Immunity from peer pressure…

C’mon you know you want it.

Chicago Public Schools Highly Qualified Arts Partner

Did you know? Improv was created in the classroom.

While serving as a Drama Supervisor for the Chicago branch of the Works Progress Administration, Viola Spolin identified a need to instill confidence and encourage communication among the city’s immigrant children during WWII. Her “theater games” created simple, operational structures to teach complicated conventions and techniques. The games are, as one observer wrote, “structures designed to fool spontaneity into being.” Spolin believed that every person can learn to creatively express themselves. 

This Revival honors Spolin’s tradition by using variations of her “theater games” as tools to address specific outcomes within a variety of distinct student populations.

William H. Ray Elementary School + The Revival

What The Revival Offers to School Groups

  • The Revival’s Improv Residencies are designed to foster the “developmental experiences and relationships” that build the components of successful individuals with a particular focus on three central elements: agency, integrated identity, and competencies.

  • The Revival’s Improv Workshops leverage the underlying tenets of improv theater technique – listening, supporting, and the philosophy of “Yes and…” – to develop innovative experiences with measurable outcomes for students.

  • The Revival’s Performances enable students to experience an age-appropriate improv theater performance that will thrill and delight them with this “uniquely Chicago” art form.

  • The Revival’s Field Trips immerse students in the vibrant history of improv theater and its Chicago roots.  Students experience a traditional improv performance from leading practitioners and enjoy a hands-on demonstration of improv theater games & exercises.

What People Are Saying

“As the Director of Partnerships, Family & Community engagement, I am pleased to note that participating students benefited greatly from the experience provided by The Revival. The diverse team of arts educators built quality relationships with the students and provided a curriculum that was challenging, fun and engaging.”

—  UChicago Charter Schools

The Revival “provided an improv leader who came to the school weekly to run improv classes with our inaugural 9th grade program. The teacher was timely, did an excellent job of teaching improv skills to our students, helped develop in them a sense of community and risk-taking, all the while teaching communication skills in a unique way. We look forward to partnering again with The Revival again!”

— Director, Daystar Academy

“One of our students said it best, ‘I learned about working together with my classmates more and how working together creates a bigger result.’ That bigger result is what makes The Revival a terrific arts partner!”

— Golden Apple Award Winning Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Math Instructor

  • Adoption Center of Illinois

    Akiba Schechter

    Ancona School

    Big Shoulders Fund

    Chicago Botanic Garden Youth Farm

    Chicago Public Library

    Chicago Public Schools Daystar Academy

    Embarc Chicago

    Gary Comer Youth Center

    GEMS Academy

    Hyde Park Neighborhood Club

    Jack and Jill of America, Inc.

    KidsFirst Chicago

    Lane Tech

    Mosaic Fine Arts Academy

    Shared Studios

    St. Anthony Catholic School

    St. Thomas the Apostle

    Stone Scholastic Academy

    UChicago Charter Schools

    Global Engage

    University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

    Urban Education Institute

    Urban Teacher Education Program