The Inner Game of Improv: 5 Steps to Getting Bigger in Your Improv Career Do you think that to get a bigger career in improv you have to run off to one more class or one more show? If so, you may be running in the wrong direction. If you want to have a bigger career in improv and you can quite figure out why you’re stuck, you may need to search inside for the answers. In this straight-forward, easy-to-read book, improv teacher Jimmy Carrane, co-author of Improving Better, author of Improv Therapy and host of the Improv Nerd podcast, has identified five things that often prevent improvisers from having a bigger career: perfectionism, resentments (and expectations), low self-esteem, playing small, and not taking care of yourself. Carrane combines real-world advice and practical tools with personal stories from his more than 30 years of teaching and performing at Second City, iO Chicago and The Annoyance Theatre to help you recognize and let go of each of these character traits so you can get more opportunities and make the most out of your improv career.

Improv Therapy: How to get out of your own way to become a better improviser Have you ever wanted to hide or kill yourself after doing a bad improv show? Have you thought you were crazy for feeling fear before, during or after a show? Do you judge your fellow improvisers on stage? Do you want to experience more joy in improvising? Improv Therapy is an honest and insightful book about the things improvisers don’t want to discuss: their feelings. Improvisation is as much about technique as it is what’s inside your head. Improv Therapy takes a look at the improviser’s mind and what blocks improvisers on stage, and gives them practical advice to overcome their issues so they can become the improviser they always dreamed of being. Written by Jimmy Carrane, host of the Improv Nerd podcast and co-author of Improvising Better: A Guide for the Working Improviser. He teaches his award-winning Art Of Slow Comedy improv classes in Chicago.

This book is a practical and easy guide to learning the art of improvisation, that is, being prepared to find solutions to unexpected problems. To improvise on stage, at work and in life, it is necessary to develop certain skills that we already have, but which can be improved. Each chapter talks about a skill necessary for improvisation, such as Listening, Collaboration, Teamwork, accompanied by related improvisation games. This book is recommended for improvisers, improvisation teachers, actors, theater and arts students and teachers; professionals from different areas who seek to develop their own skills or those of their employees and co-workers, such as Communication, Self-Expression, Combating Shyness, Teamwork, Decision Making, Quick Reasoning, among others; consultants, trainers, speakers, corporate training facilitators and coaches; writers, screenwriters, advertisers, playwrights and others interested in storytelling, scriptwriting and story creation; and for anyone who wants to learn fun games of creativity, spontaneity and integration for two or more people. All the exercises described in the book have already been used by the author in his classes and training in these 12 years of research and dedication to teaching the methodology known as Impro or Improv. It’s been a long time since improvisation theater techniques left…

This collection of Applied Improvisation stories and strategies draws back the curtain on an exciting, innovative, growing field of practice and research that is changing the way people lead, create, and collaborate. Applied Improvisation is the umbrella term widely used to denote the application of improvised theatre’s theories, tenets, games, techniques, and exercises beyond conventional theatre spaces, to foster the growth and/or development of flexible structures, new mindsets, and a range of inter and intra-personal skills required in today’s volatile and uncertain world. This edited collection offers one of the first surveys of the range of practice, featuring 12 in-depth case studies by leading Applied Improvisation practitioners and a foreword by Phelim McDermott and Lee Simpson. The contributors in this anthology are professional Applied Improvisation facilitators working in sectors as diverse as business, social science, theatre, education, law, and government. All have experienced the power of improvisation, have a driving need to share those experiences, and are united in the belief that improvisation can positively transform just about all human activity. Each contributor describes their practice, integrates feedback from clients, and includes a workbook component outlining some of the exercises used in their case study to give facilitators and students…

Business professionals often overlook a crucial tool for thriving in today’s fast-paced environment: improvisation. In Getting to “Yes And”, veteran improv performer, university professor, CEO, and consultant Bob Kulhan unveils a form of mental agility with applications far beyond the entertainment value of comedy troupes. He shows how improv techniques can create more productive meetings, swifter decisions, stronger collaboration, positive conflict resolution, mindfulness, and more.

What is the big deal about improv? It’s fun. It strengthens our imagination, promotes self-confidence, increases spontaneity, promotes teamwork, and it’s magic: it creates something out of nothing. 101 IMPROV GAMES FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS contains the basics: what improv is all about and how to do it, special instructions for how to teach improv to children, plus more advanced training on how to use your voice and body in ways you haven’t thought of before. It has helpful hints for creating scenes and environments out of thin air. All this plus 101 games with simple instructions, from easy warm-up games to over-the-top crowd pleasers such as Fairy Tales, Bizarre Games, On Your Toes and Narrative Games. This is the tenth in the Hunter House SmartFun activity books series, and the first one for adults as well as children. The book is a great resource for educators as well as for the professional actor or the layperson working with improv for fun. The book contains lively illustrations and is easy to use. Improv is about creating something out of nothing, but a really good improviser can create something great out of nothing. This book shows you how.

Long form scenic improv began with the Harold. The comic philosophy of this form started an era of comedy marked by support, trust, and collaboration. This book tells of the Harold, beginning with the development of improv theatre, through the tensions and evolutions that led to its creation at iO, and to its use in contemporary filmmaking.

The Comedy Improv Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to University Improvisational Comedy in Theatre and Performance is a one-stop resource for both improv teachers and students, covering improv history, theory, maxims, exercises, games, and structures. You will learn the necessary skills and techniques needed to become a successful improviser, developing a basic understanding of the history of improvisation and its major influences, structures, and theories. This book also addresses issues associated with being a college improviser – like auditions, rehearsals, performances, and the dynamics of improv groups.

TAKE IT EASY™ isn’t about a new way of doing improv, nor is it meant to replace your own style or approach. Instead it’s a mindset that can inform your performance and approach to improvisation. “Highly recommended for the beginning improvisor or the seasoned pro trying to rediscover the fun.” – Sam Super, The Second City Training Center’s 2017 Teacher of the Year This isn’t an ‘intro to improv’ book, nor is it a how-to manual. Instead, TAKE IT EASY™ is a collection of thoughts and observations designed to give people a different perspective on their craft, and it also includes games and exercises for people to do on their own or to bring to their group to reinforce the book’s teachings. Web: Ryan Millar – Take it Easy

Brisez la glace! 
Organisation d’une ligue d’improvisation Este trabajo se publica en colaboración con la Ligue Nationale d’Improvisation y Éditions Gravel-Leduc Inc. Está especialmente dirigido a profesores, estudiantes de secundaria y estudiantes postsecundarios que deseen crear una liga. ¡Encontrarás ejercicios básicos, valiosos consejos sobre el arte de las justas, recomendaciones informadas para elaborar un presupuesto, establecer tus reglas y sugerencias para promocionarte!