Improvement Of Theory Research Articles

Freeze! Using Theatre Improvisation Techniques to Practice Oral Argument

When students learn that they will be participating in oral argument during the second semester of legal writing class they often experience a sense of dread. While some students may have public speaking experience in other settings, oral argument on a brief or a moot court will be the first experience at giving an extemporaneous speech on legal issues before a “hot” panel of judges. Our article details several theater improvisation exercises we use in class to ease student fears and to prepare them to think and speak on their feet for oral argument.

Improv experience promotes divergent thinking, uncertainty tolerance, and affective well-being

BackgroundTraining in improvisational theater is a widely available, popular and entertaining activity. It also is linked to a variety of psychological benefits, such as reductions in anxiety and depression in adult psychiatric patients (Krueger et al., 2017) and in social anxiety among adolescent public-school students (Felsman et al., 2019). However, research on its benefits has generally lacked the rigor of randomized experiments. AimsThis paper follows an experimental method from previous research linking improvisation training to improvements in divergent thinking in the laboratory (Lewis & Lovatt, 2013), and includes an additional dependent variable, uncertainty tolerance, which has been broadly implicated in anxiety and depression (McEvoy & Mahoney, 2012). MethodIn two experiments (n = 74, n = 131), participants completed measures of divergent thinking, uncertainty tolerance, and affective well-being before and after engaging in 20 min of improv exercises or a matched control condition including social interactions. ResultsThis paper replicates the prior finding that improvisational theater training can improve divergent thinking (e.g., Lewis & Lovatt, 2013; Sowden et al., 2015), and provides new findings that improv can boost positive affect and increase uncertainty tolerance relative to other social interactions. ConclusionsAs a means to enhance psychological health, improvisational theater training offers benefits without the negative stigma and difficulties in access surrounding other therapeutic interventions. These results support its popular use beyond the theater to improve social and personal interactions in a variety of settings (e.g., Tint & Froerer, 2014).

Improvisation in contemporary Lithuanian theatre

Improvisation in a theatrical context is usually perceived as an actor using acting technique to create and perform spontaneously, here and now during the play. There is much academic literature in foreign countries which considers how to improvise in theatre and what improvisation techniques are utilised, however this topic is not analyzed consistently in the Lithuanian context. Most often theatrical improvisation, as a method, is mentioned in the context of educational science. Otherwise there is a lack of critical texts analyzing improvisation in the contemporary Lithuanian theatre. The aim of this work is to structure and analyze how and in what ways improvisation filters into the Lithuania theatre performances. The object of the article is to interrogate improvisation in the creative process and the different forms of the theatre. To achieve this aim, the following tasks have to be completed: to discuss the role of improvisation in Lithuanian theatre; analyze and reflect on selected Lithuanian performances and characterize what type of improvisation techniques are generally applicable in the contemporary Lithuanian theatre. The conclusion aims to address how improvisation may be used in a variety of ways – both as a learning tool and as a way to be on the stage (to go deeper and analyze a variety of human existences and social order cross-sections). Performances based on open structure and the same concept of the actor’s role is fundamental and the best conditions for the emergence of a planned external actor’s improvisation. The currently available analyses of performances indicated that improvisation in the contemporary Lithuanian theatre usually occurs in the following ways: improvisation as a strategy of the play‘s structure; as theatre sport; improvisation as a cameo performance element in the overall structure of the play; and as the internal improvisation in traditional performances.

What Can Philosophy Learn from Improvisational Theater?

Can we learn about philosophical practice, and philosophical teaching, by examining an apparently very different discipline—improvisational theater? The short answer: yes! In particular, a consideration of improvisational theater reveals four values—play/playfulness, physicality, ensemble, and inclusivity—all of which have a role in philosophical practice and pedagogy. First, we can think of philosophy as a form of intellectual play, where theatrical techniques demonstrate that play can deepen the focus of our students. Second, philosophical teaching can be done in ways that productively utilize physicality in order to maintain focus or allow students to express their ideas through their bodies. Third, philosophical practice, and teaching, should aim to establish ensemble, which can be understood as a social configuration which establishes equality in terms of mutual dependence and responsiveness. Finally, inclusivity in the philosophical classroom can be heightened through the use of appropriately adapted improvisational techniques. In addition to laying the conceptual groundwork to understand the connection between improvisational theater and philosophy, this essay includes a number of specific exercises for instructors who wish to introduce these techniques to the classroom.

GERÇEKLE KURGU ARASINDA: İBİŞ'İN RÜYASI'NDA KOMİK-İ ŞEHİR NAŞİT'İN AYAK İZLERİ

Comic of the city Nasit Ozcan is a “folk artist” who became the laughing face of Istanbul with his stage life from the Second Constitutional Period to the 1940s. Nasit, who was in the hearts of the audience especially with his Ibis typecasting, was also created curiosity with his life behind the stage because of being one of the last representatives of the improvisational theatre, his success story and his belonging to an artistic family. Interviews with him, prepared biographies and theater plays are the products of this curiosity. Tarik Bugra’s novel Ibis’in Ruyasi is a fictional text that carries traces of Nasit in many ways. In the novel it is told about, Nahit, a famous comedy master of his time, his passion for theater in his childhood, his father's reaction to this passion, his innovations in Ibis typecasting, his rightful fame in the public, his being a boss of theater and his loves. With this study, Nasit will be compared with Nahit in the fictional world, and the breaking points between reality and fiction will be determined.

