Discovery
The practice of entering a scene without a premise and finding meaning through listening and play, rather than imposing a pre-written idea.
Known for
- iO-leaning teachers privilege discovery over invention; UCB-leaning teachers privilege premise/unusual-thing.
- Z.A. Armstrong: 'Discovery is tabula rasa — you establish a setting or relationship, maybe just an attitude, and see what emerges.'
- Requires trust in the partner and the form — hardest for improvisers trained on premise-heavy schools.