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14th out of 54 books
—
36 voters
Impro
Keith Johnstone's involvement with the theatre began when George Devine and Tony Richardson, artistic directors of the Royal Court Theatre, commissioned a play from him. This was in 1956. A few years later he was himself Associate Artistic Director, working as a play-reader and director, in particular helping to run the Writers' Group. The improvisatory techniques and exer...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
January 7th 1987
by Routledge
(first published 1979)
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My husband gave me this book because of the gems it may contain about how people interact with each other and how that might reflect on business 'performance'. I really liked this book and draw on it sometimes since finishing it. I found it incredibly interesting and valuable as a means to provide insight into our regular daily behaviour. I think about the techniques when observing people in their daily lives and can really find insightful truths in observations of human behaviour. It's not nece...more
A strange book with a lot of interesting observations, even for those uninterested in improvisational theater. Sometimes he fixates on a concept (like masks) which incrementally raises his new-age mumbo jumbo tally for me--but generally he tells an interesting story about his experiments, outcomes and thoughts about understanding characters and their motives.
For example, he talks about how he was finally able to get his actors to improvise realistic dialog when he had them imagine that, with ev...more
For example, he talks about how he was finally able to get his actors to improvise realistic dialog when he had them imagine that, with ev...more
Definitely a book to reread every few years. I feel a revival of my inner-contrarian and I've gotten a few improv games out of it to boot! The chapter on status is hiLARious. I believe I now have a new perspective on self-expression as not really being about the individual, especially in theatre. I had a lover once who said making art and becoming an artist were peculiar to the West. Johnstone expanded on this idea in a way that made me a bit uncomfortable at times, making broad claims from what...more
I'm loving it so far. It's a little harder to trudge through than Improvise by Mick Napier because the writing style is different, but it has a lot more specific ideas to offer to the world of improvisation and the theatre. There are some same ideas that are worded differently that sheds new light on improv scenes specifically for directors of troupes or classes which I kind of like. There are also some good teaching techniques and excercizes(I always misspell this word...did I do it right?) in...more
Attention all those interested in the human development field: educators, artist, psychologist, and other social scientists, this book is a MUST READ!
Mr Johnstone discusses in depth the different elements in telling a story and breaking it down to the basics, but it reveals much more on the human experience and what makes us tick. He also touches upon how formal education can be a detriment to the development of children, and how important it is to allow and create a safe environment for childr...more
Mr Johnstone discusses in depth the different elements in telling a story and breaking it down to the basics, but it reveals much more on the human experience and what makes us tick. He also touches upon how formal education can be a detriment to the development of children, and how important it is to allow and create a safe environment for childr...more
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An absolutely essential introduction to improvisation. Keith Johnstone, the author, is one of the founders of modern improvisation. That can only be said of a few others, such as Del Close or Viola Spolin.
If you read other books on improv, this book may come as something of a shock. It's more a philoshical journey of the why's of improv, rather than a how-to guide. It delves deeply into how Johnstone started experimenting with improvisational techniques, what's wrong with the modern education s...more
If you read other books on improv, this book may come as something of a shock. It's more a philoshical journey of the why's of improv, rather than a how-to guide. It delves deeply into how Johnstone started experimenting with improvisational techniques, what's wrong with the modern education s...more
Parts of this book are definitely worth reading, so good they've been like electro-convulsive therapy for how I think. Ostensibly all about improvised theatre, it's really about people, and it offers a shotgun blast of novel perspectives and ideas for creativity, expressiveness and self-presentation. Best of all is a detailed discussion of status in chapter 2, what it means, what drives it for an individual relative to other people and simple inanimate entities, and how superficial and actual st...more
I imagine Johnstone's little nuggets woulda been a tad more succulent had Ms. Liba Vaynberg not already preempted the element of surprise.
Right now I am typing with a band-aid on my pointer finger, which makes me think of what it must be like for Margot Tenenbaum to type.
But anyway, as for the stuff in, erm, this book:
I am sure it will become a seminal theatre and life text, as we all knew it would, for this one Lily Janiak.
The things on blocking (as in, "preventing," not the term for the stagi...more
Right now I am typing with a band-aid on my pointer finger, which makes me think of what it must be like for Margot Tenenbaum to type.
But anyway, as for the stuff in, erm, this book:
I am sure it will become a seminal theatre and life text, as we all knew it would, for this one Lily Janiak.
The things on blocking (as in, "preventing," not the term for the stagi...more
Aug 11, 2007
Nick
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
artists, thespians, budding social psychologists
This is going to sound corny: this isn't just a book about improvisation, IT'S A BOOK ABOUT LIFE!! Okay, terrible, but true. Johnstone writes about human psychology and the way we interact socially as a way into comedy and improvisation. That bestseller "Blink" shamelessly quotes from it, yet the surprising insights this book reveals make that book rather dull in comparison.
Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre (1979) by Keith Johnstone is a highly recommended book on improvisation by Keith Johnstone who is widely credited with inventing modern improvisational theatre. The book is a classic text.
The book first has biographical information about Johnstone and he goes into how he found school to be constraining in the way it forces children to suppress a lot of creativity. Johnstone’s views here are interesting and set the scene for what is to come.
Then Status and sta...more
The book first has biographical information about Johnstone and he goes into how he found school to be constraining in the way it forces children to suppress a lot of creativity. Johnstone’s views here are interesting and set the scene for what is to come.
Then Status and sta...more
Aug 19, 2008
Sarah
is currently reading it
"Switch off the no-saying intellect and welcome the unconscious as a friend: it will lead you places you never dreamed of, and produce results more 'original' than anything you could achieve by aiming at originality."
