The Improv Handbook is the most comprehensive, smart, helpful and inspiring guide to improv available today. Applicable to comedians, actors, public speakers and anyone who needs to think on their toes, it features a range of games, interviews, descriptions and exercises that illuminate and illustrate the exciting world of improvised performance. First published in 2008, this second edition features a new foreword by comedian Mike McShane, as well as new exercises on endings, managing blind offers and master-servant games, plus new and expanded interviews with Keith Johnstone, Neil Mullarkey, Jeffrey Sweet and Paul Rogan. The Improv Handbook is a one-stop guide to the exciting world of improvisation. Whether you’re a beginner, an expert, or would just love to try it if you weren’t too scared, The Improv Handbook will guide you every step of the way.

The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual is a comprehensive guide to the UCB style of long form comedy improvisation. Written by UCB founding members Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh, the manual covers everything from the basics of two person scene work (with a heavy emphasis on finding “the game” of the scene), to the complexities of working within an ensemble to perform long form structures, such as “The Harold” and “The Movie”. A practical “how to” book, the guide provides exercises throughout to help the reader master each new concept and technique introduced. While the manual is written to be understood by beginners with no previous exposure to improvisational comedy, experienced improvisors will find it to be an excellent resource for honing their skills, clarifying concepts, and generally taking their work to a higher level.

“If it happens in life, it can happen on stage.” With a fresh approach and powerful techniques, the Complete Improviser strives to liberate players from the classic improv rules. While well-meaning, many of the classic rules and approaches to improv (such as always say yes and don’t ask questions) say that certain scenes and choices are improper or completely illegal. Yet many of those illegal situations happen in our everyday lives. They also happen in the lives of characters in books, TV shows, and movies without any problems. When we recognize and play by the rules of life, many of the common confusions and stumbling blocks with traditional improvisation go away. Combining basics with pro tips, actors, improvisers, drama teachers, theater directors and new players of all backgrounds will find tremendous value with this life-first, in the moment philosophy. Though primarily focused on Chicago-style long form improv, readers will find information on relationship scenes, game scenes, and long form strategies with sample forms. Included are exercises with examples.

Improvisation as a spectacle is a theatrical style where actors create dinners in no time, together with the public and in the heat of the day. This book presents a methodological proposal for teaching and learning improvisation, contextualized in the main artistic and technical experiences of improvisation as a spectacle from the second meta of the 20th century. It is the result of ten years of practical and theoretical research on the topic and aims to contribute to the technical and artistic development of improvisation as well as spectacle in our training processes in theater with adults and children.

How to improvise a full lenght play: The art of spontaneous theater (Ken Adams) Forget the script and get on the stage! In How to Improvise a Full-Length Play, actors, playwrights, directors, theater-group leaders, and teachers will find everything they need to know to create comedy, tragedy, melodrama, and farce, with no scripts, no scenarios, and no preconceived characters. Author Kenn Adams presents a step-by-step method for long-form improvisation, covering plot structure, storytelling, character development, symbolism, and advanced scene work. Games and exercises throughout the book help actors and directors focus on and succeed with cause-and-effect storytelling, raising the dramatic stakes, creating dramatic conflict, building the dramatic arc, defining characters, creating environments, establishing relationships, and more. How to Improvise a Full-Length Play is the essential tool for anyone who wants to create exceptional theater. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don’t aspire to publish a New York Times…

This book establishes a vocabulary for improvisational direction to help directors, teachers and coaches better aid their troupes, their students and themselves. Featured inside are examples from varying schools and philosophies and interview with such respected improv luminaries as Armando Diaz, Michael Gellman, Kevin Mullaney, Mick Napier, Dan O’Connor, Shira Piven, Gary Schwartz, Todd Stashwick, and many more. Find information on:

The Improviser’s Way – A Longform Workbook By Katy Schutte An inspiring and interactive workbook to help you develop skills for longform improvisation, by one of the UK’s top improv performers and teachers. Structured as a twelve-week course, this book provides techniques, advice and exercises that can be done on your own or in groups – with activities to complete as you go – for learning faster and becoming (more) amazing at improvisation. It draws on the author’s own experience of performing and teaching improv around the world, with added gems of wisdom from key experts. Starting with the basics of improvisation, it moves on to explore areas of the craft such as rehearsals, character, editing, form and style; plus career advice including how to cope with bad gigs, jealousy, fear of missing out and your Inner Critic. The Improviser’s Way is ideal for improvisers at any level – from those new to improv entirely, through those familiar with shortform who are looking to extend their reach, to experienced longform performers and teachers looking to refresh their approach and embrace new ideas. It is also invaluable to anyone looking to discover more about this popular, thrillingly creative and empowering form…

The THEATER PEDAGOGY Collection presents this text on the Improvisation Match as a tool within the field of expression and creativity. Like all Ñaque Editora publications, it combines theoretical depth with the freshness of practice. KOLDOBIKA GOTZON VIO, a student of Georges Laferriére, shares his experience and that of his teammates, D’lmpro Kolektiboa. “EXPLORING THE IMPROVISATION MATCH” is an invitation to enter and enjoy the world of Match: “A theatrical game collective in which, through improvisation techniques, several teams compete cooperatively and where the audience is an active part of the show.” Teams and public are part of a process of growth, fun and pleasure. Prefaced by the promoter of Match in Spain, Georges Laferriére, Professor of Dramatic Arts Didactics at the University of Quebec in Montreal; The book deals with how a Match team can be trained in its early phases and its in-depth study of this work, all seasoned with keys for its pedagogical use. For fans of this game-technique; for actors and actresses; for trainers who wish to apply it in the workshop or classroom.

Jill Bernard, a favorite on the improv festival circuit, shares her method of creating spontaneous characters, VAPAPO. This tiny book is an easy way to get more into the scene and less into your head with shortcuts to fuller, playful characters. This tenth anniversary edition features even more original essays on improv. It measures 6″x6″ and is 20 pages long. Every order envelope features original art by the author, just for you. Only $5 plus $2 shipping & handling. “A must read. This book might change your life.” — Joe Bill “It speaks from the heart and to all the voices in your head.” — Mark Sutton

“Clive Barker’s book is more than just a guidebook of improvisational games for actors: it is, rather a comprehensive exploration of acting techniques” New York Theatre Review “Theatre Games is a massive contribution to the art of theatre…A bulging portfolio of credo, craft, advice and instruction…It is dazzlingly astute and a thrilling read – quite unlike a text-book, rather a long, fascinating chat into the small hours” The Stage Theatre games are a method of training actors that was developed in the 20th century by leading practitioners including Clive Barker, who trained actors at Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop in its heyday. He developed his “theatre games” system over 20 years and proved its effectiveness for teachers, students and actors alike. His famous book combines his philosophy and approach to games, describes how to play them and the acting skills which can develop out of them. The games are arranged in order of complexity and illustrated with photographs and diagrams. This re-issue of this classic and timeless text now includes a DVD with video material showing Clive Barker teaching his games in a studio and contains background information and first hand material from Clive himself. Theatre Games will enable anyone involved…