Outline for Final Paper

    Improvisation has been a big part of the world. It is used in theater, music, film, dance, and almost every art form. However, this has been a part of my life. Having seen and worked with many great improvisers, improv is a form of therapy. There is excitement about doing something without thinking and just pushing it forward. In a way, it is pretty relaxing. There are so many things to be explored in how it can help people overcome things in their lives.
    I will be able to explore the ideas of how improv is used in theater. It can help people come out of their shyness and get more connected to people. It would also be noted to attend a show starring Chicago’s very own TJ & Dave, both of whom are alumni of The Second City and iO. There is something about their two man improv show that shows a lot about how people improvise together. It’s all about the trust and listening to each other. If you listen to someone while improvising, there is a great power in what it can do. Once that kicks in, that is when magic starts to happen.
    Improvisation in music is something that is very popular. Jazz is a very great example of free form exploration in music. Then, you have acts like the Grateful Dead, Phish, the Allman Brothers Band, Dave Matthews Band, and some others. These bands introduced jazz style improvisation into rock and roll and gave it a twist. They built off not only on how each other’s playing and listen to each other, but off the energy of the audience as well. I have seen Phish play live a couple of times and to see them jam for long periods of time was amazing to watch because it showed that there could be more things to explore and help them create more songs from a specific jam. There is something great about playing music and being free to enjoy a long sequence of exploration in improvising. That way, musicians can be more creative that way.
    Then, there would be improvisation in physical movement performances in things like mime. There would be a way to watch how people use improvisation to relieve stress even when they don’t speak. There is a way of being in tune even if your using props that aren’t really there. It’s a matter of making it real for you and how you want it to work for a group of people.
    Improvisation can be therapy. It something that can be worth exploring in how people do things in life. There is all of these backgrounds like theater and music where it is strong. It works differently for everyone so it is something that can be explored.

outline

1 introduction

2 improvisation in theater

-The Second City

-TJ & Dave

3 improvisation in music

-jazz music

-Phish

4 improvisation in film?

5 conclusion