ABSTRACT
This essay presents a series of exercises designed to cultivate the skill-set necessary for actors to successfully perform in various forms of interactive theatre which demand highly realistic improvisation. The exercises explored in this essay will help develop foundational skills including building truthful characters and relationships through improvisation, interacting with an audience in character, and mixing text and improvisation. They are applicable to work in roleplay and improv-based scene work for such purposes as institutional and personal development, leadership skill development, and the improvement of communication skills for those working in such fields as law, medicine, and policing. The author will also make the argument for why this training is important to prepare actors for a growing market in interactive theatre designed for professional development in multiple disciplines.
