Frequently Asked Questions
BobKinDC
Hi, Folks!
PART I
From: BobK...@aol.com (Bob Kennedy)
Newsgroups: alt.comedy.improvisation
Subject: Improvisational comedy FAQ
Followup-To: poster
Approved: We don’t need no steenkin’ approval!
Summary: This article is a collection of information sources on
improvisational comedy groups
Archive-name: Archived on the web at
http://hometown.aol.com/bobkindc/impro_impro.html
Posting-Frequency: monthly
The alt.comedy.improvisation Frequently Asked Questions file!
1. Introduction:
--"Where’s your FAQ?"
--"What is improvisational comedy?"
2. Getting into improv:
--"Do you have to go to college to learn this stuff?" (Listing of college
troupes)
--"Where can I see this in my hometown?" (Links to professional companies)
3. The folks who do this stuff:
--"What’s Second City?"
--"What about Theatresports and ComedySportz? Are they the same thing, or
what?"
--"How do they do this stuff in the UK?"
4. Nuts and Bolts:
--"What do I need to start an improv group of my own?"
--"What do I need to put on a show?"
--"How do I get booked at a venue?"
--"How can I promote my show?"
--"How do I get rid of an unwanted player in my group?"
5. Resources
--"Are there any books about this?"
--"Why aren’t you a rec. group? I like those more than alt. groups!"
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1. Introduction:
--"Where’s your FAQ?"
This is it, babe. A quick, abbreviated survey on the improv scene as I’ve
seen it and as it’s been presented in the alt.comedy.improvisation newsgroup.
I would ultimately like to give full coverage to what I see as the three
biggest and most influential groups promoting the form, those being Second
City, Theatresports and Comedysportz, but the fact is I’ve had direct
experience with only one of these groups (and helpful feedback from Jeff Sweet
and Dave Cox) and this is reflected in the current FAQ. I’d really like to
hear from people in the Second City and Theatresports organizations.
Also, no kidding, our most-often-asked question around here is "Where’s your
FAQ?" And a couple of the questions here were never asked by anybody, I just
made them up. But, they are the types of things that people who aren’t on
Usenet have asked me, so I included them.
This FAQ file is on the web, at
http://hometown.aol.com/bobkindc/impro_impro.html. It’s a work in progress
and I’m still tinkering with it. Let me know what you think if it!
--"What is improvisational comedy?"
Improvisational comedy is where one or more performers present unscripted
material, such as games, scenes, monologues, what-have-you, before an audience,
usually basing this material on suggestions received from the audience. This
is generally done by a group of performers, although there are some instances
of solo improv performers (In England, there is a tradition of "fooling," a
solo form of "impro").
This is not sketch comedy (i.e. _Saturday Night Live_ or _The Carol Burnett
Show_). Nor is it stand-up comedy (Jerry Seinfeld, Richard Jeni, any comedian
who stands at a microphone and tells a pre-determined set of jokes and gives
substantially the same show to more than one audience). I respect and enjoy
these forms, but they’re not improv.
2. Getting into improv:
--"Do you have to go to college to learn this stuff?"
Many colleges have improv troupes, and most of the improv performers I’ve
worked with came from these college groups. One of the most gifted improv
comics I know came into our group shortly after he got out of high school,
though, and still lives with his parents and can’t legally drink in the club
where he performs. I, by contrast, never even heard of improv comedy until
I’d been out of college for about four years. No, you don’t need to learn
this in college. But you can.
Improvisational comedy has strong roots in the university. To a large degree,
it could be claimed that it was born at the University of Chicago, where Paul
Sills, Mike Nichols, Severn Darden, Roger Bowen, Bill Alton, Tony Holland and
others either were students or (in the case of Elaine May) hung out. They
found each other on campus there. The first ongoing improv company was the
Compass, which was located in the back room of a bar across the street from the
U. of C. and drew on the U. of C. community both for audience and for subjects.
In 1976, in recognition of its part in the development of improv, the U. of C.
hosted a festival of Chicago comedy, reuniting many of the early members of
both Compass and Second
City. The U. of C. also built a mock-up of the original Compass playing area
where many of the gang got together and performed -- including Severn Darden
parodying U. of C. academics.
