A Funny Thing Happened At Mount Sinai [Kindle Edition]

Matthew Stillman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In 1996 Amy Poehler gave an improv class a stunning note about how the stage was her church and improv was her religion. It was the first few months that Matthew Stillman was learning and studying improv. She keyed her students into a vision that improv could teach you something about being a better person.

It spurred Stillman's thinking... If improv was Poehler's religion and it could teach people about being a better person could religion teach us anything about improv?

After reflecting and considering the question more deeply the answer is a definitive 'Yes, it can!"

The author is no Bible thumper either. This isn’t some backdoor way to make you believe in anything except that religion/philosophy can teach actors, improvisers and anyone interested something important about improv.

This book is improv theory nerdiness of a high order, But this book is also a well thought out argument that the 10 Commandments from the Bible offers some of the most important guidelines to improv since Truth in Comedy


I never realized I was adhering so strictly to the Judeo-Christian tenets until I read this book. I agree with Matt whole heartedly when he says “God is quite simply, the present moment” – Matt Walsh, UCB founding member, Director, The High Road


Matt Stillman is a student of the craft. He loves improv and everything improv related. This treatise on the 10 Commandments as they relate to improv is a fun and insightful read that can help any improviser look again at what is in their own Improv Commandments.” Ali Farahnakian, UCB founding member, founder of The People’s Improv Theater aka The PIT


“I have spent many countless hours, long into many nights, discussing and dissecting improv from many different angles. But rarely have I heard someone contemplate improv in a such a thoughtful, insightful and unique way as Matthew has done in this book. He is a smart guy who is full of love for improv and the people who do it.” – Kevin Mullaney, IRC, IRC Podcast, iO Theater, UCB


“This book’s wise, witty approach to the sacred and the spontaneous shows us how improvisers combine the two to create beautiful hilarity with integrity. A very funny read, and sharp insights in every paragraph! Great for anyone, whether you’ve improvised on stage or not.” – Jay Rhoderick, Centralia, Burn Manhattan

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 461 KB
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005FYWTY6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #499,344 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty great train read, October 8, 2011

By 

Fenton (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Funny Thing Happened At Mount Sinai (Kindle Edition)

Read it during an hour long to-and-from commute, and the entire book was worth it if only for Stillman's notes about tagouts!

- Cole

4.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking Read For Life, As Well As For Improv, August 19, 2011

By 

Gail E. McConnon (Ohio) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Funny Thing Happened At Mount Sinai (Kindle Edition)

Matt Stillman always has an interesting take on things, whether he's dispensing creative solutions to life's problems from a couple fold-up chairs and a card table in New York City, or shedding new light on the 10 Commandments. Still, I have to admit I was more than a little curious as to how he'd pull off the job of analyzing the foundations of Judeo-Christian thought through the lens of improv. Perhaps I shouldn't have been, however, for he is a master craftsman. I know very little about theater, and even less about the part of theater that is improv. Yet, the connections the author weaves throughout this short book demonstrate both his artistry and his understanding of the many roles we assume on the stage of life.

I gave this book four stars because it needed more editing than it received. Maybe I'm just too easily distracted by things like typos and sentences with what seemed to be missing words. Then again, if an author has something to say, I want to be able to read it free and clear. I find Matt Stillman's perspective on things to be most engaging. Yet, there were instances throughout this work where his perspective lost some of its potency due to simple breakdowns in editing. I'm quite sure my reading experience would have improved had he paid a little more time and attention to the details of his craft. That being said, A Funny Thing Happened At Mount Sinai is a very thought-provoking read. I wish it had been longer, for I think he has a lot more to say on this topic. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthwhile Read, August 18, 2011

By 

Thomas Sobieski "Phoghat" (Elmhurst, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Funny Thing Happened At Mount Sinai (Kindle Edition)

A creative and thought-provoking examination of the Ten Commandments in relation to improv, well-written and interesting without beating the analogy to death. Don't expect a funny book - this is serious, and deeper than might immediately appear. One of those books whose points keep nagging at you after you have finished reading it. I gave it only 4 stars instead of five mainly for its length, which is short. Had it been a more expanded in-depth examination, I would have given it 5 stars.