What do you do with the offer another person makes?
Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre, by Keith Johnstone.
What the book addresses
Johnstone's book investigates spontaneity, status, narrative and the performer through accounts of teaching and practical exploration. It is distinct from the later Impro for Storytellers and from named performance formats such as Theatresports.
How to read it
Notice how fear of being ordinary can interfere with an exchange. Read the teaching situations closely: a correction makes sense in relation to the behavior it addresses. Status is especially useful when treated as something people negotiate through behavior, not a permanent label attached to a character's social rank.
An original rehearsal investigation
With a willing partner, begin a brief fictional encounter in a clearly agreed setting. Afterward, identify one offer that changed what was possible. Repeat with attention to receiving the offer before planning your response. Notice shifts in eye contact, timing, space and authority without trying to display a status number.
Connections and distinctions
Read Viola Spolin and the Paul Sills profile for another improvisational lineage. At JBAS, Improvisation serves as a craft tool, while sound and movement improvisation support instrumental work. Those connections do not make every studio improvisation a Johnstone game or licensed performance format.
This is an original JBAS reading guide with an attributed overview and study questions. Read the complete book for the author's developed argument and exercise instructions.
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