Incidentally, a similar movement was afoot in England at Oxford and Cambridge,
where the people who would go on to create "Beyond the Fringe" and "Monty
Python" were performing comic material in campus shows. This material was
mostly scripted, but later much of their stuff -- e.g., the routines of Peter
Cook and Dudley Moore -- would come out of improv. The British companies --
such as The Establishment and the Oxford-Cambridge Circus -- sometimes traded
shows with Second City. The
bonds are obvious and acknowledged. (Or, as Peter Cook once said, "Yes, Bernie
Sahlins still owes me money.")
Here’s a short, arbitrary listing of college troupes whose websites can be
found on the World Wide Web:
Buttered Niblets (Johns Hoplins University, Baltimore):
http://www.jhu.edu/~nibs/index.html
Let’s Try This! (Georgia Tech): http://cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/improv/
MISSION IMPROVable (U.Mass.): http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~svp
Mr. Gad's House of Improv. (Amherst): http://www.amherst.edu/~mrgads/
No Parking Players (Carnegie Mellon):
http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~sns/npp/index.html
Quipfire! (Princeton): http://www.princeton.edu/~quipfire/
The Shaun Cassidy Fan Club (Oswego, NY):
http://www.oswego.edu/Acad_Dept/a_and_s/theatre/scfc.html
The Tower Players (Ohio): http://www.muc.muohio.edu/~improv
The Troupe (MichiganTechnological University Houghton MI):
http://www.hu.mtu.edu/~klwest/troupe
I’d really like to see this list grow by the next time this gets posted.
--"Where can I see this in my hometown?" (Links to professional companies)
ComedySportz has a bunch of web sites, the most comprehensive of which is:
http://www.comedysportz.com/
Hugh MacLeod’s The Improv Structures Page is:
http://www.staircase.org/structures
Steife Brise’s page, http://www.theatersport.com, has 200 international links
from England to Venezuela. Check it out!
TheatreSports’ main website is http://www.intl-theatresports.ab.ca
YESand is an online improv magazine, at http://www.yesand.com
Zot maintains Zot’s Improv Page, a staggering improv resource, at:
http://www.crl.com/~zot/improv.html
And, here are some professional companies that maintain websites:
Bay Area TheatreSports (San Francisco): http://www.improv.org/
The Brody Theater (Portland, Oregon): http://www.brodytheater.com
The Brothers Grinn (Tuckahoe, NY): http://hometown.aol.com/canugrok/index.html
Composite Comedy Heap (Los Angeles): http://hometown.aol.com/dirtyheap
Dad’s Garage (Atlanta, GA): http://www.dadsgarage.com/
Einstein Simplified (Knoxville, TN): http://www.EinsteinSimplified.com
Fratelli Bologna (San Francisco): http://www.fratellibologna.com/
Freestyle Rep. (New York City): http://www.echonyc.com/~freestyle/frt.html
Friday Nite Improvs & The Susquehanna Hat Co. (Pittsburgh):
http://www.pitt.edu/~aja
Funny Outfit (Kansas City, MO): http://www.funnyoutfit.com/
Human Comedy Theatre Group (Eugene, Oregon): http://www.pond.net/~mpsvetal
ImproVangogh (Hamilton, Ontario): www.staircase.org/improvangogh
Laffing Stock Improvisational Troupe (Alice Springs, Australia):
http://laffingstock.itgo.com
Laughing Matters (Atlanta): http://www.laughingmatters.com
London TheatreSports (London): http://www.btinternet.com/~j.nolan/ts.htm
http://come.to/londontheatresports
mailing list is at... http://www.mono.org/lists/lts-announce.html
Los Angeles TheatreSports http://www.theatresports.com/
Mission IMPROVable (Chicago): http://www.missionimprovable.com
Mixed Signals (Ttrenton, NJ) http://www.tcnj.edu/~mixed
Nothing Sacred Players (Cincinnati, OH) http://www.nothingsacredplayers.com
Nuts And Bolts Comedy Improv ( Rochester, NY):
http://www.ray-o.com/nutsandboltsny.html
The Old Spontaneity Shop (London/Oxford) http://members.xoom.com/tgs/
emailed at t...@cix.co.uk
On the Spot (Orlando, FL): http://members.aol.com/OnTheSpot0/home.html
Oui Be Negroes (San Francisco/Los Angeles): http://www.ouibenegroes.com/
Pavlov's Dogs (Dallas): http://www.pdogs.com e-mail: Pavlo...@pdogs.com
Pumpernickel (Bloomington, IN): http://www.improvcomedy.com/
Raleigh's Village Idiots: http://www.village.idiots.net
SAK theatre (Orlando, FL) http://www.SAK.com
Screaming Puppets (Baltimore, MD): http://come.to/screaming.puppets/
Steife Brise (Hamburg, Germany) http://theatersport.com (German) and
http://improvland.com (English) Improv Chat on both
Stockholm Improvisationsteater (Sweden): http://www.impro.a.se
True Fiction Magazine (San Francisco): http://www.sirius.com/~truficma/
The Underground (Denver, CO) http://clem.mscd.edu/~simpsoti/ughome.html
Washington Improv Theater (Washington, DC): http://www.dcwit.com
Other groups, please add your sites here!
