Viola Spolin

Entertainer. Philosopher. Teacher.

Studied under Neva Boyd at Hull-House.

Took what she learned to her role as "drama supervisor for the Works Progress Administration Recreation Project in Chicago." (ref: Second City's online bio of Spolin)

Here, she created the first collection of Theater Games. Many of these games are still used today in the world of Short-Form improv.

After her time with the WPA, she continued to refine her Games and her understanding of theater's impact on the developing human person.

Her life's work, the book _Improvisation for the Theater_, stands as the foundational text of improv canon.