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Books by Keith Johnstone:
Author and Teacher, Keith
Johnstone has been pushing the envelope of theater and acting since
the 1950's. He is the founder of TheaterSports, Micetro, & The Life
Game, yet he still finds time to write and travel the world teaching
and challenging the craft of acting & improv.
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Impro
- The best book about Improv ever written.
This book is a must read for any actor, improviser, or person alive
today. It covers how we crush our own creative spirit, how we relate
to other people through status, how stories are told, and how to let
go and become something greater than we ever thought possible.
IMPRO: Improvisation and the Theater by: Keith Johnstone - Routledge
Publishing ISBN 0-87830-117-8
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Keith Johnstone's newest book, Impro for Storytellers. It has a lot
of the same stuff from his newsletters, but it also has so much more
(the thing is almost 400 pages long). If you order it through Amazon.co.uk
you get the good European cover (after the conversion rate and shipping
it's actually 30 cents cheaper), but I'm sure if you went down to your
local book store you could have them order a European copy for you too.
ISBN: 0571190995. Or, if you ever find your self at Bay
Area Theatersports, you can always pick up a US copy there.
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Before 'Impro for Storytellers' Keith Johnstone wrote 6 Newsletters
which continued his work which he started in his first book. It's just
like having another 3 chapters of 'Impro', and there's some really important
information in them (even stuff which wasn't included in Impro for Storytellers).
Here is the letter which the International Theatersports Institute e
mailed me on how to order them.
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Carol Hazenfield
Carol is truly an amazing teacher. I've been waiting years
for her book, and low and behold, here it is. Carol focuses
on pulling a higher level of theater out of the genre of improv,
raising the bar from silly throw away games to truly great acting.
When I walk out on stage, I probably use the skills I've learned
from Carol more than any other teacher's I've ever worked with.
Acting
on Impulse is a must own for any improv actor.
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Books by Patsy Rodenburg:
One of the leading vocal coaches of our time, not only focusing on
singing, but rather on projection and using the vocal cords and the
body correctly. Fortunately she's also taken the time to write several
books, so that those of us who haven't had the opportunity to work with
her personally, can still learn from her teachings.
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The
Right to Speak: I have many friends who consider this to be the
bible of vocal work in the theater. She explores ways to brake the bad
habits we've picked up throughout our lives, and helps you find ways
to take control of your own voice. It's not only useful for actors or
singers, but to anyone who speaks in public. This really is a great
book.
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The
Need for Words: I have yet to read this book ( I have way to many
books to read right now), but here is the Synopsis from Amazon.co.uk:
'The Need for Words' is about reclaiming language, relearning its art
and rediscovering pleasure in words. In Part One she attacks the myth
that there is only one correct way to speak by clearing away the blocks
than can make language inaccessible. Part Two, a series of language
and text exercises using the work of well-known dramatists, connects
the voice to the shape and quality of individual words and phrases.
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The
Actor Speaks: Her newest book and a very good one at that. Again
I'm going to rely on the words of Amazon.co.uk for the Synopsis for
they've done such a good job summing it up: 'The Actor Speaks' is a
practical manual about speech and voice work, written expressly for
actors and singers. Rodenburg takes the performer through a complete
voice workshop (with exercises) with over 100 acting problems analyzed
and corrected, including: breathing; relaxation; vocal projection; singing;
movement; working on different-sized stages and auditoriums; and communicating
with other actors and the audience.
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| Other Great Books & Authors: |
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| If you want a Shakespeare play to walk around with,
read at your own convenience, and you don't feel like printing out
a whole play from the Internet, may I suggest The
Oxford School Shakespeare Series. The text is really well laid
out and easy to follow, the notes are printed next to the lines
of text as opposed to below, and pages are large so the text is
un-cramped and the character names aren't abbreviated. Oxford University
Press has really made the whole experience of reading Shakespeare's
plays more enjoyable. If you want, you can also get them through
Amazon.com.
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Ok, so this isn't a book specifically about Improv, but in order to
be well rounded one should always pull from different sources. Audition
by Michael Shertleff is an amazing book about the pitfalls of acting
which actors fall in, and how to make being on stage for an audition
a painless experience. As improvisers, we tend to forget that we're
actually actors too, so when a secret weapon this good for actors comes
around, we should really sit up and take notice. From Keith Johnstone
to Carol Hazenfield, every great Improv Teacher I've ever met has recommended
this book.
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Speaking of acting at Renaissance Fairs, The
Art of Play by Gary Izzo is a great book about Street Improv (which
is much different than Stage Improv). If you've been doing Street Improv
for a while, you probably know most of what he has to say already, but
even so I found after reading it my performance improved and I've been
doing street Improv for years.
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This is Gary Izzo's companion book, Acting
Interactive Theatre. It's a whole book of games and exercises for
Street Improvisers, based on the Ideas brought up in The Art of Play.
Gary brakes up the ensemble building process into 6 stages plus he covers
casting and how to keep your group together. So instead of a bunch of
games just stuffed into a book, Gary lay's out what games are good to
start with, and builds to what games your troupe should end with.
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Limelight Books
If your looking for a book on acting, the theater, film, etc. Limelight
Books in San Francisco is one of the best stores in the Bay Area.
Looking for more books (inclding some of the best Shakespeare Books
ever)? Check out My New Book Page.
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