Continued in Part III
--Bob Kennedy Alexandria, VA
BobKinDC
PART III
3. The folks who do this stuff:
--"What’s Second City?"
Second City is the big dog on the block. Most of the famous actors who’ve
come out of improv came out of Second City, Chicago or (as was the case with
SCTV back in the 70s and early 80s) Toronto. They’ve had a long and
illustrious history. It basically began with The Compass, a "theater for the
people" enterprise that was conceived in the early 1950s (by David Shepherd) to
take avant-garde semi-scripted sketches into the blue-collar workplaces and
provide cutting-edge theatre to the workers who would ordinarily never see a
live show. The workers hated the idea and Compass became a nightclub act
instead. As Shepherd’s influence waned and director Paul Sills’ waxed, the
same basic bunch of performers (after a couple of years’ interval) became The
Second City (a tongue-in-cheek reference to Chicago in a _New Yorker_ story)
and was based more on the games and techniques developed by Sills’ mother,
Viola Spolin, in a Works Projects Administration theatrical project in the late
1930s. A Chicago institution, Second City continues (in a different form) to
this day and is still the high water mark of the form.
Jeff Sweet wrote a book called _Something Wonderful Right Away_, an oral
history which is still in print (via Limelight Editions of New York). It
includes extensive interviews with Paul Sills, Mike Nichols,
Barbara Harris, Roger Bowen, Severn Darden, Alan Arkin, Gilda Radner, Del
Close, Shelley Berman, David Shepherd and many of the other pioneers and
champions of this form affiliated with Second City.
--"What about Theatresports and ComedySportz? Are they the same thing, or
what?"
Theatresports was founded by Keith Johnstone (author of _IMPRO: Improvisation
and the Theatre_, widely regarded as mandatory reading for improv performers)
and has a flexible, much-duplicated format. Some of the Theatresports groups
have a two-team competitive structure, some do not. “Theatresports went
public in 1976 at the University of Calgary although it originated at the Royal
Court Theatre Studios in the 60's,” says James Faulkner, Johnstone’s
business manager. Johnstone created the innovation of presenting staged comedy
as a competitive “sporting” event along the same lines as professional
wrestling. This was necessary because all staged performances in England were
required at the time to submit their scripts to the Lord Chamberlain’s office
for approval prior to their performance. The only exceptions were for
educational purposes (Johnstone was, and remains, a teacher) and sporting
events. “Even comedians had to submit every proposed word and 'significant
gesture' to be vetted, and it was embarrassing when visiting Russians bemoaned
our lack of freedom,” recalls Johnstone in his upcoming (but as yet untitled)
book. The Theatresports format bypassed this curious antique of a law, but for
safety’s sake Johnstone saved its public, non-academic unveiling for
audiences in Canada, “arguably a more liberal society.” Theatresports
groups propogated, first throughout Canada and then just below their border.
From LA Theatersports’ Vose: “TheatreSports was created in 1976 by Keith
Johnstone, author of IMPRO, in
his acting classes at the University of Calgary, to inject a theatre
audience with the passion displayed by sports fans. TheatreSports leagues
now include New York, Seattle, Washington, DC, Orlando, San Diego, Ventura,
as well as Canada, England, Denmark, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Germany,
South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Austin Texas.
