KEITH’S COMIC PANELS A practice with endings Keith Johnstone has a great little exercise for practising the art of ending scenes. He would hand out stacks of “comic panels” in workshops. Each panel contained 3 or 4 drawings, creating tiny completed stories from Charles Schultz’s, Peanuts or Berkeley Breathed’s, Bloom Read more…
Treat them like GORILLAS! One exceptional difference between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom is how much we hide and mask of ourselves compared to these other earthlings. By 9 months, we have already learned to ‘present’ our emotions in a way to manipulate others. By Adulthood, we’ve 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…
Treat Them Like… How is a STUDENT like a MONKEY?How is a BUSINESSMAN like a DANCER? How can the inspiration to teach an IMPROVISER come from DOLPHINS? If you can imagine the answers to these questions, you will be a better teacher. TREAT THEM LIKE… is a new section in Read more…
SET IT UP! How do you teach a game in class, or set up a show or scene in front of an audience successfully? Are you connecting or confusing your audience? An effective beginning to the show or exercise can make all the difference. Here are some tips and tricks Read more…
EVERYTHING IN ONE MOMENT “The Dragon flew with fierce intent towards the castle on Mount Lyre” You read that line and you’re pretty certain of what kind of story you are getting into. You have a fairly clear image in your head. You see the clouds in the sky. You Read more…
SCIENCE and EDUCATION under threat Improvisation’s part in the War being waged Dr. Kate Lapane, PhD In February 2020, Dr. Lapane attended one of my classes while I was visiting Rhode Island, USA. The course was ‘Teaching teachers to teach with Improvisation.’ I have little doubt that Dr. Lapane probably didn’t need Read more…
VIRUS TAG One of my favourite “warm-up” games. It might teach you everything there is about improvisation By Shawn Kinley Virus Tag is one of my top three favourite warm-up games. This game comes from childhood in many cultures but I picked it up in Germany many years ago. I Read more…