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Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre 1st Edition

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Keith Johnstone (Author)
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4.7 out of 5 stars 76 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0878301171
ISBN-10: 0878301178
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (January 7, 1987)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0878301178
  • ISBN-13: 978-0878301171
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 8.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,255 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsNot a theatre book, but a teacher's manifesto
By Algernon D'Ammassa on June 19, 2001
Format: Paperback
Keith Johnstone's book has influenced countless acting classes. Many artists who have not yet heard of this book are doing exercises based on his experiments in England with actors using improvisation to discover status operations within a scene, narrative structure, and the importance of structure and process over "content" (a sticking point for the improvisator, the public speaker, and everyone who has ever said, 'I can't think of anything.') It also provides one of the best short introductions to mask work around. So it might seem like an indispensable theatre book. And it is that. Indispensable.
Yet read Johnstone's first chapter - a memoir of his early teaching career, in which he discovered the process by which children learn to be uncreative as a tragic coping skill. This is not a theatre book. Theatre classes were the arena, but this is a book about teaching! This is about opening doors that have been slammed shut, and acquainting people with the creativity and exuberance that is everybody's birthright. The exercises, and analyses of his students' work with improvisation, along with Johnstone's unflagging faith in every person's imagination, have much to show us even on repeated readings and practice.
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4.0 out of 5 starsMeaningful stuff, makes you think.
By Jason Brent on June 12, 2006
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This was the first improv book that I ever read, and in retrospect I kind of wish I'd read something like Charna Halpern's TRUTH IN COMEDY or Mick Napier's IMPROVISE first. Those books will give you a better introduction to what most of us know of as group improvisation - the "Whose Line is it anyway" sort of thing. They'll give you a better framework to work with.

Keith Johnstone's book, on the other hand, is kind of like a complete rethinking of the Improv framework ... he writes about things I haven't read about anywhere else. And it really made me think about things in a different way.

First of all, I have to admit that the first couple of sections are pretty dry. I had to struggle to get through the section on "Status" ... I was thinking to myself, why did people give this BORING book a good review?? ... I did consider that maybe it's because the man is British (I think), and so the style of writing and the type of humor is a little different than I'm used to.

However, when he gets around to talking about the story/narrative, suddenly there is a flash of brilliance and it all started to make sense ... basically he talks about just letting GO of the things that are inhibiting us, how to stop listening to the voice that is telling us NO all the time ... and, I don't know, there's just something very profound in the way that he discusses it - little insights here and there that are just, for lack of a better word, very MEANINGUL.

For example, he says, of parents and teachers who scold their children, to keep their undesirable 'creativeness' under wraps: "...Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsPossibly the most important book in theatre education . . .
By A Customer on May 13, 1996
Format: Paperback
Keith Johnstone is a maverick educator and theatrical innovator.
This book, first published in 1979, remains the most important book on improvisation written in English.
Johnstone divides the world of improvising into four categories:Spontenaity, Narrative, Status and Masks.
The stories about his own loss of creativity through the demands of public education set the frame for his illuminating description of what it takes to return us all to our creative selves.
This book is a must read for anyone involved in the creative process, for all teachers of the arts and anyone who has ever wondered where his creativity has gone.
Patricia Ryan,
Head of Acting
Stanford University
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe bible of creativity! Buy this book!
By A Customer on December 27, 2000
Format: Paperback
This book is the absolute bible of improv and acting. Keith Johnstone takes you step by step through his approach to teaching. The exercises he uses really work to get our intellects out of the way of our creativity.
The section on status is extremely useful. As a testament, I used some of them in my beginning improv class and amazing things happened. The class understood and became more aware of how we use status in every moment of our lives. Scenes immediately became more interesting and real. I look forward to the mask activities. The only negative comment I can make is that a few of the exercises were not clearly explained. Johnstone's descriptions, at times, assume previous knowledge of the game being described. This is a book every actor and improver should read. It will expand your creativity and improve your physical awareness onstage. Enjoy it!
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5.0 out of 5 starsentertaining and inspiring
By sparky_magic_rainbow on January 20, 2006
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I read most of this in one sitting! It's that engrossing. Mr. Johnstone's writing is very lucid and the anecdotes he provides are illuminating/concise/memorable. The best chapter was about narrative ... it taught me what a story is and isn't. That lesson alone is worth the price of this book.

I'm a novelist but found this to be a better stimulus than most of the "how to write fiction" manuals or writing classes out there. It describes a lot of games one could play to get the creative juices flowing. //Highly// recommend buying this if you're interested in any form of art or creativity.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

good

Published 12 days ago by Jacob Fenwick
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great

Published 4 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

The best!

Published 4 months ago by Francisco Ochoa Madrigal
5.0 out of 5 starsInsightful, revelatory.

This is a must for anyone who is interested in acting or improv beyond silly games. Not that there's anything wrong with silly games. Read more

Published 5 months ago by J.B.
4.0 out of 5 starsSomething for Everyone

Impro: Improvisation And The Theatre is a surprisingly helpful book by Keith Johnston. After a brief introduction and some autobiographical information, it dives right in to Improv... Read more

Published 9 months ago by Allegra DiNetta
5.0 out of 5 starsI cannot recommend this book enough

This may be one of the most important books about spontaneity training for all purposes including of course all of the arts, therapy, and business applications. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Budster
5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing

So good if you have any interest in improv and life. You must read this wonderful book, ladies and gents.

Published 10 months ago by Matt Rudnitsky
4.0 out of 5 starsCheck this book out

This is an interesting read, especially for theatre majors and theatre teachers. But a lot of the material reminds me of Spolin's Improvisation book. Read more

Published 10 months ago by reachmabry
3.0 out of 5 starsThis is a good intro book to improv from a philosopher and discoverer...

This is a good intro book to improv from a philosopher and discoverer of improv. The learning is in the doing, but reading about it sparked a few new understandings.

Published 11 months ago by Hilarita Hogan
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is the go to book for improvisation and work with "Status".

This is the go to book for improvisation. I find the work on status particularly important for myself and the work my students do in the classroom.

Published 11 months ago by Amazon Customer

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