I think that a book by Viola Spolin called Improvisation for the Theater
(1963, Evanston, IL: Northwestern U. Press) provided the basis for the Second
City work (if you're not a Chicagoan, it's the troupe that provided much of
the early talent for Saturday Night live--there's also a companion group in
Toronto). I don't know if the Second City theaters have ever been sites for
research.
Peter Smagorinsky
University of Oklahoma
College of Education
Department of Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum
820 Van Vleet Oval
Norman, OK 73019-0260
(405)325-3533
fax: (405)325-4061
smagor who-is-at aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu
psmagorinsky who-is-at uoknor.edu