Improvising Better: A Guide for the Working Improviser

By Jimmy Carrane and Liz Allen

Book Overview

Improvising Better is an easy to read self-help book created with the new generation of improviser in mind. Its written for todays performers, looking for a quick fix to their performance problems. This book is a fast read with long-lasting results.

Jimmy Carrane and Liz Allen have improvised, taught, and directed in Chicago for over thirty years combined, and have either seen or experienced the most common problems facing improvisers today. Improvising Better will give you simple tools for repairing your improvisation through original and enhanced exercises. This book addresses the improviser as a whole, including how offstage issues affect onstage performance. Speaking candidly about this very personal art form, Carrane and Allen offer common-sense solutions, some tough love, and a little inspiration along the way.

Whether you are a beginner or a veteran, Improvising Better will catapult you to the next level in your career as a working improviser.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0325009422
• ISBN13: 9780325009421
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Heinemann Drama
• Length: 80 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.3" x 9.0"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Improvising Better lives up to its name

Improvising Better is a must have for anyone who wants to do just that. I'm currently in my fourth year of doing improvisational comedy, and my biggest regret is that I didn't buy this book earlier! This work will leave you saying, "Well of course. Why didn't I think of that?" Written in a conversational tone, it will fool you into believing that Jimmy and Liz are actually in the room fixing your improv flaws. This book can be read in just a couple of hours, but it is through rereading it that it gains most of its value. It is a must-have improvisational reference work. If you're looking for a quick fix to almost any of your improv problems this is the book for you. Almost every chapter has a handful of games that will help you hone your improv skills and make you more ready to take on the stage. It's simply amazing how much knowledge can be shared in so few pages. The coauthors share over 30 years of experience in this field. Does anything else really need to be said?

A must have for every improviser

There are lots of improv books out there, and this is definitely one of the best. It's a nice, easy read. The authors simply state all of things that are usually forgotten by the actor. They don't spend a lot of time telling you how great they are or all of the famous people they've worked with. I would personally call this a must have if you are a serious improvisational actor.

Now that you know how to improvise...

I have had the luxury of being coached by Liz Allen. But for those that have not had the opportunity, she and her co-author have come up with a fun tongue-in-cheek book that gives the more seasoned improviser a chance to reasses their path and how to make their improv work even better. The book really paints a picture of what the improviser faces both socially and professionally. It reviews the basic improvisational tools, something the seasoned professional sometimes forgets about. And, the text is not dry at all. Bits of humor are thrown in that keep it an interesting read. If you are wanting a diversion from your chaotic improv life, check out this book and see the culture of comedic improv mirrored humorously within the pages of this fun title! And get many helpful performance hints as well!

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