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Improvise.: Scene from the Inside Out |
Author: Mick Napier
Published: 2004-03-03 |
List price: $15.95
Our price: $14.35
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As of: January 06th, 2009 02:57:30 AM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Improvise by Mick Napier
A decent book that gives different types of ideologies for Improvisation. The book is pretty much 100% opinion but I still enjoyed the author's insightful observations and "solutions" to repetitive improv habits.
Worth the money.
Fantastic, unique, irreverent, funny and incredibly smart
Mick Napier has a unique perspective on improvising and a strong, smart, convincing and hilarious voice with which to explain it. In many ways his book is a response to Halpern's Truth in Comedy, which reads like a guidebook with interspersed tales of people who have reached celebrity through mastering its teachings, those lessons centering around the concept of "If everyone supports each other, everyone will look good." There's also a good deal of waxing poetic about Harold form and the spiritual experience of group mind that it creates.
This book is basically the opposite of that. First, Mick dismantles the rules, telling a convincing tale about their creation in which successful improvisers attempted to replicate their triumph by analyzing and avoiding their failings. It makes enough sense to make a reader regret ever giving mind to the "rules" of improv and lament the times it's gotten them thinking instead of just doing something, which is the first step, Napier says, of good improvising. And that's at the heart of his philosophy - support your scene mates, yes, but first do the selfish thing and take care of yourself. You will support them more with a strong choice than with being polite.
Because that's the realization that anyone makes when improvising. Eventually they'll have to make exceptions and do what feels selfish. So it's best to be honest with ourselves and learn right off the bat that that is what we should be working towards, not avoiding.
Also, this may seem tangential, but Napier never name-drops once. This is part of his personal philosophy, and while he may avoid it only to keep himself from getting a big head or distracting people from what is important, the meat of the book, I believe that it works on a much more important level. Reading so many stories of those that have gone on to celebrity level success as improvisers can make a reader think that it's a definite thing, that they, too, can get famous with improv. Not that they can't, but it can make this fame the focus rather than taking it slow and steady, and it can be very disappointing when experience inevitably disproves the idea that success will come immediately. That can be one's goal, but constant name-dropping has a tendency to distort one's desires into greed and disillusionment.
Back to the book at hand. Now, nothing is perfect; you might, however not exactly notice this one's imperfections. I'll explain. Napier's voice is an incredibly fun one to read. He is irreverent and witty, giving the text the feeling that he wrote it with the "Do whatever and don't ask why" philosophy in mind. In other words, saying what needs to be said is more important than avoiding sounding goofy or silly if it serves the text. And by the time you reach the "common problems" or "advanced improvisation" chapters, you will be too caught up in his humor and wisdom to notice that he's basically doing what he initially impugned - explaining how to improvise by saying what not to do. True, he begins with the disclaimer that he's really not saying what not to do, but pointing out things that can weaken a scene. And, in Napier's defense, he does explain that, for the most part, they are bad things to do because they avoid improvisation itself - preconceiving ideas, for example. Also, reading these things after we are told just to do anything and take care of yourself and so forth really feels like you're building on the basics, which go against the "rules". But, in the end, he is doing what he said not to in telling us, basically, what not to do. But would we have a problem with this advice if we didn't believe in Napier's wisdom enough for them to jar us? No. And, in my opinion, every aspect of these seemingly contradictory segments make complete sense and, indeed, work.
That being said, going to an improv workshop directly after reading this, I did feel myself getting up in my head because I was so afraid of reverting to the rules that Napier warns against that I froze up. Does that mean I never should have read the rules to begin with, or does it mean that following Napier's advice can get one in their head as much as anything else? I couldn't tell you, but it's certainly something to consider.
Finally, there is one segment of this book that I really feel sets it apart, and that's the second to last section, his Exercises to Do at Home. So many times I've wanted to practice but had no one with whom to do it; well, no longer. This is an incredibly valuable portion, one that makes complete sense to have yet that no one seems to have come up with and produced. This stuff is worth the price of the book alone.
Even if you don't think you'll jive with Napier's philosophy, I strongly recommend his book to anyone wishing to advance in improv. It may be jarring to see your prior training via Truth in Comedy, etc. be basically excoriated, but it's a good kind of jarring, and one that everyone should have so as to be completely honest with themselves about it. And he writes in such an enjoyable, captivating, humorous, wise way that Improvise might be one of the best, smartest and most entertaining books I've ever read, improv-based or otherwise.
Good for what it is
I read this book while I was taking an improv class, in order to help me with my scene work. If you can get past the author's rambling (it would probably have been a 10 page book but for the pages of stream-of-consciousness writing), it is clear that the author has a great deal of improv experience. Many of his suggestions come from a beginner's point of view, which is very helpful. It also is based on the concept "truth in improv" and shows the reader that it is not necessary to be funny, but merely to be something. I would suggest this book for anyone who is trying their hand at improv and needs help getting out of their head.
 Great book for improv basics and improv classes.
This is probably one of the better books out their for beginning improvisers and for improv teachers to use as a resource or textbook for college level or high school level improv classes. Having worked and done workshops with members of the Annoyance Theatre, I will say that they are the leaders in improvisational study and experimentation today. Highly recommend for pros as a reminder of the basics and for beginners to learn how to make their improvisation techniques in either long form or short form sharper.
A very helpful book for improvisors
I enjoyed this book very much. Rather than force you to learn what NOT to do in improv (The Rules) he explains why he thinks the rules came to be and why they are not necessarily important. He focuses more on what works and what doesn't. To do good improv you need to be out of your head, rather than in your head filtering through rules and determining what your correct response should be. Use your total brain power reacting and creating! He then presents concepts that can be used to advance scenes to a higher level. Best of all he has numerous things to practice at home, by yourself, to help you become a better improvisor. I read this and Truth in Comedy at the same time. They are both very good but I liked this one better for where I am in improv right now.
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