Josephine Forsberg
Encyclopedia
Josephine Forsberg ex-wife of film director Rolf Forsberg
was hired by Paul Sills
and Viola Spolin
to join the original Second City
in 1959 as the female understudy and Spolin's teaching assistant. She became an expert in improvisational techniques for the theater, and by the mid 1960s she had taken over most of Spolin's and Sills's classes, as well as Spolin's children's theater company. From that point on most of the young performers that wanted to go onto the Second City
stage studied with Forsberg for at least a year. These included Bill Murray
, Harold Ramis
, Betty Thomas
, Shelly Long, George Wendt
, David Mamet
, and Robert Townsend.
In 1971, Forsberg opened up an official school of improvisation called Players Workshop
, hiring her nephew Martin de Maat
and her daughter Linnea Forsberg to teach alongside her. In terms of accepting students who were not necessarily Second City actors learning the art of improvisation, but also including students from all walks of life and professional disciplines Players Workshop
can arguably be called the first real school of Improvisation, with a class structure, syllabus, and graduation requirement, pre-dating loosely organized workshops created in the mid-1970s by Dudley Riggs (Minneapolis, MN USA) and Keith Johnstone (Calgary, AB, Canada). It soon grew to the largest school of improv in the country, training people for the Second City
stage through a six term (12 month) course. In 1980, her son Eric Forsberg
joined Players Workshop
as a director, where he worked with David Shepard
to develop a competitive improv game which was later called The Improv Olympiad. One of Forsberg's students, Charna Halpern
, joined forces with David Shepard
and helped to bring the Improv Olympiad to become one of Chicago's foremost arena's for new improvisers. In the late 1980s Charna Halpern
and Del Close
transformed the Improv Olympiad into the IO, using Del's new improv format called The Harold, otherwise known as long form.
Forsberg retired from teaching in 1993, leaving Players Workshop
to her daughter. Her nephew, Martin de Maat
had become the creative director of the Second City Training Center
which was growing in leaps and bounds, offering a tremendous competition to Players Workshop
. In 2003 Players Workshop
closed its doors. However, in 2007, she was approached by her old friend and student Bill Murray
to help teach the New York Giants
improv, in the hopes of giving them an edge. At 86 years old she did just that. It was the first time that she had taught anyone in years. That year they won the Super Bowl. She returned to teach the New York Giants
again in 2008.
Forsberg died on October 3, 2011..
Rolf Forsberg
Rolf Forsberg is a Swedish-American playwright, film and theater director known for directing such films as The Late Great Planet Earth and Parable a film produced for the 1964 New York World's Fair. Parable portrayed humanity as a traveling circus and Jesus Christ as a circus clown...
was hired by Paul Sills
Paul Sills
Paul Sills was a director and improvisation teacher, and the original director of Chicago's The Second City.-Biography:...
and Viola Spolin
Viola Spolin
Viola Spolin was an important innovator of the American theater in the 20th century. She created directorial techniques to help actors to be focused in the present moment and to find choices improvisationally, as if in real life...
to join the original Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
in 1959 as the female understudy and Spolin's teaching assistant. She became an expert in improvisational techniques for the theater, and by the mid 1960s she had taken over most of Spolin's and Sills's classes, as well as Spolin's children's theater company. From that point on most of the young performers that wanted to go onto the Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
stage studied with Forsberg for at least a year. These included Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
, Harold Ramis
Harold Ramis
Harold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes , both of which he also co-wrote...
, Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas
Betty Thomas is an American actress and director in television and motion pictures.-Life and career:Born Betty Thomas Nienhauser in St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas graduated from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree...
, Shelly Long, George Wendt
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:...
, David Mamet
David Mamet
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter and film director.Best known as a playwright, Mamet won a Pulitzer Prize and received a Tony nomination for Glengarry Glen Ross . He also received a Tony nomination for Speed-the-Plow . As a screenwriter, he received Oscar...
, and Robert Townsend.
In 1971, Forsberg opened up an official school of improvisation called Players Workshop
The Players Workshop
Created in 1971 by Josephine Forsberg, The Players Workshop was Chicago's only official school of Improvisation for over a decade. Although it was never officially a part of The Second City cabaret theater, The Players Workshop was often referred to as Players Workshop Of The Second City, due to...
