Keith Johnstone's involvement with the theatre began when George Devine and Tony Richardson, artistic directors of the Royal Court Theatre, commissioned a play from him. This was in 1956. A few years later he was himself Associate Artistic Director, working as a play-reader and director, in particular helping to run the Writers' Group. The improvisatory techniques and exercises evolved there to foster spontaneity and narrative skills were developed further in the actors' studio then in demonstrations to schools and colleges and ultimately in the founding of a company of performers, called The Theatre Machine. Divided into four sections, 'Status', 'Spontaneity', 'Narrative Skills', and 'Masks and Trance', arranged more or less in the order a group might approach them, the book sets out the specific techniques and exercises which Johnstone has himself found most useful and most stimulating. The result is both an ideas book and a fascinating exploration of the nature of spontaneous creativity.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Routledge
ISBN-10
0878301178
ISBN-13
9780878301171
eBay Product ID (ePID)
502483
Product Key Features
Author
Keith Johnstone
Book Title
Impro : Improvisation and the Theatre
Format
Uk-B Format Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Theater / General
Publication Year
1987
Type
Textbook
Genre
Performing Arts
Number of Pages
208 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
8.1 in
Item Height
0.5 in
Item Width
5.1 in
Item Weight
8 Oz
Additional Product Features
Lc Classification Number
Pn2071.I5
Reviews
"Impro ought to be required reading not only for theatre people generally but also for teachers, educators, and students of all kinds and persuassions. Readers of this book are not going to agree with everything in it; but if they are not challenged by it, if they do not ultimately succumb to its wisdom and whimsicality, they are in a very sad state indeed . . . .Johnstone seeks to liberate the imagination, to cultivate in the adult the creative power of the child . . . .Deserves to be widely read and tested in the classroom and rehearsal hall . . .Full of excellent good sense, actual observations and inspired assetions." -- CHOICE: Books for College Libraries