Impro
Ratings4
Average rating4.1
15
Ratings4
Average rating4.1
In this landmark work Keith Johnstone provides a revelatory guide to rediscovering and unlocking the imagination. Admired for its clarity and zest, Impro lays bare the techniques and exercises used to foster spontaneity and narrative skill for actors. These techniques and exercises were evolved in the actors' studio, when he was Associate Director of the Royal Court and then in demonstrations to schools and colleges and ultimately in the founding of a company of performers called The Theatre Machine. Divided into four sections, 'Status', 'Spontaneity', 'Narrative Skills' and 'Masks and Trance', arranged more or less in the order a group might approach them, the book sets out the specific approaches which Johnstone has himself found most useful and most stimulating. The result is a fascinating exploration of the nature of spontaneous creativity. 'If teachers were honoured in the British theatre along-side directors, designers and playwrights, Keith Johnstone would be as familiar a name as are those of . . . Jocelyn Herbert, Edward Bond and other young talents who were drawn to the great lodestone of the Royal Court Theatre in the late 1950s. As head of the script department, Johnstone played a crucial part in the development of the 'writers' theatre.' Irving Wardle
Reviews with the most likes.
On the surface, Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre is a book for those interested in theatre and improvisation. Keith Johnstone assembled it as part autobiography, part practical advice with situational examples. At the same time, the book is about the liberation of the mind and collaboration. Don't overthink a situation, and don't try to control it; accept each interaction and build upon it.
Keith Johnstone explores Status, Spontaneity, Narration, and Masks as the leading aspects of improvisation. Most of the readers will find the chapter Status as a revelation. Each interaction is a transaction between statuses, where status is an individual's sense of self-esteem and power difference. In improvisation, status is not fixed or assigned to an individual permanently. Status interactions and transformations during scenes help create dramatic tension, conflict, and comedy. Once you get how it works, you will understand what makes interactions engaging and will look at improvisation in a new light.
Whenever someone offers an idea, you can either accept or block it. Keith Johnstone describes blocking as a form of aggression: "when in doubt, say 'NO.' We use this in life as a way of blocking action." The author teaches that for actors to develop a scene in improvisation, they must help each other by accepting. If we take the same advice out of improvisation, it holds in everyday life too.
In the last chapter, Keith Johnstone focuses on Masks and Trance. If taken out of context, you would think the author describes ghost stories, demonic possessions, and voodoo magic. I found the chapter perplexing because it was my first time reading about mask acting, and it only occurred to me after how masks can change an actor's senses and behavior. The chapter is an intriguing read, albeit it provokes some skepticism.
The book is a brilliant introduction to improvisation acting. It is also a guide to being more receptive to others and overcoming the fear of failure by releasing the desire to be in control.
I liked it!! However exactly half of it. In my opinion you could stop reading at the start of the mask chapters. I listened to the entire things but they made zero sense to me.
