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Truth in Comedy: The Manual for Improvisation
by
Charna Halpern,
Del Close, Kim Howard Johnson (Goodreads Author)
Who would have ever thought that learning the finer points of improvisation could be such fun? The "Harold, " an innovative improvisational tool, helped Saturday Night Live's Mike Myers and Chris Farley, George Wendt ("Norm" on Cheers) and many other actors on the road to TV and film stardom. Now it is described fully in this new book for the benefit of other would-be acto...more
Paperback, 150 pages
Published
April 1st 1994
by Meriwether Publishing
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A great intro to Harold and improv in general with some useful exercises, including helpful example scenes. I appreciate the simplicity of the idea that "the truth is funny", and that all we need to do is get out of the way to find it.
One of my favorite quotes from the book:
"There are a few squares in our society that think kung fu is about kicking people's heads in...Coming here to learn to make people laugh is equally absurd. To assume that making the audience laugh is the goal of improvisati...more
One of my favorite quotes from the book:
"There are a few squares in our society that think kung fu is about kicking people's heads in...Coming here to learn to make people laugh is equally absurd. To assume that making the audience laugh is the goal of improvisati...more
This is a good refresher/re-awakener for improvisers of all experience levels, and it's also extremely helpful for a lesson that kind of goes missing a lot of times in rehearsals, practices, classes, and the like -- the why?. Sometimes a game or exercise seems so abstracted from the main principle that it's difficult to get to the lesson. So it's helpful to get to see the forest through the trees and vice versa. It clarifies and reveals some components of what still is, thankfully, the blessed m...more
This is an excellent primer that covers all the foundational skills of improvisational comedy. Each concept is outlined in a clear and succinct way that is beneficial for someone completely new to improv and for someone with more experience. There are also numerous anecdotes that either illustrate the concepts or provide a glimpse into the world of improv comedy and some of its more famous alumni.
While there are three authors listed, it would seem that Kim Howard Johnson is the one who did the...more
While there are three authors listed, it would seem that Kim Howard Johnson is the one who did the...more
I’ve been doing improv on and off since 1994, which is the same year Truth in Comedy was published, but am only getting around to reading it now. Honestly, I’m glad I waited. Other reviewers talk about reading this book in conjunction with their improv class, and I think that if you don’t have much onstage experience actually doing longform improv, then this book is not all that useful, because you haven’t gotten there yet and you can’t plan for what you're going to need extra explanation about...more
I didn't know much about improv but that is only part of the reason I read this book. In reading this book, I thought I might find some methods for improving communication in general. I found this to be true! It gave me a new perspective at understanding why some things are funny and in turn gave me some ideas on how to modify my own conversations to build better communication and integrate humor.
There are simple building blocks for building conversations such as the 'Yes and...', not asking qu...more
There are simple building blocks for building conversations such as the 'Yes and...', not asking qu...more
I read this book as a companion to my UCB Improv class (it was on their recommended reading list), and it made for an excellent companion, indeed. I don't know how great it would be as an "improv for dummies" type of thing, though. I think you need to have a bit of a handle on what's going on to understand hte concepts discussed herein, but it makes for a great refresher/reinforcer for class, and I picked up some decent tips along the way.
A lot of reviews of this book like to focus on the "self-...more
A lot of reviews of this book like to focus on the "self-...more
This is the first book I've read since starting performing in my own local improv troupe and it covers a lot of the basics. There are a lot of name drops, but I'm sure the relevant people felt good about what they learned from authors Charna Halpern, Del Close & Kim Howard Johnson and wanted to contribute.
It ranks among the best books on acting/performance I've read (the best: Audition) and is the perfect tool for anyone wanting to get into long form improv (i.e. "Harolds" and the like) and...more
It ranks among the best books on acting/performance I've read (the best: Audition) and is the perfect tool for anyone wanting to get into long form improv (i.e. "Harolds" and the like) and...more
This is a short and sweet handbook of improv. If you've taken improv classes, you've probably learned most or all of this before. If you're new to improv, this should be an easy-to-digest introduction to the basics. It's certainly an influential classic.
The biggest downside to this book is the ridiculous self-congratulating language about the Harold format. For example:
* "The Harold is the most exciting, innovative, funniest advanced form of improv yet devised."
* "Simply put [the Harold] is the...more
The biggest downside to this book is the ridiculous self-congratulating language about the Harold format. For example:
* "The Harold is the most exciting, innovative, funniest advanced form of improv yet devised."
* "Simply put [the Harold] is the...more
This is one of the books that helped shape who I am as a person. I first read it as a teenager, and now I'm re-reading it again. The idea that the truth is funny has become a key concept in my life, and one o the key reasons comedy holds the high place it does in my value system.
For improvisers and actors, this book is indispensable. Written by some of the founders of the art, it wastes no time in diving into the core concepts (yes and, support, honesty, etc.) and the fleshes itself out to discu...more
For improvisers and actors, this book is indispensable. Written by some of the founders of the art, it wastes no time in diving into the core concepts (yes and, support, honesty, etc.) and the fleshes itself out to discu...more
Ugh, poorly written, full of sad name-dropping, not useful. Try Mick Napier or (gasp!) Johnstone.
