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 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.

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

Improvisation teachers have long known that the human mind could be trained to be effortlessly spontaneous and intuitive. Drinko explores what these improvisation teachers knew about improvisation’s effects on consciousness and cognition and compares these theories to current findings in cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy.

You’re an actor. You know you’re going to have to do it sometime, but the very thought chills your blood, makes your palms go sweaty, and your voice squeak. It’s improvisation – and for many actors it’s a nightmare. Greg Atkins, a member of South Coast Repertory and unabashed improviser, takes the fear out of improv. This friendly, informative book looks at the reasons many actors hate improvisation, while quietly reinforcing the reasons improv is a vital part of acting and of theatre. He offers sensible (and fun!) exercises that can be used by teachers or by actors, to build up the mental agility that is so much a part of improvisation, and that should be part of every actor’s arsenal.

When improv quartet Parallelogramophonograph (PGraph for short) embarked on their narrative improv journey in Austin, TX in 2005, they had no idea they were about to spend over a decade learning and discovering how to create fully improvised plays on the spot. This mini-book is filled with several short essays by members of PGraph – all on improv theories and techniques designed to help make narrative improv more fun, accessible, and attainable.

Clear, everyday language explains each element of an improvised song. Simple building blocks are combined with playing tips to elevate a performer’s musical improvisation to its highest level. Masteryear Publishing is proud to offer MUSICAL IMPROVE COMEDY, the first book of its kind. It is used by students and professionals at The Second City Training Centers in Chicago and Los Angeles, and Disney Entertainment Productions. The instructional CD and Michael Pollock’s clear, friendly writing style make this a truly practical tool for improvisational players: a portable music workshop.

This expanded and revised edition has a new foreword by The Late Show host Stephen Colbert, additional advice and tips for success, and a full reproduction of Mick Napier’s web journal from his time directing the famous show Paradigm Lost for The Second City that included Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, and Kevin Dorff. Renowned improv instructor and award-winning director Mick Napier has been at the heart of the professional improvisation community for more than 25 years. The first edition of Improvise. quickly earned its position as necessary reading for improv students across the country and around the world and gave birth to a new generation of performers who questioned “The Rules” of improvisation. In this entertaining and incredibly informative book, Napier will teach you the essentials of… –Why “The Rules” don’t matter –How to take care of yourself in a scene –Using context to your advantage –Effective two-person scenes –Balanced large-cast scenes –Successful auditioning –Solo exercises you can practice at home