Editing Acting (section)

==Improvisation==
{{Further|Improvisational theatre|Devised theatre}}
[[File:Taglia Cantoni, Fracasso - Gallica 2012 (adjusted).jpg|thumb|right|Two [[mask]]ed characters from the ''[[commedia dell'arte]]'', whose "''[[lazzi]]''" involved a significant degree of [[improvisation]].]]
Some classical forms of acting involve a substantial element of [[Improvisation|improvised]] performance. Most notable is its use by the troupes of the ''[[commedia dell'arte]]'', a form of [[mask]]ed comedy that originated in Italy.

Improvisation as an approach to acting formed an important part of the Russian [[theatre practitioner]] [[Konstantin Stanislavski]]'s [[Stanislavski's system|'system']] of actor training, which he developed from the 1910s onwards. Late in 1910, the playwright [[Maxim Gorky]] invited Stanislavski to join him in [[Capri]], where they discussed training and Stanislavski's emerging "grammar" of acting.<ref>Benedetti (1999, 203) and Magarshack (1950, 320).</ref> Inspired by a popular theatre performance in [[Naples]] that utilised the techniques of the ''commedia dell'arte'', Gorky suggested that they form a company, modelled on the [[Medieval theatre|medieval strolling players]], in which a playwright and group of young actors would [[Devised theatre|devise]] new plays together by means of improvisation.<ref>Benedetti (1999, 203-204) and Magarshack (1950, 320-321).</ref> Stanislavski would develop this use of improvisation in his work with his First Studio of the [[Moscow Art Theatre]].<ref>Benedetti (1999, 204) and Magarshack (1950, 320-322, 332-333).</ref> Stanislavski's use was extended further in the approaches to acting developed by his students, [[Michael Chekhov]] and [[Maria Knebel]].

In the United Kingdom, the use of improvisation was pioneered by [[Joan Littlewood]] from the 1930s onwards and, later, by [[Keith Johnstone]] and Clive Barker. In the United States, it was promoted by [[Viola Spolin]], after working with [[Neva Boyd]] at a Hull House in Chicago, Illinois (Spolin was Boyd's student from 1924 to 1927). Like the British practitioners, Spolin felt that playing games was a useful means of training actors and helped to improve an actor's performance. With improvisation, she argued, people may find expressive freedom, since they do not know how an improvised situation will turn out. Improvisation demands an open mind in order to maintain spontaneity, rather than pre-planning a response. A character is created by the actor, often without reference to a dramatic text, and a drama is developed out of the spontaneous interactions with other actors. This approach to creating new drama has been developed most substantially by the British filmmaker [[Mike Leigh]], in films such as ''[[Secrets & Lies (film)|Secrets & Lies]]'' (1996), ''[[Vera Drake]]'' (2004), ''[[Another Year (film)|Another Year]]'' (2010), and ''[[Mr. Turner]]'' (2014).

Improvisation is also used to cover up if an actor or actress makes a mistake.