Customer Reviews

Process: An Improviser's Journey

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would recommend this book to people with a reasonable level of improv experience. If you haven't taken workshops / lessons I think it might be really hard to relate to what is happening in the book. If you do have a decent level of experience, I think you will find this book well worth reading.

The narrative style means you can better experience many of the 'hard to explain' concepts that are often referred to in improv teaching. For example, I have read several improv books and done countless workshops, but I don't think I really ever understood what it meant to be 'up in your head' until reading Process. I have already felt this improve my performance. If you don't quite get what I'm saying, it's probably a good example of how trying to explicitly explain improv so often fails! This book's narrative approach skillfully overcomes this challenge.

Many improv books will explain how to succeed, but this one explains really well how Geoff (and the other students) are failing, how they feel about that and how it relates to what is going on in their heads at the time. It's great to read how the process can be so frustrating - this was something I really appreciated hearing. It is encouraging to know that other people feel the same way, because so often in workshops everyone makes such a big effort to be positive about the experience so you don't really talk about the frustrations.

I really enjoyed that the book focussed on long form story telling, rather than on being funny. It is this type of improv which interests me the most and the book focuses 100% on creating truthful stories and characters.

The book loses just one star because at times I felt like the story was a bit contrived. But, this is definitely not a reason to ignore this otherwise great book. Just be aware that at times you may need to consciously suspend your disbelief, but in doing so you will learn a lot.

I think I'm going to be re-reading this book a lot in the future, because many of the lessons are embedded in the story I expect to pick up new tips with subsequent reads. Well done to the authors - a genuine service to those of us who can't access your training in real life. Thank you.

Process: An Improviser's Journey is a great book. It is very well written and a pleasant surprise.

This is an excellent resource for improvisers-especially students- because it is written from a student's perspective. There is such a long list of things that you shouldn't say or do in a scene but it goes a step further to explain why you shouldn't do these things and the resulting consequence on the scene if you do. It also spells out many guidelines that move a scene forward and make it a success. As a current student at Second City, it is also a relief to read that other students (even fictional ones) go through the same struggles in remembering all of these rules!

I would definitely recommend this book for students because it makes you realize that you are not alone in having difficulty grasping seemingly simple improv concepts. This is also a must-read for teachers because you may always know why a scene is going wrong but it may help you reconnect with your students and better explain the process. If you have never taken an improv class but are interested in doing so, it may be a little difficult to visualize or understand some of the games and exercises mentioned in the book but don't let that prevent you from reading!

Being new to Chicago and Second City, I purchased this book to get a better understanding of improv and who better to learn from then author Michael Gellman. I found that the format of the book made it an easy read and it really got into the details of Second City improv and how to use these rules and other aspects to create improvised one act plays. The book follows a fictional Chicago actor as he figures out what to do to better himself as an actor, an improviser, and how to balance his job and acting. This book is ideal for both improvisers and directors, but I believe it would be even more beneficial to the beginning actors in Chicago. It not only educates you as if you are in a class with Mr. Gellman himself, but it also gives you some insight into how to better yourself as an actor and how the Second City system works. I highly recommend this book and it is a must read for anyone interested in acting or improvising.

The style of writing brought me into the middle of an actual workshop. It was easy to read and taught me great improv principles better than most books. Highly recommended.

I have read many books on improv comedy and this one is a real jewel! That comes as no surprise to me, however, since Second City Director Michael Gellman is unmistakably and unarguably one of the very best teachers of improv comedy to ever teach or direct this challenging art form. This is a must-read for any actor who wants to perform or who is already performing improvisational comedy. If you are among that group, don't get on stage at all, or ever again, without having read this book first!

Cherie Kerr, founding member, Los Angeles Groundlings

Process gives a very accurate, in depth look at an improviser's journey through lessons with Michael Gellman. Throughout Process, you learn with Geoff and relive mistakes that taught you lessons and return from these reveries with a newer, deeper understanding of what great improvisation does. More than a method of "making the funnies" great improvisation enables great actors to create, spontaneously, new and profound works of theatre. My favorite part is the narrative style used which helps to digest the important material which would, otherwise, be difficult to read through. I recommend Process to anyone especially those interested in improving the quality of their improvisation.

This is a valuable read for anyone interested in either long form improv or improvisation as more than just a tool for humor. Honest improv (the opposite of which is deliberately joking around or inventing scenarios to appear interesting) not only leads to truly funny situations but compelling drama as well. Gellman's mission in life is to create long works of literary quality through improvisation, and he does this by training actors in a series of workshops to develop basic skills - some of which are as simple as doing push-ups in training for the Superbowl, as I heard him once phrase it, and others that are somewhat more complex yet still, at first glance, quite basic. I mean this in the least derogatory way possible Gellman and Scruggs focus mainly on basics, but they do so in a step-by-step, elemental way that is stunningly complex and fulfilling, and after reading this I'd attest that for one to attempt detailing anything more than the basics in as vivid and valuable a fashion as this would be voluminous in length. The method employed to write this book is more a narrative than a guide, which I found refreshing, captivating and effective. It takes the point of view of Geoff, a student in one of Gellman's workshops designed to produce one-act plays from improvisation. Geoff and his classmates all have their own distinct backgrounds, strengths, weaknesses and assumptions about the work and themselves, and their experience is very true to life. They all make their own mistakes along the way, interpret the exercises in different ways and have their own individual praises and complaints - while one student might equate an exercise to a surprisingly spiritual experience, another might say it got them up in their heads. They all fall back on their old habits, they all have their own unique ways of approaching and mastering Gellman's techniques. You will learn how and why things work along with Geoff and his fellow improvisers and most likely be able to relate to at least one of the characters. My only complaint is that sometimes the story seems a bit unnecessary, especially when class ends and the characters talk and interact with one another - though these did provide some interesting analysis of the exercises. And though I felt a bit silly reading about Geoff's curiosity about another player's feelings for him, this is in no way unrealistic - thoughts like these are in no way out of place in this setting as the bond between an ensemble can be quite strong. In this way, the sometimes silly-seeming aspects of the story are quite realistic. Even with my mixed feelings about this small aspect, I feel that the book as a whole is incredibly valuable and unique, the closest thing to actually taking one such workshop yourself, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in improvisation as a serious art form, long-form improv and acting in general.

I heart Michael Gellman. Aside from giving me the single most effective side-coaching I think I've ever received in a workshop, he's genuinely giving as a teacher. (And an audience member. I remember very clearly hearing him "ooooooh" a game-move I made in a performance--and I thought, "BINGO, I've figured this scene out.") So I couldn't wait for his book, and it didn't disappoint.

Because it's about a student going through his workshop, you get a real sense of the exercises, the notes and what goes on in your head when you succeed or fail. His teaching style is very organic--"process" is the perfect title.

It's rare that a book can bring experiential learning to life. This one totally captured the feeling of studying with him. If you can't make it to one of his classes, this is the next best thing.