Between Theory and Practice: Tracing Improvisation with British Muslim Youth

Improvisation is simultaneously an artistic and social practice, one that is informed by the process of making performance and living life. Drawing on literature from across the social sciences and theatre/performance studies, improvisation can be understood as a practice that requires attention to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s habitus, theatre practitioner Konstantin Stanislavksi’s “Given Circumstances,” and theatre practitioner Viola Spolin’s idea of the intuition. When these concepts are put in conversation with devised theatre work that the author undertook with British Muslim youth, both the benefits and limitations of improvisation become evident.