Where Who What
Viola Spolin's foundational framework for establishing scenes: Where (the environment), Who (the characters and their relationship), and What (the activity or situation). Spolin taught that establishing all three elements grounds a scene in concrete reality and gives performers a stable platform from which to explore.
Further Reading
See all books →The Triangle of the Scene
A Simple, Practical, Powerful Method for Approaching Improvisation
Paul Vaillancourt
Devising Theatre
A Practical and Theoretical Handbook
Alison Oddey
The Improv Illusionist
Using Object Work, Environment, and Physicality in Performance
David Raitt
Improvising Cinema
Gilles Mouëllic
Pirate Robot Ninja
An Improv Fable
Billy Merritt; Will Hines
Action Theater
The Improvisation of Presence
Ruth Zaporah
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Where Who What. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/where-who-what
The Improv Archive. "Where Who What." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/where-who-what.
The Improv Archive. "Where Who What." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/where-who-what. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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