“Keith Johnstone is a professor emeritus at the University of Calgary, and
the Co-founder of the Loose Moose Theatre. He worked for ten years (1956 -
1966) at England's Royal Court Theatres; at various times he was their
chief play-reader, was responsible for the educational work, directed the
Royal Court Theatre studio, wrote and directed plays, and became Associate
Director of the theatre. He founded The Theatre Machine improvisational
group in England which toured in many countries. Keith taught at the Royal
Academy of Dramatic Art until he left England, and has taught or given
workshops at major European Theatre Schools and Universities. He is the
author of many plays presented in North America and Europe, and has
directed in several theatres internationally. Keith is the author of
"Impro" (Methuen) one of the key books on improvisation which is translated
into several languages; and also "Impro for Storytellers" (Faber and Faber,
(UK)), a guide to teaching improvisation and Theatresports. He also writes
a newsletter which is sent to Theatresports(TM) centers internationally.
Keith is the inventor of many new forms of improvisation, including
Theatresports(TM), Gorilla Theatre and Micetro Impro which, along with his
techniques, are now being used world-wide.”
Dick Chudnow, previously a member of the legendary Kentucky Fried Theater
(which later went on to make movies like Airplane! and The Naked Gun), tinkered
with his Milwaukee Theatresports’ format just enough to change it into
ComedySportz in the early 80s; a heretical act, albeit one successful enough to
craft a rival imrov comedy empire. While the “competitive” angle was a
Theatresports innovation, it was less necessary to use it in Canada and the
U.S. than back in England, so a lot of TS groups dropped it entirely. Chudnow
grabbed, kept it and added other trappings of sporting events (like team
uniforms, a costumed referee, peanut vendors, pennants and big electronic
scoreboards). He made comedy and jokes essential ingredients of the show,
whereas TS groups saw them as unintentional (but permissible) by-products of a
legitimate theatrical exercise. Chudnow’s ComedySportz also made the format
profitable; Theatresports purists saw the games as being theatrical and
educational in nature, and making money off of it seemed a trifle vulgar. That
view is no longer widely held, and today, Theatresports and ComedySportz put
on shows with very similar content, the major difference between the two groups
being the clothes they wear.
From Dave Cox of LA ComedySportz: "There are some differences between CSz and
Theatersports. The "z" for instance. A little known fact is that ComedySportz
used to be a Theatersports team in Milwaukee Wisconsin. They played happily as
Theatersports, until, one year, they attended the big Theatersports
tournament in Canada, and they were told that they had drifted too far away
from the Theatersports format, and that what they were doing was great, but it
wasn't Theatersports. The sad Wisconsin players flew back to cheeseland, and
formed ComedySportz. There have been few hard feelings since.
"ComedySportz is now in 23 cities across America: from Los Angeles, California,
to Houston, Texas, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Washington DC, it spans this
great nation of ours and wraps it in a comforting blanket of funny.
"Before this turns into a press release, I'll try and tell you a little about
what we're about. CSz is a fast paced show. It moves. The scenes run, on
average, 3-4 minutes, but can stretch to 6. It is a show
about pace and fun. If someting doesn't go well, there's always another game
or scene coming right up. This pace is kept up by an actual referee, with a
whistle and a stripey shirt. This doesn't mean we can't relish a scene if it's
going particularly well, but I have never found a better substitute for a
blackout than a ref blowing a loud whistle and yelling, "Time!" We involve and
incorporate the audience more than any other format I've seen, constantly using
them for suggestions, getting volunteers, and giving them things to do and
things to say along with the Ref. We're warm and friendly. Points are scored
based on who the
audience feels did a better job, or on who can come up with the most variations
on a theme, or who can stay in a game the longest. It's generally a big
popularity contest just like in highschool. We also, here
in LA, teach in over 40 high schools, who play CSz as a varsity sport, which
could explain a few things.
"Another big secret is this whole competition thing is a sham. We don't really
care who wins, as long as the audience does. We play for the good of the show
first, the good of the scene second, the good of our team third, and the good
ourselves last."
I strongly urge members of Theatersports to write their own version of their
history (for both posterity and equal time) and send it to me for inclusion in
future editions of the FAQ.
--"How do they do this stuff in the UK?"
I’ve put this question to Tim Sheppard of Bristol, England, and he responded
thus:
"There is a bit of theatre sports around here, but I don't think it's as
widespread as in the USA, although impro is better known in the last few years
since a theatre sports TV show [Note: He refers to _Whose Line Is It Anyway_,
which is not affiliated with Theatresports but has a similar format. --RK] has
been running. I can't say I'm knowledgable about all the various impro groups,
but here's a few comments which you could use:
"With the tremendous inspiration and influence of the circus theatre schools,
impro has really been used in very creative ways and incorporated into many
kinds of groups in the UK.