, hiring her nephew Martin de Maat
Martin de Maat
Martin de Maat was a teacher and artistic director at The Second City in Chicago. He also taught at Columbia College and Players Workshop. He studied under Viola Spolin...
and her daughter Linnea Forsberg to teach alongside her. In terms of accepting students who were not necessarily Second City actors learning the art of improvisation, but also including students from all walks of life and professional disciplines Players Workshop
The Players Workshop
Created in 1971 by Josephine Forsberg, The Players Workshop was Chicago's only official school of Improvisation for over a decade. Although it was never officially a part of The Second City cabaret theater, The Players Workshop was often referred to as Players Workshop Of The Second City, due to...
can arguably be called the first real school of Improvisation, with a class structure, syllabus, and graduation requirement, pre-dating loosely organized workshops created in the mid-1970s by Dudley Riggs (Minneapolis, MN USA) and Keith Johnstone (Calgary, AB, Canada). It soon grew to the largest school of improv in the country, training people for the Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
stage through a six term (12 month) course. In 1980, her son Eric Forsberg
Eric Forsberg
Eric Forsberg is the writer and director of the feature film Mega Piranha, as well as the writer of the feature film Snakes on a Train, a mockbuster produced and released by The Asylum. He also wrote the screenplays for 30,000 Leagues Under the Sea and War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave, also for...
joined Players Workshop
The Players Workshop
Created in 1971 by Josephine Forsberg, The Players Workshop was Chicago's only official school of Improvisation for over a decade. Although it was never officially a part of The Second City cabaret theater, The Players Workshop was often referred to as Players Workshop Of The Second City, due to...
as a director, where he worked with David Shepard
David Shepherd (producer)
David Shepherd is an American producer, director, and actor primarily noted for his work in improvisational theatre-Career:Born in 1924, in the city of New York City to an old money family, Shepherd grew up with left-leaning sensibilities. He studied English at Harvard and received an M.A. in the...
to develop a competitive improv game which was later called The Improv Olympiad. One of Forsberg's students, Charna Halpern
Charna Halpern
Charna Halpern is a co-founder of the ImprovOlympic, now known as The iO. She was born and raised on the North Side of Chicago. In 1984, with partner Del Close, she began teaching The Harold to many students in the Chicago theatre community. She and Close co-authored the book Truth in Comedy: The...
, joined forces with David Shepard
David Shepherd (producer)
David Shepherd is an American producer, director, and actor primarily noted for his work in improvisational theatre-Career:Born in 1924, in the city of New York City to an old money family, Shepherd grew up with left-leaning sensibilities. He studied English at Harvard and received an M.A. in the...
and helped to bring the Improv Olympiad to become one of Chicago's foremost arena's for new improvisers. In the late 1980s Charna Halpern
Charna Halpern
Charna Halpern is a co-founder of the ImprovOlympic, now known as The iO. She was born and raised on the North Side of Chicago. In 1984, with partner Del Close, she began teaching The Harold to many students in the Chicago theatre community. She and Close co-authored the book Truth in Comedy: The...
and Del Close
Del Close
Del Close was an actor, improviser, writer, and teacher. Considered one of the premier influences on modern improvisational theater, Close had a prolific career, appearing in a number of films and television shows...
transformed the Improv Olympiad into the IO, using Del's new improv format called The Harold, otherwise known as long form.
Forsberg retired from teaching in 1993, leaving Players Workshop
The Players Workshop
Created in 1971 by Josephine Forsberg, The Players Workshop was Chicago's only official school of Improvisation for over a decade. Although it was never officially a part of The Second City cabaret theater, The Players Workshop was often referred to as Players Workshop Of The Second City, due to...
to her daughter. Her nephew, Martin de Maat
Martin de Maat
Martin de Maat was a teacher and artistic director at The Second City in Chicago. He also taught at Columbia College and Players Workshop. He studied under Viola Spolin...
had become the creative director of the Second City Training Center
Second City Training Center
The Second City Training Center was founded in the mid-1980s to facilitate the growing demand for workshops and instruction from the world famous The Second City theatre. Training Centers are located in Chicago, Toronto and Los Angeles. Satellite centers formerly existed in Metro Detroit, Las...
which was growing in leaps and bounds, offering a tremendous competition to Players Workshop
The Players Workshop
Created in 1971 by Josephine Forsberg, The Players Workshop was Chicago's only official school of Improvisation for over a decade. Although it was never officially a part of The Second City cabaret theater, The Players Workshop was often referred to as Players Workshop Of The Second City, due to...
. In 2003 Players Workshop
The Players Workshop
Created in 1971 by Josephine Forsberg, The Players Workshop was Chicago's only official school of Improvisation for over a decade. Although it was never officially a part of The Second City cabaret theater, The Players Workshop was often referred to as Players Workshop Of The Second City, due to...
closed its doors. However, in 2007, she was approached by her old friend and student Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
to help teach the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
improv, in the hopes of giving them an edge. At 86 years old she did just that. It was the first time that she had taught anyone in years. That year they won the Super Bowl. She returned to teach the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
again in 2008.
Forsberg died on October 3, 2011..
External links
- Zoom Info
- Article on Josephine Forsberg
- Dudley RiggsDudley RiggsDudley Riggs is a noted improvisational comedian who created the Instant Theater Company in New York, which later moved to Minneapolis to become the Brave New Workshop comedy troupe. Riggs was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and joined the circus when he was five years old. His family performed...
- Keith JohnstoneKeith JohnstoneKeith Johnstone is a drama instructor whose teachings and books have focused on improvisational theatre and have had a major influence on the art of improvisation.-Education:...