Long-form Improvisation & the Art of Zen

Long-form Improvisation & the Art of Zen
Author: Jason Chin
Publisher: iUniverse
Total Pages: 62
Release: 2009
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0595471986

If you're already an improviser, even if you're just starting out, this is the book for you. This book merges basic improvisation techniques with Zen philosophy in order to create a new way of performing scenes and shows. Based on decades of work with the art form, Jason R. Chin strips away pretense and creates a simple, yet elegant method of improvising longer, more rich scenes and characters. A powerful tool for the advanced improviser and a wonderful book for the beginner, Zen and the Art of Long-form Improvisation is a welcome addition to your improv library.

Long Form Improvisation and American Comedy

Long Form Improvisation and American Comedy
Author: M. Fotis
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2014-02-11
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1137376589

Long form scenic improv began with the Harold. The comic philosophy of this form started an era of comedy marked by support, trust, and collaboration. This book tells of the Harold, beginning with the development of improv theatre, through the tensions and evolutions that led to its creation at iO, and to its use in contemporary filmmaking.

Free Play

Free Play
Author: Stephen Nachmanovitch
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 257
Release: 1991-05-01
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 144067308X

Free Play is about the inner sources of spontaneous creation. It is about why we create and what we learn when we do. It is about the flow of unhindered creative energy: the joy of making art in all its varied forms. An international bestseller and beloved classic, Free Play is an inspiring and provocative book, directed toward people in any field who want to contact, honor, and strengthen their own creative powers. It reveals how inspiration arises within us, how that inspiration may be blocked, derailed or obscured, and how finally it can be liberated—how we can be liberated—to speak or sing, write or paint, dance or play, with our own authentic voice. Stephen Nachmanovitch, a pioneer in free improvisation, integrates material from a wide variety of sources among the arts, sciences, and spiritual traditions of humanity, drawing on unusual quotes, amusing and illuminating anecdotes, and original metaphors. The whole enterprise of improvisation in life and art, of recovering free play and awakening creativity, is about being true to ourselves and our visions. Free Play brings us into direct, active contact with boundless creative energies that we may not even know we had.

Action Theater

Action Theater
Author: Ruth Zaporah
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Total Pages: 304
Release: 1995-06-15
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 9781556431869

Each chapter of this book presents a single day of the twenty-day training which Ruth Zaporah developed into Action Theater, her investigation into the life-reflecting process of improvisation. This book shows through exercises, stories, anecdotes, and metaphors how to focus attention on the body's awareness of the present moment, moving away from preconceived ideas. Improvisations move through fear, boredom, laziness, and distraction to a sustained awareness of creative options.

Improv Wisdom

Improv Wisdom
Author: Patricia Ryan Madson
Publisher: Harmony
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2010-03-24
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 0307531848

In an irresistible invitation to lighten up, look around, and live an unscripted life, a master of the art of improvisation explains how to adopt the attitudes and techniques used by generations of musicians and actors. Let’s face it: Life is something we all make up as we go along. No matter how carefully we formulate a “script,” it is bound to change when we interact with people with scripts of their own. Improv Wisdom shows how to apply the maxims of improvisational theater to real-life challenges—whether it’s dealing with a demanding boss, a tired child, or one of life’s never-ending surprises. Patricia Madson distills thirty years of experience into thirteen simple strategies, including “Say Yes,” “Start Anywhere,” “Face the Facts,” and “Make Mistakes, Please,” helping readers to loosen up, think on their feet, and take on everything life has to offer with skill, chutzpah, and a sense of humor.

The Improv Handbook

The Improv Handbook
Author: Tom Salinsky
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 521
Release: 2017-10-19
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1350026174

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 Art of Is

The Art of Is
Author: Stephen Nachmanovitch, PhD
Publisher: New World Library
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2019-04-09
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1608686159

A MASTERFUL BOOK ABOUT BREATHING LIFE INTO ART AND ART INTO LIFE "Stephen Nachmanovitch's The Art of Is is a philosophical meditation on living, living fully, living in the present. To the author, an improvisation is a co-creation that arises out of listening and mutual attentiveness, out of a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity. It is a product of the nervous system, bigger than the brain and bigger than the body; it is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, unprecedented and unrepeatable. Drawing from the wisdom of the ages, The Art of Is not only gives the reader an inside view of the states of mind that give rise to improvisation, it is also a celebration of the power of the human spirit, which — when exercised with love, immense patience, and discipline — is an antidote to hate." — Yo-Yo Ma, cellist

The Comedy Improv Handbook

The Comedy Improv Handbook
Author: Matt Fotis
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2015-10-14
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1317390172

The Comedy Improv Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to University Improvisational Comedy in Theatre and Performance is a one-stop resource for both improv teachers and students, covering improv history, theory, maxims, exercises, games, and structures. You will learn the necessary skills and techniques needed to become a successful improviser, developing a basic understanding of the history of improvisation and its major influences, structures, and theories. This book also addresses issues associated with being a college improviser – like auditions, rehearsals, performances, and the dynamics of improv groups.

Improvisation at the Speed of Life

Improvisation at the Speed of Life
Author: T. J. Jagodowski
Publisher: Solo Roma, Incorporated
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015
Genre: Improvisation (Acting)
ISBN: 9780977309337

"Jagodowski and Pasquesi, award-winning master improvisers from Chicago's legendary comedy scene, are internationally known for their acclaimed, two-man longform show, TJ & Dave. [This is] their authoritative and entertaining look at techniques, principles, theory, and ideas behind their approach"--Cover.

Going Long

Going Long
Author: Jo McGinley
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2024-11-19
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1493077945

Improvisational comedy has exploded over the last several decades. But the short, game-based version of improv—as seen on shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway?—is of little help when it comes to successfully pulling off long-form improvisation. Long-form provides exciting new challenges and opportunities for improvisational performers that go beyond comedy. It demands an expanded skill set, careful preparation, and genuine courage. Drawing on author Jo McGinley’s more than thirty years of experience onstage and in the classroom, Going Long provides a clear and practical framework for both beginning and experienced improvisers. It includes mental exercises specifically developed for long-form work, best practices for rehearsals and collaboration, techniques for connecting with the audience, tips on crafting stories within specific genres, and principles for making in-the-moment decisions that support an overarching narrative.