"One example is physical impro - a performance of improvised physical theatre.
Physical theatre relies on physical skills and expression, from acrobatics to
mime. Physical impro can be a free-flowing stream
of consciousness portraying ever-mutating characters exploring and discovering
ever-changing situations, bringing delights of recognition in both performer
and audience before moving on. This would be done by
two or three improvisers, without any need for 'game' formats. Guy Dartnell is
a prime exponent of this form, and incorporates a fine talent for Fooling, and
the comic, although he is not at all restricted to light hearted emotions."
Continued in Part IV
PART IV
4. Nuts and Bolts:
--"What do I need to start an improv group of my own?"
Well, to start with, you’ll need a group of performers familiar with improv
comedy. Three is really the bare minimum needed to put on a show, but if one
of them calls in sick, you’re screwed. Try to assemble a roster of about six
performers. Learn some of the basic games, start out with an audience of
supportive friends and relatives, and build from there. Have a regular
rehearsal space (Just because it’s improvised doesn’t mean you don’t need
to rehearse).
And please, learn the basics of stagecraft, of stage picture, of taking and
surrendering focus, of accepting all offers. Hear everything that is said
onstage and react to it appropriately. Project your voice and don't forget to
breathe. In other words, don't suck. Improv is already pretty close to the
margins of the performing arts world, and every show you do will be the first
improv show that somebody has ever seen. If you blow chunks on stage, you're
sending a message that all improv is this bad. Make a point of being good, or
we'll have to hunt you down and hurt you.
--"What do I need to put on a show?"
You’ll need about ten stock games you’re comfortable with, another five or
ten you can do in a clinch, your group of performers, a place to perform, a
place for the audience to sit. When you start getting cocky, you can start
charging admission (If your show charges a gate, have someone from your group
collect the money. NEVER let the venue collect the gate unless they’re
paying you a pre-agreed sum of money up front). A musician is always a nice
touch, preferably on an electric keyboard.
--"How do I get booked at a venue?"
First, find a place where you’d like to perform. Nightclubs lend themselves
very well to this (although a surprising number of groups play in Chinese
restaurants, for some reason). Community centers are okay, but they charge
rent. Chances are you’re doing this on the cheap. Nightclubs are usually
set up for live entertainment, and most improv shows don’t need any larger a
stage than most bands and their equipment usually need.
Does the nightclub have a stage? Do they have an area of the club that could
serve as a stage? Is there a place your performers can stand and be seen by
more than twenty people? Are you well-lit? Does the place reek of cigar smoke
and spilled beer? Do they attract the kind of clientele that, in your gut, you
think might be interested in the kind of show you put on?
Once you find a place that looks like it might be suitable, talk to the manager
of the place. If they regularly feature live performers, looking for new acts
is part of the manager’s job. You have a commodity that he might want and
you both stand to make a buck off of it. When you’re negotiating, keep in
mind that for long-term arrangements, the place you perform is generally also
the place you rehearse.
Find out how he advertises the bands that usually play there and ask for the
same consideration they get. For his purposes, your group and the three-piece
rock cover bands he usually books are interchangeable. Managing an improv
group takes a degree of business acumen as well, and don’t be shy about
selling your group’s talents to possible venues.
--"How can I promote my show?"
You know that band you see at your favorite night spot? You’ll want to
promote your group pretty much the same way they promote theirs. Newspaper ads
are great if you can afford them (Hint: College papers are cheaper and seen by
more of the folks you’re trying to attract to your shows), but they aren’t
that necessary when you’re starting out. Flyers stapled to phone poles are a
standard way of advertising, as are kiosks at shopping centers and college
campuses. And, hey, you’re already on the internet. Does your city have
general-interest newsgroups? Does the nearest big city to you? Do you have an
AOL account with a Digital City feature?