A book that changed my life. The idea of saying yes and being present, of not blocking and not needing to be the cleverest person on the room have made me more open to adventure and, I'm pretty sure, happier overall.
Not just about improv acting but can be applied to every day life. Wonderful for self-analysis and communication skills.I recommend this book to anyone interested in unlocking their creative powers.
Wild and fun thoughts and exercises on how we interact, react and control (consciously and unconsciously) conversations, and the roles we enact, and how to chose others. (Also got here from A Book of Lenses.) In addition to the above there is quite a bit of philosophy on learning, and how schools suppress or support learning
There are some exercises that seemed just a bit strange, but not entirely unexpected when exploring the boundaries of human interaction and improvisation. Do expect some "un...more
There are some exercises that seemed just a bit strange, but not entirely unexpected when exploring the boundaries of human interaction and improvisation. Do expect some "un...more
Impro is a book about the psychological and sociological effects of entertaining, and how to easily remove the walls society has placed on us to be our funny selves. Johnstone describes techniques to increase spontaneity, be aware and able to manipulate one's status, and know how to tell a story. These are all useful skills outside of the improvisational theater, but obviously are meant to be applied on stage. This is a useful guide to both the improv student (me), and the improv teacher. I woul...more
Oh my god, this book is lovely. It's "about" how to teach improvisational acting...but it's really about relationships, creativity, imagination, and trusting your own flow and instincts. So many interesting anecdotes and ideas for anyone who's interested in creativity, dreams, or just becoming more socially and personally aware.
Two chapters I loved were on Status and Masks. The first looked at the intricacies of human interactions and how status plays out in everything we do at a very fundamenta...more
Two chapters I loved were on Status and Masks. The first looked at the intricacies of human interactions and how status plays out in everything we do at a very fundamenta...more
Apr 30, 2012
Scott
added it
The first half of the book was engaging and compelling even for a non-actor, but the second half was far more specific to the craft of improvisational acting (e.g., the chapter on masks).
The chapters on Status and Spontaneity were interesting studies on the role of status in the way people interact, and on how people are conditioned to act and how years of social norms inhibit expressive behavior. This made me become more self-aware about not just how I was interacting with people, but also wha...more
The chapters on Status and Spontaneity were interesting studies on the role of status in the way people interact, and on how people are conditioned to act and how years of social norms inhibit expressive behavior. This made me become more self-aware about not just how I was interacting with people, but also wha...more
A sort-of interesting book that's nominally about improvisation and acting. It was mentioned by a few different sources as being useful for learning to be a little more creative. The first few chapters are interesting and contain a mix of philosophy and exercises for acting groups.
The one on status talks about how interactions between people can be thought of in terms of playing high or low status. (Its relation to acting, for instance, is that a tragedy is often a story about how a high-status...more
The one on status talks about how interactions between people can be thought of in terms of playing high or low status. (Its relation to acting, for instance, is that a tragedy is often a story about how a high-status...more
This book, contrary to my initial expectations, is not really about how to be a better improviser -- it's actually about how directors can use improvisation to improve their actors' overall dramatic skills. The book had been recommended to me as being useful for an improviser and I was disappointed when it failed to live up to that.
The sections where Johnstone talks about the variety of games he invented or borrowed or adapted for the theater are quite interesting, and improvisers will recognize...more
The sections where Johnstone talks about the variety of games he invented or borrowed or adapted for the theater are quite interesting, and improvisers will recognize...more
This is a mind-opening, mind-bending, mind-caressing, and mind-shaping book. It helped me understand some basic mechanisms in all human relationships, thereby making me a more astute and compassionate interlocutor. It invited me to embrace improvisation as a lifestyle and state of mind . . . very constructive! And it gave me a glimpse of a whole other world which you enter when you wear the Mask.
All in all, my favorite book. I never tire of re-reading it.
All in all, my favorite book. I never tire of re-reading it.
This book makes me want to take an acting and/or improvisation class. I think it would be utterly fascinating. Many good exercises in this book to try out. And even on a non-'acting' level, the material is useful to explore your and others' own personalities.
Though this book kept coming to mind whilst I was watching the new Die Hard film. Which took my criticisms to a new level. A good day to end that series.
Though this book kept coming to mind whilst I was watching the new Die Hard film. Which took my criticisms to a new level. A good day to end that series.
Sep 12, 2007
Hardcore
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Actors, Improv-ers, teachers, public speakers
Excellent book on Improvisation that can be applied to life as well as the stage (or classroom). Johnstone's book and teachings (taught to me via the excellent players of the Bay Area Theatre Sports improv group in San Francisco, CA) has changed the way I do improv. This will help you make the leap from interstitial jokes that may or may not get the occasional laugh from the audience, to meaningful scenes that will have your audience (whomever they may be) eating out of the palm of your hand. Ok...more
The first and still the best book I read on acting and improv also a great book about creativity in general, it has a particularly good section on creative writing and games to show how ideas are generated.
I feel like everyone should read this book. Improv actors have to learn how to consciously lower their nonconscious defenses. This is a great tool for improving personal and professional relationships.
Absolutely essential reading to any theatre professional or amateur. The only improvement that I can imagine is a summary of the different activities/lessons for easy reference.
May 20, 2011
Mason
added it
A rather dense collection of thoughts on status, spontaneity and narrative thread. One really interesting concept: the idea that stories occur when routines are interupted.
Aug 03, 2011
Edward
added it
Keith Johnstone is truly a master and pioneer. This book is a must read for anyone practicing improvisation or teaching in any aspect.
The classic guide to improvisation -- totally useful for writers. The section on masks is beautifully bizarre. Status games, sending and receiving...
One of the best books on theater I've read. Also on creativity in general, and teaching.
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