The Improv Handbook

Part One: Improvisation History Antiquity: Forms of improvisation from before the 20th Century Johnstone / Calgary: Keith Johnstone, the Theatre Machine, and the Loose Moose Close / Chicago: Del Close and the Chicago scene Spolin: The Compass Players and Viola Spolin's continuing influence The World Over: The spread of improvised theatre across Europe, America and the rest of the world The Spontaneity Shop / UK: Improvisation in the UK - a personal history Performance TheatreSports: The grandaddy of them all Micetro, Gorilla Theatre, LifeGame: Later inventions of Keith Johnstone The Harold and Its Relations: Del Close's way of doing things The Rest: Less interesting, influential, or popular forms: "Whose Line Is It Anyway"; "Improvised" films and television; TellTales; X-improvised. Intermission: Great Teachers Part Two: How to Improvise

Core Beliefs

Storytelling: Improvisation isn't about jokes, or about "anything goes". It's about telling a story. Failure - on and off the stage: Why "we suck and we love to fail" is the most important thing anyone's ever said to us. How To Use This Section Day One Spontaneity: Pointing at things; What are you doing? Saying "Yes": Block/Offer/Accept; Yes and... Day Two Fundamentals of Storytelling: Platforms - go through an unusual door; Breaking routines; The right trouble for the right hero; Reincorporation Day Three Status: What status is and what it isn't; High status and low status "triggers"; Status and space; Status is relative Day Four Working Together: Tug of war; Word at a time; Speak in one voice; Dubbing Day Five Being Changed: Status switch; Gibberish; It's Tuesday Day Six Upping the Ante: Jump and justify; Boris; He said she said; Questions only You can't learn mime from a book Day Seven Characters: Changing the body image; Characters from a hat Day Eight: Blind Offers

Intermission: The rules and why there aren't any Part Three: How To Improve All Talk and No Action Silent scenes Gibberish Three word sentences

Can't Define, Won't Define

Solid as a Rock Shoe shops It's Tuesday

The Gagmeister General

Story Woes Continue or thank you Shoe shops

Character Twins

Intermission: Game Corruption

Part Four: How To Improvise In Public

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

Nuts and Bolts The group The venue Press and publicity Preparation On the day Next steps

Pick Your Format Licensed formats Unlicensed formats Innovating formats

Intermission: Truth in Comedy in Bits and Pieces

Part Five: How To Improvise All Over the World

Getting On the Television Getting On the Festival Circuit Hosting Your Own Festival

Intermission: "Please don't..."

Part Six: Making Improvisation Pay

The Corporate Market Corporate Training Corporate Entertainment

Intermission: Why Improvisation

Part Seven: Talk the Talk - Interviews with Improvisers

Tom and Deborah interview each other Keith Johnstone Dan O'Connor Patti Stiles Paul Sills Charna Halpern Plus several more alumni of shows like Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show, who we should be able to include

Part Eight: Final Thoughts

Glossary, bibliography, index, useful contacts