The Improv Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Improvising in Comedy, Theatre, and Beyond

I bought this book to help improve my son's skills in his theatre classes. His favorite part of theatre is improv class, but he needs work on his give and take skills. As I read the book, I realized that this book spells out a lot of the skills needed to improve social skills for people on the AUTISM spectrum. The listening skills, give-and-take, and team playing required in improv would work well with teaching social skills to those who don't have these abilities -- and the beauty is that when one is successful, you get immediate positive feedback (laughter) which motivates you to try harder. I really think that improv classes could go a long way to teach older higher-functioning children on the autism spectrum how to be funny -- thereby helping them with social skills. Parents of children on the autism spectrum -- really consider purchasing this book, and possibly setting up improv classes, in order to help your teenage child understand humor. It could go a long way to helping them adapt to their high school experience, and help their peers see them favorably so that they can improve their friendships.

I teach high school theater and I can't recommend this book enough. I came across the Improv Handbook just by dumb luck (I think it was one of those Amazon recommendations) and it has changed my acting classes for the better across the board. It is wonderful for not only teaching improv, but for teaching the elements of storytelling which are so important in all areas of theater. It's fun to read, the exercises are clearly explained, the objectives are concrete, and the kids love it. There are one or two parts that are not workable in my very conservative high school, but those are few and far between. This book, along with anything by Bruce Miller, will give you substantive ways to improve your acting classes.

Full explanation of Improv 'games' with author's critique. Easy to use and fun ideas. A great resource for the beginning improv class.

I am a huge fan of Keith Johnstone's Impro for Storytellers. This book felt like a continuation and so much more. Having read over a dozen books on improv, I would say this is one of the best I have come across. Tom Salinsky has been there and done that and it shows in his spot-on comments. I've been performing in a troop for 2 years and I couldn't agree more with his list of games that "should never be played". I haven't finished the book yet (it's a hefty volume), but the advice and reflections I've read so far already make it worth far more than the purchase price.

Love it

This book was a wonderful aide in further developing a beginning improvisation course for middle and high school students. Great resource for an acting and/or theatre educator.

A nice big book with tons of help for your improv. It is a thick book of substance and I recommend it highly.

Excellent, thank you!!!

Este libro lo tiene todo, desde lo más básico a lo más avanzado. Es gordo, es sólido, se nota que los que lo han escrito llevan muchos años improvisando y se han pensado las cosas bien. Hay una historia de la improvisación moderna, muy imparcial. Hay algo de opinión sobre cómo esta la impro hoy en día, con un análisis filosófico muy interesante. Pero para los que no quieran análisis teóricos, también esta lleno de un montón de técnicas muy útiles. Esta escrito un poco como "Impro for Storytellers", ya que el maestro de los autores es Keith Johnstone. Y aunque los contenidos son mayormente "Jonhstonianos" estos dos no se casan con nadie y usan material de otros enfoques, como el de Del Close. Para explicar los conceptos hay multitud de ejemplos de alumnos que lo han hecho mal y del profesor corrigiéndoles. Como ya he dicho: totalmente Johnstone. Parece pretencioso poner en el titulo de un libro "the ULTIMATE guide" pero verdaderamente este texto puede ser el non plus ultra en cuanto a técnicas de improvisación durante un montón de años. Lo digo en serio. Habrá libros más avanzados enfocados a problemas más específicos, como el de Carol Hazenfeld que apunta a una impro seria con personajes redondos, pero este es definitivamente un libro general y muy muy amplio. En fin, una maravilla.

To be honest, I haven't read the whole book yet, it has not been out for very long and I only, finally, got hold of it a couple of days ago, and will be writing a more comprehensive review once I have actually finished it and absorbed it's lessons. So far though, having just finished reading the very first chapter of the 'how to improvise' section, this book has made me extremely happy, it is well written, and is much more than just a rehashing of Keith Johnstone's Impro. Keith's work and theories are often cited and, since Impro is such a phenomenal book, that can only be a good thing. But what these authors do very well is actually TEACH YOU HOW TO IMPROVISE! I have found what little i have read to be pleasantly accessible and effective, possibly life altering. In just two days I have made the change from being an uptight, easily bored and anti-social being to the open, creative, constantly fascinated, smiley sort (who no longer believes that the word 'content' was invented by marketers trying to push positive psychology and it's products down our throats). In two days, and without being sick in my hands. I mention this only because the ability to act confidently and without sublimating is essential to the wannabe improviser. Ahem. Informative, good layout and entertaining examples, if your even remotely interested in this fascinating medium/storytelling/self improvement to name but a few, this book is definitely worth reading. From what I have read so far anyway, it works and I cant wait to finish it and write a 'proper' review.

intéressant

Improvisação Todo mundo deveria experimentar Divertido e criativo

The best book about Improv in the last years If you are an actor playing improv, a improv teacher or you want to start improv you must have it!