Improvise Freely

This book is a must-read for all improvisers and creative humans. Patti debunks myths, questions rules and hot-wires us back to our authentic imaginative selves. As well as inviting us to look at our habits and defaults, she raises a battle cry to adventure, meaningful storytelling and, critically, the power of supportive collaboration. She reminds us to take responsibility for the stories we tell and the way we interact with others, the communities we create and the spaces we share. Political, profound, mischievous and maverick, 'Improvise Freely' raises the bar for improvisers and improvisation everywhere. Sarah-Louise Young (Amazon review) it highlights shifting from improvisational rules to improvisational tools and lists out a number of exercises with citations to help explore the concepts. It feels next level to me in how it's written, which is fairly true of Patti. Joel Veenstra, Associate Chair of Drama, University of California It is an elegantly engaging read full of thoroughly thought provoking wisdoms and passionate points of view. A wonderful glimpse into one of the planets greatest improv minds. Heartily recommend! Rik Brown (facebook) This is a book about improv for improvisers. It is the book we have needed for quite some time! Her book unpacks our reliance on these rules and offers up perspectives on how to remember they exist while giving yourself and your fellow improvisers lots of space to ignore or creatively break them. She reminds us to connect and continually re-connect to the energy of playfulness, discovery and surprise. You know, the things that probably drew us to improv in the first place LOL. She also addresses the dark underbelly of the scene. How toxic masculinity, bullying, power imbalances, abuse of power and consent violations created improv spaces and companies that were unsafe for many performers. Lee (Goodreads review) Having trained under Keith Johnstone himself, Stiles has a unique understanding of the history of improv as we know it. She is also one of the world's best impro teachers and directors. Her understanding of Johnstone's philosophical approach shine through this book. It's a great resource for anyone looking to unlock creativity on stage and off. Improv Books review Patti Stiles est une coach d'impro extraordinaire et son livre est un outil precieux pour tout-e improvisateur-ice non debutant-e et, surtout, tout coach d'improvisation qui souhaite reflechir au bien fonde des regles de l'improvisation: ne pas dire non, ne pas poser de questions dans une scene, autant de dogmes qu'elle demonte un a un, en invitant a ne pas les suivre a la lettre mais a retrouver l'esprit qui les a vu naitre, pour que les pratiquant-e-s de l'improvisation theatrale retrouvent la liberte de jeu et la joie de la decouverte necessaires a toute exploration artistique, plutot que de se cantonner a n'etre qu'une liste de recettes rassurantes mais etouffantes qui brident notre creativite. Jeanne Toulouse (Amazon review)