“Improvisation” or “Self Practice” in contemporary acting techniques

Abstract

In this article, it has been investigated how improvisation, which is applied as a staging form in contemporary acting techniques that progress with the method of physical actions, interacts with the self-practices expressed in different disciplines (sociology, psychology and anthropology) in the daily life of the actor. Improvisation studies in physical actions methods were mostly used because of revealing the actor's self-identity. However, the extent to which this goal can be achieved from the perspective of other disciplines and the necessity of this approach have not been discussed. In improvisation studies, which are thought to capture the creativity and originality of the actor in terms of developing instant reactions, there are many variable dynamics that affect his/her performance and shape the self-practices he/she adopts in his/her daily life. In this study, it was examined how effectively improvisation studies that cover the actor's identity and self-practices in his/her daily life and at the same time allow theater to work together with other disciplines, can be used in rehearsals and during the educational stage.