Improvising is inventing and creating content spontaneously. It's a great way to generate new ideas and for creating and developing characters, using a variety of useful techniques.
To improvise is to invent and create content on your feet. Improvised drama is work that hasn鈥檛 been scripted but is made up as you go along. It鈥檚 important not to block members of your group when improvising but accept and try out their ideas. This will encourage you all to run with an idea rather than try and direct or plan the improvisation.
Improvising is an excellent way to generate new content and explore ideas when devising drama. The beauty of it is that because it鈥檚 unplanned you never know entirely where the scene might take you or what the other actors you are working with might say. This can make for an exciting and fun way to experiment and create work.
Spontaneous improvisation which is completely unplanned can generate dialogue or scenarios that you feel work for the piece you are creating. This can then be refined, rehearsed and included in your finished devisedA piece of original work created through rehearsal. Often explored as ensemble rather than director led. piece.
Improvising is also a wonderful way of sharpening acting skills. Being completely in the moment and open to what is happening improves listening and responding onstage, builds rapport, sharpens the wits and improves confidence as a performer. You can improvise from a theme you鈥檝e discovered in a script or you can create a completely new scene from a play. Look at Script and improvisation for more information.