The purpose of the Saint Louis Improv Project (SLIP) is to enrich relationships and build community through the exposure, education and entertainment exploring the art of improvisational theater.
Ed Reggi attended the Second City Training Center's, Improvising New Voices intensive program. The six week program was specifically directed toward attracting a wide base of minority participants. The 40 year historic Chicago institution acknowledged its lack of outreach not only with the audience but with the performers.
Reggi began studying improvisation theatre in New York City during the late 1980's. Most of his work resulted in performances with other professionally trained actors. It was not until his meeting Martin de Maat at Second City, did Reggi learn original form of Spolin's Theater Games. Spolin's games were written for the purpose of teaching improv to non-trained actors. [Viola Spolin while serving as drama supervisor for the Chicago branch of the Works Progress Administration's Recreational Project (1939-1941), perceived a need for an easily grasped system of theater training that could cross the cultural and ethnic barriers within the WPA project. Building upon the experience of her early work at the Neva Boyd's Group Work School in Chicago, Spolin responded by developing new games (exercises) that focused upon individual creativity, adapting and focusing the concept of play to unlock the individual's capacity for creative self-expression.]
When Reggi returned from Chicago, he created SLIP with the help of supporting artists he met through his participation in the Community Arts Training Institute. The St. Louis Regional Arts Commission program assisted Reggi in working with grants and financial aid to begin SLIP.
In the fall of 2001, Reggi re-organized SLIP to Paper Slip Theatre, Inc. The symbolic and metaphoric images of tiny pieces of paper became his new tool to inspire and teach and perform Spolin's games. Ed Reggi continues to travel across the United States, in an effort to learn, document and perform with those who directly worked with with Viola Spolin.
Ed Reggi attended the Second City Training Center's, Improvising New Voices intensive program. The six week program was specifically directed toward attracting a wide base of minority participants. The 40 year historic Chicago institution acknowledged its lack of outreach not only with the audience but with the performers.
Reggi began studying improvisation theatre in New York City during the late 1980's. Most of his work resulted in performances with other professionally trained actors. It was not until his meeting Martin de Maat at Second City, did Reggi learn original form of Spolin's Theater Games. Spolin's games were written for the purpose of teaching improv to non-trained actors. [Viola Spolin while serving as drama supervisor for the Chicago branch of the Works Progress Administration's Recreational Project (1939-1941), perceived a need for an easily grasped system of theater training that could cross the cultural and ethnic barriers within the WPA project. Building upon the experience of her early work at the Neva Boyd's Group Work School in Chicago, Spolin responded by developing new games (exercises) that focused upon individual creativity, adapting and focusing the concept of play to unlock the individual's capacity for creative self-expression.]
When Reggi returned from Chicago, he created SLIP with the help of supporting artists he met through his participation in the Community Arts Training Institute. The St. Louis Regional Arts Commission program assisted Reggi in working with grants and financial aid to begin SLIP.
In the fall of 2001, Reggi re-organized SLIP to Paper Slip Theatre, Inc. The symbolic and metaphoric images of tiny pieces of paper became his new tool to inspire and teach and perform Spolin's games. Ed Reggi continues to travel across the United States, in an effort to learn, document and perform with those who directly worked with with Viola Spolin.
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