Improv books

Here you will find the most complete list of theatrical improv books, whether they are improv games, long-form improv or essays on the state of improv.

Luz, Impro, ¡Acción! (Pablo Boraquevich)
/ 7 de September de 2023

This book is a practical theoretical guide for improvisers, storytellers and artists in general to learn to tell better stories. It combines knowledge of cinema and theater to, through examples of well-known classes and films, provide valuable information about narrative structures, types of conflict, characters and their function and much more. It is a self-publishing, you can obtain it contacting the author directly: Pablo Boraquevich (@boraimpro) This book can be obtained in digital format for less than €10

Answers From Improv Teachers : Book 3 (David Escobedo)
/ 3 de July de 2023

We’re at it again with a THIRD BOOK! We asked popular improv teachers and performers from around the world their advice. We felt like it was especially poingant to discuss improv in the times of Covid and Lockdown. We published all their beuaitulf answers on the improv community here! David Escobedo gathered and published this book. He has been coaching and performing improv since 1994, and who runs the Improv Boost.

The SIN: Essays on Improv
/ 3 de July de 2023

The SIN is a network of international improvisers in Europe that meets twice per year. The network aims to create an environment of support and collaboration across borders. It is our ambition to explore the art of improvisational theatre together as well as sharing advice and good practices on all organisation and production around improv. The ultimate goal is to boost improvisational theatre in local communities throughout Europe by working together and learning from each other within the international community. This book is a snapshot of different insights, pedagogies, and good practice from some of the members of our group. We’re offering them to the wider community as a window into the thought and function of our group, and to further our aims of boosting improv in theatres around Europe. As teachers and theatre directors, we can all feel a bit isolated at times. The SIN as a group, and this book as an offering, are efforts to bring a feeling of community and the free exchange of ideas that help make this art form the beautiful thing that it is. We hope that everyone reading it feels supported, inspired, and perhaps even provoked. Contents: Improvisation and the Scientific Method…

Play Like an Ally (Stephen Davidson)
/ 3 de July de 2023

Improvising Gender is a book about playing characters of different genders truthfully and convincingly. It’s packed full of exercises to help you construct a wide variety of characters and worlds using different genders. A mix of insights and thought-provoking experiments, this book will also help you to be more understanding of and welcoming to performers of all genders.

Improvising Gender (Stephen Davidson)
/ 3 de July de 2023

Improvising Gender is a book about playing characters of different genders truthfully and convincingly. It’s packed full of exercises to help you construct a wide variety of characters and worlds using different genders. A mix of insights and thought-provoking experiments, this book will also help you to be more understanding of and welcoming to performers of all genders.

Improvisation Starters (Philip Bernardi)
/ 7 de June de 2023

Fill Your Performance with Spontaneity and Energy Improvisation is an essential and invaluable technique for the actor’s repertoire: It asks you to think beyond a script–and its memorized lines, movements, and facial expressions–to deliver a performance filled with honesty, insight, nuance, and verisimilitude. Improvisation Starters Revised and Expanded provides more than 1,000 brand-new scene scenarios that will help you: • Depict conflict by focusing on differing beliefs, motivations, and needs • Use contrasts to show the clash of personalities and emotions • Creatively incorporate props and specific lines of dialogue within an improvised scene • Explore character relationships with various locations • Take on the role of inanimate objects and animals From the classroom to the community theater group–and even in business, language, and technology classes–improvisation is the perfect tool for thinking critically, communicating clearly, building self-confidence, and developing interpersonal skills. With this revised edition of Improvisation Starters, you’ll bring new vitality to the stage or set–and have fun in the process!

