Born on June 1, 1952, Charna Halpern graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1974 and began her career in radio before turning to improvisation in 1981 with Del Close. A pioneer of long-form improvisation, she co-founded iO Theater (improvOlympic) in Chicago with Del Close. She directed iO Theater for over 30 years, training SNL stars such as Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Mike Myers, and Chris Farley. She and Del Close invented the “Harold” format, a long-form improvisation structure that revolutionized comedy, moving from short sketches to full-length narrative pieces. Their book, Truth in Comedy, published in 1994, is a global reference for improvisers, actors, and comedians, used in universities and workshops worldwide. The iO had to temporarily close in 2020 due to the pandemic and protests, but reopened in 2022; Halpern remains active, teaching international seminars and workshops, including in Latin America. Sources: en.wikipedia | inc.com

Improv arrived in Argentina in 1988 through the Frenchman Claude Bazin, who led an Improvisation Match workshop at the General San Martín Cultural Center in Buenos Aires. That same year, the first match in Spanish took place, with participants such as Ricardo Behrens (future director of the LPI), Pedro Cano, Eduardo Calvo, and Mosquito Sancineto, which led to the founding of the Argentine Improvisation League. From Buenos Aires, it spread to other provinces: Mosquito Sancineto trained figures such as Romina Coccio, Osqui Guzmán, Marcelo Savignone, and Omar Galván, who founded Sucesos Argentinos in 1997; in La Plata, it arrived via Roberto “Cabe” Mallo around 1987-1988, leading to the creation of the LILP in 2000. Mendoza had its league in 2011…. If you want to learn more about Argentine theatrical improvisation, your essential book is Impro Argentina by Gustavo Caletti (Ed. Coop. Chilavert, 2009), a work based on interviews with key figures in the history of Argentine improv, compiling the first 20 years of improv history in Argentina. Also explore the improv perspective through the works of Argentine improvisers with the greatest international reach: Omar Galván (Improtour), Feña Ortalli (Global Impro), and Pau Farias. Additionally, Hernán Gené‘s work on clowning and…

If you’re just getting into the world of improv, taking your first classes, or want to solidify your ideas before launching your troupe, you’ll want a book to harden your knowledge. Perhaps the list on this site is a bit overwhelming, and you don’t know where to start. So, let’s put together a quick list of 12 books to check out to lay the foundation for your improv. They’re written for people new to improv, without taking anything for granted. Most are in English, but it’s worth it. Are you satisfied with the list? Would you add or remove any?

Applied improv is the branch of theatrical improvisation that tries to apply its principles and mechanisms to other areas such as work, teaching or life.

Since she was little she liked theater and her first approach to improv was at university. She studied at Boston College where she belonged to the improv group. Later he deepened his training in improvisation and comedy with Charna Halpern in ImprovOlympic and later in The Second City in Chicago where she met Tina Fey. He founded the improv company Upright Citizens Brigade in Chicago. In 1996 the group moved to New York where they started a small theater. The success came when his show became a 30 minutes weekly on the Comedy Central television network. To read the entire history of UCB I recommend reading the book High-status Characters, in which journalist Brian Raferty interviews the company’s cast to outline its history. From 2001 to 2008, Poehler was a main cast member of Saturday Night Live, where she again met Tina Fey. Together they would later collaborate on some films. She has been nominated for multiple awards for her work on SNL and the Parks and Recreation series. For the first she won an Emmy (along with Tina Fey) and for the second work she won the Golden Globe in 2014. In film and television she has done a…

Vamos a hacer un pequeño repaso por la producción editorial en España. En paralelo a que la impro aún no tiene las cotas de fama que tiene en Estados Unidos, donde la producción editorial es bastante elevada, aquí podemos contar los pocos libros publicados sobre el tema. Sin embargo, la calidad en todos ellos es muy elevada. Nos reservamos para otro artículo los libros de los argentinos Omar Galván o Feña Ortali y el repentista cubano Alexis Diaz-Pimienta, aunque les hemos adoptado en España con mucho cariño. Explorando el match de improvisación (Koldobika Vio) Uno de los primeros libros sobre impro en nuestro país que repasa el formato que logró su difusión. Un libro planteado desde la visión de un profesor, con su guía pedagógica, para llevarlo a las aulas y dotar de herramientas para la creación y la creatividad a adolescentes. Improvisación (Carles Castillo) La improvisación llegó a España vía Valencia de la mano de Carles Castillo, fundador de Imprebís. Así que la editorial Ñaque contó con él para un nuevo libro sobre impro. Impro (Alfredo Mantovani, Borja Cortés, Encarni Corrales, José Ramón Muñoz Leza, Pablo Pundik) La cuna de la impro en Madrid fue Asura, y sus principales…

