Overview

Improvisation is a vibrant art of spontaneity and impulse. Audiences the world over flock to shows where 'anything could happen!' But lurking at the heart of many companies that perform it is a contradiction, a bait and switch. Students who sign up for classes are taught 'The Improv Rules': the strictly right and wrong way to be creative. Exploration is replaced with emulation and curiosity with compliance. How the hell did that happen? Patti Stiles is an internationally respected improvisor, actor, director and teacher whose performance skills and deep understanding of the work shine out on stage and in the workshop room. In Improvise Freely, she shows how 'rules' meant to guarantee success actually confine us in a counterfeit appearance of spontaneity and hamper our creativity. She turns 'The Rules' on their head and shows that other approaches are possible. Is it okay to ask questions? Why must we Who What Where? And what if ' Yes, And' isn't all it's cracked up to be? This book encourages us to explore the labyrinth ourselves, rather than follow a tour guide. Instead of handing us a map, Ms. Stiles offers us a light.

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9780645176506

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Reviews

This book is a must-read for all improvisers and creative humans. Patti debunks myths, questions rules and hot-wires us back to our authentic imaginative selves. As well as inviting us to look at our habits and defaults, she raises a battle cry to adventure, meaningful storytelling and, critically, the power of supportive collaboration. She reminds us to take responsibility for the stories we tell and the way we interact with others, the communities we create and the spaces we share. Political, profound, mischievous and maverick, 'Improvise Freely' raises the bar for improvisers and improvisation everywhere. Sarah-Louise Young (Amazon review) it highlights shifting from improvisational rules to improvisational tools and lists out a number of exercises with citations to help explore the concepts. It feels next level to me in how it's written, which is fairly true of Patti. Joel Veenstra, Associate Chair of Drama, University of California It is an elegantly engaging read full of thoroughly thought provoking wisdoms and passionate points of view. A wonderful glimpse into one of the planets greatest improv minds. Heartily recommend! Rik Brown (facebook) This is a book about improv for improvisers. It is the book we have needed for quite some time! Her book unpacks our reliance on these rules and offers up perspectives on how to remember they exist while giving yourself and your fellow improvisers lots of space to ignore or creatively break them. She reminds us to connect and continually re-connect to the energy of playfulness, discovery and surprise. You know, the things that probably drew us to improv in the first place LOL. She also addresses the dark underbelly of the scene. How toxic masculinity, bullying, power imbalances, abuse of power and consent violations created improv spaces and companies that were unsafe for many performers. Lee (Goodreads review) Having trained under Keith Johnstone himself, Stiles has a unique understanding of the history of improv as we know it. She is also one of the world's best impro teachers and directors. Her understanding of Johnstone's philosophical approach shine through this book. It's a great resource for anyone looking to unlock creativity on stage and off. Improv Books review Patti Stiles est une coach d'impro extraordinaire et son livre est un outil precieux pour tout-e improvisateur-ice non debutant-e et, surtout, tout coach d'improvisation qui souhaite reflechir au bien fonde des regles de l'improvisation: ne pas dire non, ne pas poser de questions dans une scene, autant de dogmes qu'elle demonte un a un, en invitant a ne pas les suivre a la lettre mais a retrouver l'esprit qui les a vu naitre, pour que les pratiquant-e-s de l'improvisation theatrale retrouvent la liberte de jeu et la joie de la decouverte necessaires a toute exploration artistique, plutot que de se cantonner a n'etre qu'une liste de recettes rassurantes mais etouffantes qui brident notre creativite. Jeanne Toulouse (Amazon review)

Author Information

Patti Stiles is a professional actor, director and teacher who specializes in Improvisation. She was trained by Keith Johnstone at the Loose Moose Theatre Company (the birthplace of Theatresports(TM)) in Canada. She has an infectious enthusiasm for improvisation. Mix this with her insightful improvisation technique, strong narrative skill and her spirit of play, and it is no wonder she is responsible for inspiring many hundreds of people to improvise. Her understanding of Johnstone's work and philosophy, combined with her own discoveries and her wealth of experience on the world impro stage, has made her a must have teacher for performers and companies wishing to create spontaneous theatre with fine skill, strong narrative, heart and elegant style. The Canadian press has endowed her with the titles Impro Doyen and Queen of Improvisation.

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