Portland Center Stage Nov/Dec 2014 | Page 35

Tell us what you think of the show! Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. #twistmisdeeds I Primetime Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, 186 Emmy nominations and has become “one of the greatest shows of all time,” according to TIME Magazine. Viola Spolin, theater educator, actor, director and “the grandmother of improv,” developed a series of theater games designed to generate spontaneous theatrical play between actors. Spolin inspired her son, Paul Sills, a college student at the time, to become a director and use her games with his cast. In 1955, Sills joined forces with David Shepherd to found the Compass Pl