Customer Reviews

Art by Committee: A Guide to Advanced Improvisation

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Truth in Comedy" is a decent little book that lays out well the philosophy of Improv and the Harold structure. "Art by Committee" reiterates some of what's in Truth, very slightly expands on some of the concepts, but mostly it's just chatter about IO, improv, and Del Close. There's a whole lot of former students talking about how great improv is. There's a whole lot of vague ruminations on how great improv is. And there's a whole lot of pretty pointless... addenduming (if that's a word). The book is like one big addendum to Truth in Comedy, one big "what I was saying is..." and "oh yeah, I forgot to mention this (insignificant thing related to something from Truth)". All of this is stuff you'll hear from your teachers at any decent improv class (minus the personal stories, of course). Plus, it's just not that well written. It's poorly organized and poorly conceived and the writing style is far too conversational. But given that not much is being said and really, it's all just fluff and filler, I guess an overly conversational style is the only way to pad it out.

If you live somewhere with no access to decent improv then the DVD may be of some help. The book... well, if you're in Podunk, Nowhere the book might help flesh out a few things from Truth in Comedy as it has some examples of things that worked out or didn't and how they might have gone the other way had the players followed/not followed the rules, stuff like that, but for anyone else actively studying improv, don't bother.

I bought this by mistake... that is, I expected it to live up to its
subtitle: "A Guide to Advanced Improvisation." It is not.

This book is really just a collection of self-congratulatory anecdotes
and recollections of Del Close. Seriously... interesting stories but
ultimately lacking instruction. Halpern continues shouting her own praise
as co-founded of IO in Chicago, birthplace to many improv greats. She's
a great businesswoman.

Finally got her first book, "Truth in Comedy," which is substantially better.
Almost a textbook on the subject, it contains plenty of lessons, games,
informative anecdotes. (It was written by THREE authors.)

Buy the latter, skip the former.

There is some good info in this book. The best part of the book is that Halpern references examples from the included DVD to illustrate some of her points. These examples come in the early chapters and are by far the strongest part of the book.

In fact, the DVD itself is worth the price of the book with full performances by "Beer Shark Mice" and the "Reckoning" as well as performance snippets of ASSCAT and an Armando (with Joe Bill as the Armando). There are also interviews with various well known improvisers such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, etc.

Halpern's writing is weak because - even though she makes good points - she never takes you through the whole thing so that you can get it. A book that would lay out specific issues in teaching long form improv and then useful exercises and teaching points would make for a more useful book. It seems like she is either describing the final result (what makes up a Harold, for example) or making a small teaching point (how to treat mistakes as gifts), but she's never taking you through the whole process. If Halpern could write with the discipline of Carol Hazenfield (see Hazenfield's "Acting on Impulse"), you would have an excellent long-form improv book.

Halpern uses the last part of the book to tell some stories about Del Close and the history of improv. Anyone with an interest in the development of long-form will find this part of the book interesting.

"Art" is a good book - not great, but good. Even if you are not a fan of Halpern's work, the DVD itself is worth the price of the book.

Tim R. has it all said. Whatever happened to what improv is supposed to create rather then 'how to - over, and over' which is exactly the philosophic opposite.

This book re-addresses a lot of the ideas introduced in Truth in Comedy and explores them in a little more depth. The only thing I really *didn't* like about it was the way it talks about improv as if it is the meaning of life, and great improvisers as if they're the second coming - I love improv, but let's try to keep a bit of perspective on it! Anyway, just as with Truth in Comedy, I found myself highlighting and making notes right and left, and this one's also accompanied by a DVD with examples of iO performers illustrating the concepts Halpern's explaining. That is EXTREMELY helpful - for someone who's only ever done short-form (like myself), just *reading* about long-form doesn't quite cover it. Also, as a female improviser just getting started (at a theater where the boys outnumber us by a longshot), I appreciated the brief but illuminating chapter on women in improv. Highly recommended if, like me, you learned a lot from Truth in Comedy and want to take it to the next level.

Art By Committee is a fairly good sequel to one of the most perfect improv books out there. Truth in Comedy, though a great book, had hardly any details; it was literally a skeletal outline, that if read by someone without additional knowledge of the "Harold" concept, could get really confused. Art By Committee helps to flesh out the Harold a bit more and also to give some generic improv advice as well many may not have considered. Art By Committee also includes a DVD with videos of some improv troupes showing off the Harold and long form improv shows. A worthwhile read for true improvisers.

Halpern has done it again! This book is excellent! If you're a serious improviser you need to get this book. "Truth in Comedy" is 5+ Stars and is a great book for any improviser, but "Art by Committee" takes it to the next level. Follow the exercises in this book and you will definitely see a boost in your performance level, confidence, and overall ability as an improviser... this book will take you to places you never even imagined!

The DVD that accompanies the book is really cool because it shows you what Charna is explaining in the book, and as a bonus there's interviews with various iO alums like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and many others.

If you're a history buff there's a lot of information about how iO got started, and how Del and Charna pioneered long form improv. Also, she includes some very touching stories about Del and his love for this wonderful art form.

Inherently entertaining and informative, Art By Committee: A Guide To Advanced Improvisation offers its readers an inspired and inspiring understanding of the philosophy and visual outlook of life through the wisdom and guidance of Charna Halpern. As a long-term improvisational co-creator and comically creative mind, Charna presents Art By Committee as her most informative and constructive guide to date through the incredible art of improv acting and performance. Art By Committee is very strongly recommended for all students of acting and improvisational comedy, as well as those searching for a personal history of Del Close and Charna Halperns.