Put together a bunch of press kits. Each kit should contain a manilla envelope
to mail the whole mess, a cardboard folder to display it all, a cover letter
explaining who you are, a promotional flyer, a Xerox copy of any favorable
write-ups you may have gotten, a group photo, a business card with a phone
number where they can contact the group’s director or guy in charge of
promotions, and two free passes to your show. I’ve worked at enough
newspapers to tell you that those passes get used, and if you have a
half-decent show, favorable stories will get written. Put together about a
dozen press kits, and give them to any newspaper, radio station, TV station,
college or high school paper in the immediate area. Two or three of your
recipients will certainly send someone to check the show out. Reviewing your
show isn’t beneath their dignity; these editors are competing with each other
to show how "involved in the local community" they are, and besides, you’re
comedians and are a good source for funny quotes and readable copy. This is
their job.
You can also include a press release you’ve written yourself. Some papers
actually print these as news stories, especially small town papers with tiny
overworked staffs. It’s sleazy, but they do it.
--"How do I get rid of an unwanted player in my group?"
Take him (or her) aside privately. Say it’s not working out and that you
don’t want him in the group. Be sympathetic, but make it clear that you’ve
made the decision and it is not negotiable. And try to make this determination
within about three months of his first performance with the group, as the
longer you wait, the harder it will be to get rid of him. Shake his hand, wish
him luck as sincerely as you can, show him the door and don’t look back.
My personal feeling is that this should be done by the director of the group
only, but it should be noted that most people in this newsgroup feel that the
process should include other people in the group, possibly the group as a
whole.
If you are the fired player, just walk away. No speeches, no elaborate plans of
revenge; these will inevitably come back to bite you in the ass. While it's
hard not to take personally the business and artistic decisions that exclude
you, you realize that a) you really did see it coming and b) the mark you make
on the world of improv will be made somewhere else now. And while this is one
cold stone in the belly, every groundbreaking actor in the history of theater
has been fired at some point. There's also the possibility that, for you,
improv just wasn't meant to be, and there's no shame in discovering this about
yourself. Of all life's hard knocks, this one really isn't even in the top ten.
Go buy a nice steak dinner somewhere and get on with your life.
--"Are there any books about this? "
Oh yes, quite a few....
The following books are listed in Amazon.Com’s massive catalogue
( http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/theatersportcom ) and are all
related, directly or indirectly, to the teaching and/or history of
improvisational comedy and theatre. This FAQ is in no way connected with
Amazon.com, but as they are one of the largest booksellers on the internet, I
consider their catalogue to be an invaluable indicator of a book’s price,
print status and commercial availability. The prices are Amazon’s, not the
respective publishers’ recommended prices. And when there are multiple
listings for essentially the same book, this FAQ lists the cheapest and leans
towards the softcover version.
_Comedy Improvisation : Exercises and Technique for Young Actors_
Delton T. Horn / Paperback / Published 1992
$10.36 ~ You Save: $2.59 (20%)
_Compass_
Janet Coleman / Published 1990
(Hard to Find)
_The Compass : The Improvisational Theatre That Revolutionized American Comedy_
Janet Coleman / Paperback / Published 1991
$17.50
_Going Too Far/the Rise and Demise of Sick, Gross, Black, Sophomoric, Weirdo,
Pinko, Anarchist, Underground, Anti-Establishment Humor_
Tony Hendra / Published 1987
(Hard to Find)
Not much about Improv, but a lot of familiar improv names get mentioned here. A
history of postwar humor, from Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl to National Lampoon
and Saturday Night Live. Long focus on The Committee (SF offshoot of Second
City). Hendra wrote for and edited National Lampoon and Spy. Invaluable peek
into the backstage creative process and the personality clashes therein
_Impro for Storytellers_
Keith Johnstone
$20.99
_Impro : Improvisation and the Theatre_
Keith Johnstone / Paperback / Published 1989
$13.56 ~ You Save: $3.39 (20%)
_Improv Comedy_
Andy Goldberg / Paperback / Published 1992
$11.16 ~ You Save: $2.79 (20%)
_Improvisation for the Theater_
Viola Spolin / Paperback / Published 1997
$11.96 ~ You Save: $2.99 (20%) (Not Yet Published -- On Order)
Possibly the best-known and most widely-read book in the subject of improv.
Strong focus on theory and foundation; huge resource for improv exercises.
