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“Improvisation is an essential part of training for effective performers”. Discuss the role of improvisation in training an actor. In your answer you should refer to your own improvisation experiences and how they have developed you as an actor.

Improvisation is an essential tool in every actors performing career. The skill of improvisation is one that is initiated in early childhood when you first learn how to communicate and react to a situation. This is learnt through experimentation and involves a child taking risks and pushing the boundaries of their own abilities and imagination. The art of improvisational theatre is based upon this fundamental skill and over the years has transformed into an integral form of acting. My personal experiences of improvisation generally consist of years of theatre sports and improvisational games as well as detailed study in commedia dell ‘arte.
Dictionary.com defines improvise as “to compose and perform or deliver without previous preparation”. This basic idea has been used as a form of expression for many years, dating as far back as the 16th century. Improvisational theatre develops ones simplistic ability to listen, cooperate, have confidence and follow instincts. For the actor, it requires great focus and concentration as well as an apt understanding of key dramatic processes. The qualities of a good improviser include patience, the ability to share and be creative, energy, generosity, a positive attitude and open-mindedness. An actor needs to be able to respond to a situation instantly without hesitating due to personal hinders such as embarrassment or being shy. They also have to be able to recognize what is referred to as an ‘offer’ in improvisation. These offers provide windows for the actor in developing the scene that is being performed. The ideal progression of this process involves an offer first being accepted, then extended and finally advanced. An example of this may be;
Person 1:...