Commentary, Opinion, thoughts
MEMORABLE MOMENTS Improvisation by great actors that made the cutGEORGE C. SCOTT It takes balls to trick a great actor into improvising and then to use that performance without the actor’s approval. But, that’s what the equally great director Stanley Kubrick did to George C. Scott. The great actor cared Read more…
WHAT’S YOUR QUESTION??? How can I feel more comfortable using improvisation in my work? Improvisation skills are superpowers for therapists, psychologists, and social workers. I find it strange that improvisation classes aren’t formally prescribed for students in these fields. Psychologists and Social Workers in my classes often send me questions Read more…
I DON’T DO THAT!!!! Tina Fey admits, “I can’t do music!” She can. Sort of. She just doesn’t want to. And that’s OK! Talking to Seth Meyers, Fey described improvising with ‘Freestyle Love Supreme’, the Broadway Improvised RAP show. (Haven’t seen them? Check them out on You Tube: ) Fey said Read more…
DON’T DO YOUR BEST Working with Keith Johnstone has been a great honour in my professional life. I remember arriving at the Loose Moose Theatre late in my teens… or was it early in my twenties? In any case, I didn’t know who Keith was. In fact, my first improvisation Read more…
MURDERVILLE A review of a televised, semi-improvised, murder mystery Based on Murder in Successville, a semi-improvised sitcom airing in Britain from 2015 to 2017, Murderville is the NETFLIX version starring Will Arnett that premiered in February 2022. I wanted to like it. I really did. MURDERVILLE is a scripted murder mystery Read more…
ESTABLISH & DESTROY VALUES!!! A quick way to make the audience care. Rowan Atkinson’s, mostly silent, obsessive character, Mr Bean is engaging to watch regardless of the language you speak. We know exactly what he wants and he’s obsessive about getting it. The simple nature of Mr. Bean can teach Read more…
PUPPETS AND IMPROVISATION Like Masks, Puppets have an other-world quality. Some of us love them while others are freaked out by their “creepiness”. Love them or hate them puppets bring technical skills, creative skills and even some deep metaphoric insights that will make us better improvisers. WHY PUPPETS? Why should Read more…
The Forgotten Gems of CHAPTER 6! One of the most referenced books in Improvisation is IMPRO FOR STORYTELLERS by Keith Johnstone. MOST people you talk with say, “I’ve never read the thing all the way through.” Keith intended it to be that way. He’s said that it was made to Read more…
Kaivalya Plays – India Improvises! The positive side of the Covid epidemic has been the connections it has made between performers and teachers in the improvisation community. During an online discussion arranged by the Nursery Theatre in the U.K., I was introduced to an Improviser from India. For those of you Read more…
ARE YOU CREATIVE? A DUMB QUESTION asked too often! one red You were born “creative”. Then you were taught not to be. We should be asking “are you still aware of your creativity?” The number of people who avoid writing, drawing, improvising, and creating because they were told at some Read more…