_Improvisation for the Theater : A Handbook of Teaching and Directing
Techniques_
Viola Spolin / Paperback / Published 1983
$14.95
_Something Wonderful Right Away_
Jeffrey Sweet / Paperback / Published 1987
$16.00 ~ You Save: $4.00 (20%)
Extensive interviews with the major players behind Second City, including Paul
Sills, Mike Nichols, Barbara Harris, Roger Bowen, Severn Darden, Alan Arkin,
Gilda Radner, Del Close, Shelley Berman, David Shepherd, Mina Kolb, Joan
Rivers, et al. A Who's Who of North American humor and improv. The author is a
frequent participant in our newsgroup.
_Theater Games for Rehearsal : A Director's Handbook_
Viola Spolin / Paperback / Published 1985
$14.95
_Theater Game File (Index Cards and Handbook)_
$49.95 (Special Order)
_Theater Games for Rehearsal : A Director's Handbook_
Viola Spolin / Hardcover / Published 1985
(Publisher Out Of Stock)
_Theater Games for the Classroom : A Teacher's Handbook_
Viola Spolin / Paperback / Published 1986
$13.95
_Truth in Comedy : The Manual of Improvisation_
Charna Halpern, et al / Paperback / Published 1994
$10.36 ~ You Save: $2.59 (20%)
Despite its flaws, this is probably the best-written of the major books on
improv. While Charna Halpern might not be in the pantheon of improv's founding
parents, she has a better grasp of Strunk & White's _Elements of Style_ than
either Spolin or Johnstone and she (along with Del Close and Kim "Howard"
Johnson) has crafted the most readable book on the subject I've encountered.
Invaluable information on simplifying and strengthening scenes. The book's weak
points include its cheerleading for the Harold (a pioneering long-form game
developed by Mr. Close) and a tendency towards inappropriate name-dropping (Are
John Belushi and Chris Farley really the best exemplars of Close's "Don't try
to be funny" dictum?). On balance, highly recommended.
_Theater Games for the Classroom : A Teacher's Handbook, Grades 4-6_
Viola Spolin, et al / Published 1986
(Hard to Find)
-----------------------
Deb Rabbai (of New York City) recommends the following books that are not
available through Amazon:
_Teaching Improvisation Through TheatreSports, A Curriculum to Improve Acting
Skills_
Lynda Belt & Rebecca Stockley
_Don't Be Prepared, TheatreSports for Teachers_
Keith Johnstone (Out of print, probably forever)
_Impro for Storytellers_
Keith Johnstone
Trish Berrong of Kansas City recommends these, as well:
Playing the Game (a great source for warmup games)
Christine Poulter
Players Press, Inc. (PO Box 1132, Studio City, CA 91614-0132)
1991
Playing Along: 37 Group Learning Activities Borrowed from Improvisational
Theater
(terrific for improv troupes who teach corporate workshops)
Izzy Gesell
Whole Person Associates (1-800-247-6789)
1997
----------------------------------------
Bay Area Theatersports offers its "Playbook" for sale through its website:
http://www.improv.org
--"Why aren’t you a rec. group? I like those more than alt. groups!"
We held a discussion and vote on this very matter this past spring. While all
the people who voter were in favor of changing to a rec. group, there just
weren’t enough votes to justify forming one. Maybe next year.
-----------------------------------------------------------
This FAQ is a growing, living, mutating thing. To have your own information or
viewpoint listed (and to get yourself listed as a contributor and therefore
immortalized in a small, pathetic way), send your comments and additions to me,
Bob Kennedy, at BobK...@aol.com.
Compiled by Bob Kennedy (BobK...@aol.com)
Other contributors:
Trish Berrong of Funny Outfit (Kansas City)
Dave Cox of LA ComedySportz (ya4da...@aol.com)
Deb Rabbai (NYC) (pe...@aol.com)
Tim Sheppard of Wordweavers in Bristol, England (t...@lilliput-p.win-uk.net)
Jeff Sweet, author of _Something Wonderful Right Away_ (dgs...@aol.com)
[Check out Jeff’s websites: http://members.aol.com/DgSWEET/index.html
(personal)
and http://www.improv.net/and/index.html (Summer Improv Retreat)]
Vose, LA Theatersports (Iro...@aol.com)
Acxxi
Thank you for your continued work on the FAQ. Could you add us to the group
list?
Loose Screws
www.loosescrews.org
Honolulu, HI
Thanks!
R. Kevin Doyle
Loose Screws
Honolulu, HI
arqu...@my-deja.com
You got it, R!
--Bob Kennedy
Alexandria, VA
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.