Improvisieren für mehr Beteiligung am Gottesdienst?

Abstract Analyzing contemporary experiments in homiletical and liturgical improvisation shows fresh and exciting potential for more participation in worship. The use of Free Jazz as a paradigm for liturgical and homiletical practice is complimented by the model of Theatrical Improvisation. By rendering empirical improvisations in liturgy and preaching as interactions, a grid of participatory improvisational strategies is generated that can be usefully employed for the analysis and improvement of other pastoral practices such as pastoral care or ministerial training.

Using Improvisation to Develop Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) is emerging as critical to success in today’s workplaces. Business schools must, therefore, equip students with techniques to develop their emotional intelligence. EI is learnable, and research indicates that active and experiential approaches are more effective in developing EI than lecture-based methods. We, therefore, suggest that the highly engaging style of improvisational theater can be used as an effective training technique to develop EI. Furthermore, improv’s foundational “yes-and” principle requires participants to listen nonjudgmentally and actively support each other. We present six improvisational exercises that will enable students to identify and develop some of the social skills relevant to EI, namely, empathy, collaboration, and understanding the emotional cues of others. Our detailed instructions to run and debrief the exercises ensure that instructors with no prior experience with improvisational theater can also easily use them in their classes.

THIS WORKSHOP WILL BE IMPROVISED: HOW IMPROVISATIONAL THEATER SKILLS CAN SET YOUR EDUCATIONAL AND CLINICAL POTENTIAL FREE

This is a Workshop for educators, clinicians, residents, child psychiatry fellows, and students to improve their communication and teaching skills through a series of interactive sessions based around the principles of improvisational theater. Within the context of the session, the participants will improve their abilities to: think on their feet; learn to adapt to common mistakes and errors in communication; and improve their abilities to connect in the moment with students, colleagues, and patients.

Improvisational Theatre and Occupational Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACT As children with autism spectrum disorder become adults, social participation continues to be an area of need. Within creative arts, there is a growing body of literature about the use of theatre arts, improvisational theatre, and improvisational techniques as a way to address social participation for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of this article is to discuss current literature related to the use of improvisation for individuals with ASD and how improvisation techniques can address social participation within occupational therapy practice. Recommendations for research-based strategies using improvisational theatre are described for occupational therapy practice in various contexts, as well as future areas of research.

Discussion of “I’mprovisation–Therapists’ Subjective Experience during Improvisational Moments in the Clinical Encounter”

The first part of this article discusses Romanelli, Tishby, and Moran’s qualitative research on the impact of training clinicians’ “skill-sets” derived from improvisational theater. Categories of experience were discerned from the data, along with findings of the impressive positive effects from the training on the clinicians’ ability to better respond to unpredictable “improvisational moments” in psychotherapy. The second part elaborates on how the authors' research represents a welcome addition to a larger conversation about how drama theory “puts” “flesh and blood” on the “bones” of Relational Metapsychology, which entails theories of process and change, rooted in an information theory based epistemology in contrast to Freud’s archaic and deeply flawed Metapsychology ensconced in a psychic energy theory epistemology. Finally, the authors’ lends to advocacy for clinical training in drama and improvisation being added to clinically based curriculums.

“Like Walking Backwards” – The Challenge of Theater Improvisation Paradigm within the Psychotherapeutic Discourse – Reply to Commentaries

This article responds to two commentaries to the author’s original article; both commentaries relate to the issue of theater improvisation as a distinct paradigm in psychotherapy. The commentaries represent what can viewed metaphorically as the positions of “Yes, But” and “Yes, And.” The article describes these two positions, then addresses the issue of psychotherapy as art and/or science, and subsequently wrestles with how to train clinicians in improvisational skills. Considered as well, are the possible systematic changes the theater improvisation paradigm can have on the psychotherapeutic field.

I’mprovisation – Therapists’ Subjective Experience during Improvisational Moments in the Clinical Encounter

Improvisational (or now) moments can serve as important change mechanisms in psychotherapy. Yet there is little understanding of the therapists’ subjective experiences during those Improvisation Experiences (IE). In this pilot study, 17 clinicians reported on their clinical IE following theater improvisation training. Reports were analyzed in relation to three constructs: peak experience, flow, and peak performance. Results show that during IE therapists experience dimensions of peak experience and flow, but not of peak performance. Additional unique dimensions of IE are discussed in relation to different constructs, leading us to name therapists’ IE as I’mprovisation. Recommendations practice and training are discussed.

