Impro

Improvisation and the Theatre

By: Keith Johnstone

Narrated by: William Reay

Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

"Impro is the most dynamic, funny, wise, practical, and provocative book on theatre craft that I have ever read." (James Roose-Evans, British theatre director, priest, and writer)

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 associate artistic director, working as a playreader and director, in particular helping to run the writers' group. The improvisatory techniques and exercises that evolved there, fostering spontaneity and narrative skills, were developed further in the actors' studio and, then, in demonstrations to schools and colleges. This ultimately resulted in the founding of a company of performers called The Theatre Machine.

Divided into four sections - "Status", "Spontaneity", "Narrative Skills", and "Masks and Trance" - and arranged more or less in the order a group might approach them, the audiobook sets out the specific techniques and exercises which Johnstone has himself found most useful and most stimulating. The result is both an audiobook of ideas and a fascinating exploration of the nature of spontaneous creativity. This audio edition of Impro is skillfully narrated by William Reay and includes as a second appendix a previously unpublished essay "The Full Mask", which Johnstone wrote 50 years after the original publication of the book.

©1979, 1981 Keith Johnstone, Irving Wardle (P)2020 Echo Point Books & Media, LLC

Excellent Resource for improvisational theater

whoever wrote the previous review for this book obviously was confused. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Especially the section about status. I read the book years ago and it’s a joy to listen to this wonderful narration!

Best book on creativity

Best book on creativity I’ve read. I also recommend Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch.

Very creative

Its much more creative than this comment. But i loved it and want it to have these five stars. With so few reviews… it really is a wonderful book. I may even buy a hard copy.

The most important concept of my life.

This book is extremely valuable to me both as a writer and a game master. No writing crafts books can match this timeless masterpiece.

The Power of Suggestion

It is my understanding that this book is mandatory reading for new hires at Palantir. I've also read "Stealing Fire". This book convinces me that the degenerates in the tech industry need to re-baseline. The fact that this book is a must read for any company is not a positive for that company. And it certainly does not justify the investment you or I might make to listen to it and see what the buzz is about.

There is no "there", there, dear listener. This is shallow and un-insightful. You can ignore it if you know who you are. If you have no idea who you are, this book might be useful.

1 hour in and....WHAT?

I seen this lady on YouTube recommend this book so I figured I'd pick it up and give it a try. 1 hour in and I don't get the angle nor the understanding of where the author is coming from. I thought we was going to get straight into the improv learning but it's a lot of quotes and reenactment of plays going on and I'm not understanding. Overall, this book does not get straight to the point.