Summer Spolin Theater Game Workshop in Los Angeles

“My vision is a world of accessible intuition.”

                                                – Viola Spolin

Sidecoach Aretha Sills invites actors, improvisors, teachers, directors, and other players to attend a 10-week workshop in the improvisational theater games of Viola Spolin, beginning June 30. This class is open to and suitable for all levels, from beginners to experienced performers.

Based on Spolin’s seminal text Improvisation for the Theater, from a lesson plan created by director Paul Sills, the workshop is designed to bring a spirit of spontaneity and play to your work. 

Aretha Sills is the granddaughter of Viola Spolin. She studied theater games for many years with her father, director Paul Sills, and has taught at Paul Sills’ Wisconsin Theater Game Center, Bard College Cabaret, Bay Area Theatresports, and privately in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Quotes about the workshop:

“Aretha is dedicated to preserving the pureness of this technique, which from my point of view assists the actor to find the courage to find themself and then to fly. I believe she has, innately and amazingly, all the elements of the technique of both Viola Spolin and Viola’s son, the extraordinary director, Paul Sills. I have studied with Aretha, and believe me, the thrill lives on.” – Paul Sand, Tony Award winner, Paul Sills’ Story Theater; Original Second City cast member

“Aretha Sills, carrying on the work of Spolin and Sills, is an amazing, insightful side-coach and teacher. We were fortunate enough to take a workshop in L.A. with her and it helped us reconnect with theater game work on a deeper level. She knows her stuff. Can’t wait to work with her again!” – Deb Lacusta & Dan Castellaneta, The Simpsons, actor & writers

When:

Saturday afternoons, 2:00 – 4:30pm. June 30 through Sept. 1, 2012.

Where:

Wilshire Blvd., at Stanley

Tuition:

$300. Some sliding scale spots available. A non-refundable deposit of $100. is requested to hold your place, with the balance due at the first class.

Registration:

To register, please first email or call to discuss the workshop. Phone: (323) 559-1355. Email: aretha_sills@earthlink.net

Summer 2012 Story Theater Workshop in Door County, Wisconsin

Paul Sills to be Inducted into The Theater Hall of Fame

Paul Sills used to often quote Thoreau: “Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes…”

However, we’re happy to announce that this Monday he will be inducted into The Theater Hall of Fame, which honors lifetime achievement in the American theater.

 

“The Theater Hall of Fame, which will hold its annual ceremony on Monday honoring lifetime achievement in American theater, has announced its new inductees. They are the actors Tyne Daly and Ben Vereen; the directors Daniel Sullivan and, posthumously, Paul Sills; the costumer designer Ann Roth; and the producers George C. White, Elliot Martin and Woodie King Jr.

Estelle Parsons will be the host, and the presenters will include Meryl Streep, Liza Minnelli, Jane Alexander, Brian Dennehy and Phylicia Rashad. The Broadway event will take place at the Gershwin Theater, where the plaques with the names of each year’s honorees are hung.”

Read about the event here.

Spolin Theater Game Workshop in LA Starting March 21

Out of the head and into the space with Viola Spolin’s Theater Games!  

Based on Spolin’s seminal text Improvisation for the Theater, from a lesson plan created by director Paul Sills, the workshop is designed to bring a spirit of spontaneity and play to your work.

Aretha Sills is the granddaughter of Viola Spolin. She studied theater games for many years with her father, director Paul Sills, and has taught at Paul Sills’ Wisconsin Theater Game Center, Bard College Cabaret, Bay Area Theatresports, and privately in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

2012 Story Theater Summer Intensive Dates Announced

This year’s Story Theater Summer Intensive with Carol Bleackley Sills takes place August 6 – 10.  Actors, theater students, teachers, directors and other players are invited to attend.

“Story Theater is a form evolved by Paul Sills that allows the transformation of stories or literature into onstage contemporary performance. The curriculum of this intensive was created by Paul and Carol Sills in a workshop they conducted with professionals in Los Angeles in 2008. In ten workshops over a five day period, the intensive includes the group adaptation of stories during a rehearsal process that leads to performance.”

For more information about the workshop, please visit here.

Out Now! Viola Spolin’s A Director’s Handbook: Theater Games for Rehearsal

We’re proud to announce the new, updated edition of A Director’s Handbook: Theater Games for Rehearsal, featuring Viola Spolin’s emendations and an all-new foreword by director Rob Reiner. Edited by Carol B. Sills and published by Northwestern University Press.

Available at our Book Store, and other fine booksellers.