Countless books have been written that explore the world of creativity in its various manifestations. Without a doubt, improvisation is a lever in this field, it is what we call “applied improvisation.” We present a series of works that talk about improvisation and its application in various contexts, from theater and comedy to the business world and problem solving. These books offer a unique perspective on how to foster creativity, among other things, revealing the power of improvisation as a fundamental tool for innovation and personal and professional development. The Art of Is (Stephen Nachmanovitch) This musician is a reference to how to take the philosophy of impro beyond art, and what resources creativity has in common in musical or theatrical improvisation and in life. An essential book. This is the only book in the selection that has been translated into Spanish. The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation, and Intuition at Work (Natalie Nixon) Natalie Nixon is an eminence in creativity. Through this enjoyable book, she discovers the countless studies that deal with the subject of creativity. Training to Imagine (Kat Koppett) A book purely oriented to applied theatrical improvisation. Discover exercises and mechanics with which Kat Koppett has been…

El 11 de marzo de 2023 se apagó la vida de una de las personas más importantes en la impro como la conocemos actualemente: Keith Johnstone, un hombre cuya pasión por el teatro y la creatividad ha dejado una huella indeleble en el mundo escénico. Nació en Devon, Inglaterra, hace 90 años, en la primavera de 1933. Desde muy joven, Keith demostró un talento innato para contar historias y transportar a las personas a mundos imaginarios. Su imaginación desbordante y su espíritu inquisitivo lo llevaron a explorar nuevos territorios en el teatro, revolucionando la forma en que se aborda la improvisación y la actuación. A lo largo de su vida, Keith Johnstone ha sido un verdadero pionero en su campo. F Fue profesor en Reino Unido, en 1956 se incorporó al Royal Court Theatre donde se convirtió en lector de obras, director y profesor de teatro. ue un visionario audaz que desafió las convenciones teatrales establecidas y se atrevió a experimentar con nuevas formas de creación escénica y allí desarrolló el corpus de su trabajo sobre la impro. También allí fundó la primera compañía de improvisación de Gran Bretaña: The Theatre Machine. En 1972, aceptó una invitción de la Universidad…

If you are starting a theater group, you may have a group of people with a lot of enthusiasm but little idea of some of the mechanisms that make an impro group work. We are talking about the distribution of tasks, training/rehearsals and, especially, knowing how to work as a team, with good communication and interpersonal relationships. That’s why it’s a good idea to lean on the shoulders of those who previously set up theater groups. Here are our recommendations Building the succesful theater company (Lisa Mulcahy) Lisa Mulcahy interviews the most diverse and vital theater companies in the USA, current and recent, to try to unravel how to build a successful company. Seen from an eminently practical perspective, through funny anecdotes and sincere advice to understand the theater profession. Devising Theatre (Alison Oddey) A practical manual combining a critical analysis of contemporary theater practice, devised with descriptions of selected companies, and suggestions for any group thinking of organizing a theater group from scratch. Theatre Games for Rehearsal (Viola Spolin) Theater Games for Rehearsal is a practical application of the famous methods that have led Viola Spolin to be called “the high priestess of improvisational theater.” This manual guides directors…

Es interesante hacer una repaso para saber los orígenes de la impro, a continuación diversos libros que recorren la historia de la impro y ensayos que hacen un mapa de la situación actual de la improvisación teatral en distintos países. Se pueden destacar la tesis “Improvisación como espectáculo” de Mariana Lima Muniz y “Improv Nation” de Sam Wasson para tener una visión global. Pero también son interesantes Second City Almanac de Anne Libera e “Impro Argentina” de Gustavo Caletti porque dan una interesante visión desde dentro. Origines de la impro: Italia y Canadá Uno de los orígenes de la actual improvisación lo podemos encontrar en la Commedia dell’Arte italiana de los siglos XVI y XVII. Una interesante obra autopublicada que hace un recorrido de la historia de la impro. En Canadá, Robert Gravel y Jan-Marc Lavergne investigaron sobre como crear el juego teatral como un arte que mostrar a público. Estados Unidos Sam Wasson repasa la evolución de la impro desde su origen en Chicago, con Mike Nichols y Eleaine May. Y siguendo con Chicago, nos detenemos en Second City. Una lavandería reformada en teatro puso en marcha en 1959 una de las cunas de la impro moderna. Argentina A…