Charna Halpern is vastly overrated. Where's Del Close when you need him?
This book is extremely informative on the art of improv comedy. Well-written too, it was a pleasure to read. The strategies are clear and well-organized for skill development, starting at the basics. Written by real experts. I will definitely be using some of these strategies, rules, and ideas in my improv club and will use the way it guides the reader to help teach the newbies. Excellent job emphasizing the most important things in each chapter. It would be even better if quotes were taken from...more
The joke about this book is that it's all exclamation points and name dropping. So there is some truth in comedy.
Look, Charna has done some big things for the world of comedy, and had a big hand in legitimizing improvised comedy as a theatrical art.
While the standard "rules" of long-form, particularly Harold, are laid out in this volume, there a few books that teach you farm more about inprovising.
Check out Improvise by Mick Napier and Improvising Better by Jimmy Carrane and Liz Allen, althou...more
Look, Charna has done some big things for the world of comedy, and had a big hand in legitimizing improvised comedy as a theatrical art.
While the standard "rules" of long-form, particularly Harold, are laid out in this volume, there a few books that teach you farm more about inprovising.
Check out Improvise by Mick Napier and Improvising Better by Jimmy Carrane and Liz Allen, althou...more
A lot of this book is instructional, giving you the basic format and ideas behind performing a Harold. There's nothing funny about that, but what emerges from the Harold often is quite a pleasure to witness. That's because of the other emphasis of this book: the importance of finding connections and recognizing patterns when it comes to scene work and comedy. Let's face it, the world may be a random place, but the brain tries very hard to make sense of it anyways, and that's where a lot of pleas...more
The content itself was really good - quite helpful. I didn't care so much for the actual delivery, however. I am *not* a fan of SNL, and don't really see the 'genius' of Chris Farley and other SNL cast members (maybe in improv he was better? Definitely what I've seen of Tina Fey doing improv vs. sketch comedy supports that possibility). So in that sense it felt like a great offering at the altar of Lorne Michaels. And that name dropping really detracted from the experience of the book such that...more
Research-slash-oh god I am an improv nerd these days.
It's absolutely no substitute for taking a good improv class but it's nice to see some terms actually defined and explained. In a book you can actually pause and think about what this stuff means. In class, it makes more sense, but becomes impossible to explain. I'm onboard with anything that provides a vocabulary.
(read: 3 - god, single digits are so depressing!)
It's absolutely no substitute for taking a good improv class but it's nice to see some terms actually defined and explained. In a book you can actually pause and think about what this stuff means. In class, it makes more sense, but becomes impossible to explain. I'm onboard with anything that provides a vocabulary.
(read: 3 - god, single digits are so depressing!)
If you are interested in studying improv, this is really the best place to start. This is a very good foundation, establishing some basic rules (yes &, don't ask questions, don't pimp your scene partner, etc.) and encourages the beginning improv player to trust and explore. It's a short and simple read.
Awesome. My improv troupe in college used this as our bible, and I learned a lot from it. I finally got around to reading it for myself when I happened upon a copy of it at a random garage sale I stopped at one day. For like 3 bucks!! Awesome.
Anyway, fascinating book.
Anyway, fascinating book.
If you're interested in improv, this is a great read. If you don't know anything about improv, you'll learn from this book, if you already do improv this book will make you better. Pretty straight forward instruction, it's not magic, but it'll give you stuff to think about.
This is the bible for Improv Comedy. Everything you need to know about Improv is included here. The techniques of the father of Improv, Del Close, are explained by the magnificent Charna Halpern. I recommend this for anyone and everyone interested in Improv!
Nothing a basic improv class can't teach someone, but a good refresher and loose guidelines to doing improv. Probably will help the most if you read it, but are not afraid to disagree with certain parts depending on your natural personality traits.
I loved it! The tips on how to effectively perform improv comedy were incredibly useful. They've greatly helped me in my first improv class, gave a beginning improv performers a head start before they jump into classes!
Not terribly informative... most of these strategies I gleaned from high school drama. Well presented and a good guide for beginning improv. Decently written, but the often self-congratulatory tone (the authors praised themselves constantly!) seemed condescending.
An absolute must read for anyone interested in improvisation or simply comedy in general. Full of wonderful information - if I were teaching a class on improv this would be required reading!
An amazing book on improvisational acting. It not only validated everything I knew and used with my speech and theater kids, but it taught me some new things too. My only regret is not taking a class with Del Close while he was still alive.
Boy do I have a lot to learn about improv. THis book is a good tutorial to the "rules" that make improv a "team sport." Thanks Jonathan for loaning me the book.
This basically expounded on the premise that the Harold is a microcosm of life itself. Very cool. It's like "How to Play in the Sandbox" for adults.
Five stars may be a little too enthusiastic, but it was my first dose of the magic that is improv.
It's basically the Bible of Improv. A must read for anyone interested in performing improv.
This is still something I'd like to try someday. I got as far as buying the book at least :)
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Aug 17, 2012 10:24am