | 58sVideo has Closed Captions
The story of how Viola Spolin sparked the improvisational theater movement in Chicago.
Many people don’t know that improvised theater was born in Chicago at Jane Addams’ Hull House during the Great Depression by social-worker-turned-theater guru Viola Spolin, known as The Mother of Improv. This immersive documentary, produced by WTTW, tells the story of how a trailblazing woman sparked the improvisational theater movement and made Chicago the home of improv.
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Chicago Stories is a local public television program presented by WTTW
Leadership support for CHICAGO STORIES is provided by The Negaunee Foundation. Major support for CHICAGO STORIES is provided by the Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust, TAWANI Foundation on behalf of...
Chicago Stories
Inventing Improv: A Chicago Stories Special Trailer
Preview: 10/22/2021 | 58sVideo has Closed Captions
Many people don’t know that improvised theater was born in Chicago at Jane Addams’ Hull House during the Great Depression by social-worker-turned-theater guru Viola Spolin, known as The Mother of Improv. This immersive documentary, produced by WTTW, tells the story of how a trailblazing woman sparked the improvisational theater movement and made Chicago the home of improv.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Chicago Stories is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Chicago Stories
WTTW premieres eight new Chicago Stories including Deadly Alliance: Leopold and Loeb, The Black Sox Scandal, Amusement Parks, The Young Lords of Lincoln Park, The Making of Playboy, When the West Side Burned, Al Capone’s Bloody Business, and House Music: A Cultural Revolution.Providing Support for PBS.org
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The Artists that Grew in Chicago
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 4m 23s | Many actors and comedians got their start in the Chicago comedy scene. (4m 23s)
Hull House and the Origins of Improvisation
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 6m 7s | The origins of improv comedy are at Chicago’s Hull House in the early 20th century. (6m 7s)
Improv Game Demonstration: Contact
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 2m 21s | Improvisers demonstrate a Viola Spolin game called Contact at The Second City. (2m 21s)
Improv Game Demonstration: Gibberish Interpreter
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 2m 25s | Improvisers demonstrate a Viola Spolin game, Gibberish Interpreter, at The Second City. (2m 25s)
Improv Game Demonstration: Mirror
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 2m 18s | Improvisers demonstrate a Viola Spolin game called Mirror at The Second City. (2m 18s)
Improv Game Demonstration: Parts of a Whole
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 1m 42s | Improvisers demonstrate a Viola Spolin game called Parts of a Whole at The Second City. (1m 42s)
Improv Game Demonstration: Spacewalk
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 2m 26s | Improvisers demonstrate a Viola Spolin game called Spacewalk at The Second City. (2m 26s)
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 1m 21s | Jeffrey Sweet describes the origins of the game "Contact." (1m 21s)
The Playwrights Theatre Club and the Compass Players
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 13m 44s | Viola Spolin’s son created two theater groups that became the first early improv theaters. (13m 44s)
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 1m 9s | Do these improvisers look familiar? (1m 9s)
The Transformative Power of Improv
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 4m 9s | Viola Spolin’s theaters games are more than just games. (4m 9s)
Viola Spolin Publishes Her Theater Games
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Clip: 10/22/2021 | 3m 47s | Viola Spolin created theater games that became the basis of improv. (3m 47s)
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Chicago Stories is a local public television program presented by WTTW
Leadership support for CHICAGO STORIES is provided by The Negaunee Foundation. Major support for CHICAGO STORIES is provided by the Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust, TAWANI Foundation on behalf of...