Communicating Dominance in a Nonanthropomorphic Robot Using Locomotion

Dominance is a key aspect of interpersonal relationships. To what extent do nonverbal indicators related to dominance status translate to a nonanthropomorphic robot? An experiment ( N = 25) addressed whether a mobile robot's motion style can influence people's perceptions of its status. Using concepts from improv theater literature, we developed two motion styles across three scenarios (robot makes lateral motions, approaches, and departs) to communicate a robot's dominance status through nonverbal expression. In agreement with the literature, participants described a motion style that was fast, in the foreground, and more animated as higher status than a motion style that was slow, in the periphery, and less animated. Participants used fewer negative emotion words to describe the robot with the purportedly high-status movements versus the purportedly low-status movements, but used more negative emotion words to describe the robot when it made departing motions that occurred in the same style. This result provides evidence that guidelines from improvisational theater for using nonverbal expression to perform interpersonal status can be applied to influence perception of a nonanthropomorphic robot's status, thus suggesting that useful models for more complicated behaviors might similarly be derived from performance literature and theory.

The Popular Aesthetics of Improvisational Musical Theatre in Every Show’s a First Today

The Popular Aesthetics of Improvisational Musical Theatre in Every Show’s a First Today

How to yes-and: Using improvisational games to improv(e) communication, listening, and collaboration techniques in tourism and hospitality education

Improvisational theater games can foster a space where academics become more aware of their speech and behaviors in order to respond to their environment. This study, informed by self-efficacy theory, explores how improvisation workshops potentially help individuals feel confident about their work and improv(e) their collaborative learning environments. Faculty and graduate students participated in an improvisational workshop at an academic conference. Based on attendees’ survey responses and follow-up phone interviews, the improvisation workshop provided tools to help participants become confident teachers, communicators, and leaders. Thus, learning improvisational techniques can foster a paradigm shift in designing and experiencing higher education.

Yes, and…Lessons Borrowed from Improvisational Theater to Teach Primary Palliative Medicine Skills (TH334)

Yes, and…Lessons Borrowed from Improvisational Theater to Teach Primary Palliative Medicine Skills (TH334)

‘Just what is there now, that is what there is’—the effects of theater improvisation training on clinical social workers’ perceptions and interventions

ABSTRACTFlexibility, Therapeutic Presence (TP), and collaborative tendency are core capacities in clinical social work as well as in theater improvisation. This mixed-methods pilot study studied the effects of theater improvisation training on 35 graduate-level social work students, who participated in an experiential, semester-long ‘theater improvisation skills for clinicians’ course, compared to a control group of a similar cohort. These variables were measured before, after, and at a three-month follow-up to the course. Additionally, Follow-up semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 course graduates. Quantitative results showed a significant increase in flexibility and TP immediately following the course compared to the controls, which was not maintained at the three-month follow-up. The qualitative findings indicated an increase in flexibility, open-mindedness, TP, and self-awareness following the training. Triangulation of both sets of data suggests that improvisation training contributed to changes in participants’ general attitudes and perceptions regarding their clinical work. However, longer training is needed in order for these skills to effectively impact their clinical work. The findings suggest that improvisation skills can help clinical social workers increase their flexibility and TP, as well as other important alliance abilities. Implications for teaching and research are discussed.

Mermaids, dogs and chameleons: theatrical improvisation in adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome

ABSTRACT The goal of this research project was to assess the effects of an intervention programme based on theatrical improvisation in three different groups of Asperger Syndrome adolescents. It was organised around 2 single individual case studies and one small group, which included 11 participants. Study 1: a 14-year-old female adolescent of high sociocultural level within a mainstreamed high-school group. Study 2: a 12-year-old male adolescent of low sociocultural level within a mainstreamed high-school group. Study 3: 9 adolescents, 14–19 years old, enrolled in an Asperger and Autism Association. Three different intervention programmes were implemented. All of them based on theatrical improvisation and focused on spontaneity and imagination. Open-ended questions, diaries and semi-structured interviews were used to assess the programmes’ impact. Analyses of the data produced four major themes of balanced importance and several sub-themes: expression (express oneself, overcoming external judgement), creativity (spontaneity, imagination), benefits (taking risks, de-stressing, motivation, self-esteem), and socialisation (being accepted, knowing the other participants, being part of the group). These findings indicated that theatrical improvisation can produce positive effects in Asperger Syndrome Adolescents.

An Improvisation, Mindfulness, and Stress Workshop for Incoming First-Year Students

Avoidant coping strategies interfere with successful college adjustment. Mindfulness is negatively correlated with avoidant coping. The current pilot study investigated the feasibility of an improvisation- and mindfulness-based stress-management workshop during orientation week for first-year students. The workshop was held two consecutive years; 10 incoming students participated in each workshop. Workshop activities included improvisational theater games and discussions regarding stress and coping. Participants completed pre-session and post-session measures of mood, willingness to accept negative experiences, and willingness to take action. Participants showed a significant decrease in negative mood and a significant increase in willingness to take action. Participants perceived the workshop as effective in facilitating a smooth transition and enhancing interpersonal skills. For first-year students interested in stress management and improvisational theater activities, this type of workshop is a feasible option for helping students adjust to their first days of college and learn about effective coping strategies.

Possibility of teachers＇ value-transformation through improvisational theater

Possibility of teachers＇ value-transformation through improvisational theater