Mugging
Exaggerated facial expressions or physical reactions directed at the audience rather than at scene partners. Mugging breaks the fourth wall and signals to the audience that the performer is commenting on the scene rather than living in it. It trades sustained character work for momentary acknowledgment.
Further Reading
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Improvisation the Michael Chekhov Way
Active Exploration of Acting Techniques
Wil Kilroy
Improvising Real Life
Personal Story in Playback Theatre
Jo Salas
The Improv Illusionist
Using Object Work, Environment, and Physicality in Performance
David Raitt
Impro
Improvisation and the Theatre
Keith Johnstone
Spontaneous Performance
Acting Through Improv
Marsh Cassady
Improvising Cinema
Gilles Mouëllic
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Mugging. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/mugging
The Improv Archive. "Mugging." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/mugging.
The Improv Archive. "Mugging." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/mugging. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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