Teaching Improv Skills (Nancy L. Meyer)
/ 7 de June de 2023

Teaching Improv Skills: Stories, Games, and Tips to Develop Skills for Improvisational Comedy Troupes Do you want to build your improv troupe’s skills? Or are you looking to develop positive communication skills with a group you work with? Improvisation is all about listening, accepting, reacting, responding, and bringing more to the table in positive ways. Improv comedy troupes—as well as any other groups that want to work better together—need a firm foundation in these skills plus trust and a willingness to take a few “safe risks.” Nancy Meyer’s book Teaching Improv Skills: Stories, Games, and Tips to Develop Skills for Improvisational Comedy Troupes will help all folks who work with humans develop and hone improvisational comedy and positive communication skills through real performers’ stories, analysis, coaching suggestions, and games. And it’s a whole lot of fun. Inside, you will… * Explore the skills of successful improvisational comedy and positive communication * Learn 40 skill-building games using step-by-step instructions * Dive into coaching strategies Modify games to meet the needs and levels of your participants * Use questions for debriefing games and self-reflection * And more… Say “Yes, and…” to Teaching Improv Skills today!

The Extreme Improv Big Book of Improv Games (David Pustansky)
/ 7 de June de 2023

The Extreme Improv Big Book of Improv Games. Do you enjoy having fun? Are you in need of an excuse to act like a fool on a Thursday evening? And have you a hankering for some ridiculous word games in your life? If the answer to any of these questions is YES then this is the book for you! The Extreme Improv Big Book of Improv Games is a fantastic resource of dozens and dozens of fun to play Improv Comedy games. This book will not only teach you the rules of each of the games, but also give you hundreds of pro tips so you can become an improv master! Written by Extreme Improv’s founder and resident supervillain David Pustansky, this book is riddled with ideas, infested with insights and boiling over with more improvised comedy goodness then legs on a centipede! If you want to inject new life into your improv skill set, this book breaks down tons of classic improv games, and explains how to play them successfully, the logic behind the rules, and when you should or shouldn’t break them! In addition to the classics, the book also includes bucket loads of Extreme Improv’s original creations…

The One Minute Improviser (Andrew M Spragge, Karen L Eichler)
/ 7 de June de 2023

The One Minute Improviser: Learn the secrets of being a truly great improviser Would you like to strengthen your approach to improv? Delve deeper into the Three Secrets every improviser learns? Do you want a smooth, quick read you can devour in your spare time? If you want all this (and more!) then you want The One Minute Improviser. This book provides a clear, simple look into the ideas that are basic to improv, while offering insight as to why these Three Secrets are so important. Based lovingly on the format of a well-known self-help book, The One Minute Improviser takes you along on a young man’s journey to find the Improv Guru, who he hopes will teach him the answers behind why The Three Secrets are crucial to the performance of quality improv. Learn the secret behind The Secrets: Be Accepting Be Supportive Be Fearless But wait…There’s more!Not only do you get these Three Secrets, but you also get a Free Fourth Secret! What is it, you ask? Well, we’re not telling because then it wouldn’t be a secret. But if you want to find out, grab yourself a copy of The One Minute Improviser and take your improv…

The Big Book of Improv Games (Andrew M Spragge, Karen L Eichler)
/ 7 de June de 2023

The Big Book of Improv Games: A compendium of performance-based short-form games What would you do with over 500 improv games? Would you like to own the most comprehensive collection ever published? Who do you know that loves improvisation? The product of years of research, The Big Book of Improv Games will amaze you as you flip through it, discovering page after page of performance-based games, many that will be completely new to you! Are you ready to become an Improv Powerhouse? Feed your passion for improv, go beyond the basics, and turn good improv into great improv with The Big Book of Improv Games! You’ll discover over 500 ways to make stuff up, along with full, expert descriptions, tips, and variations so complete anyone from beginner to expert can pick up the book, read through any game, and play it with confidence! Games are divided into convenient categories, making it easy for you to design an entertaining, varied play set for your show, jam, or practice: Scene Games Quirky Games Non-Scene Games Guessing Games Singing Games Step-Out Games Games are cross-referenced with similar games so you can find new favorites to try! Also included are helpful appendices, including: Glossary…