storytellers encyclopedia orchestrating improvisation

books:

Grammar Wars: 179 Games and Improvs for Learning Language Arts

5 reviews
Tom Ready

Meriwether Publishing, 2000

The Student
I have been a student of Mr. Tom Ready for the last three and a half years now and I think that he has an amazing talent and skill for teaching students in English and Drama. I've learned many things from him and really enjoy his classes. He has the ability to bring out the best in many unlikely students. This book, which contains many games written by some of his students, is an absolute ...

Improv!: A Handbook for the Actor

4 reviews
Greg Atkins

Heinemann Drama, 1993

Good book for actors, performers and teachers
Excellent book to help actors think faster and make better choices. Lots of good exercises that I use in my classroom. Helpful in getting my actors to free up and trust themselves and others. Many of my students have improved their performing skills, created their own improv groups, or have been cast in sit coms and films. I highly recommend this book

Gertrude and Alice (Phoenix Press)

4 reviews
Diana Souhami

Phoenix Press, 2000

Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude, Alice is Alice is...
One of the best dual-bios of these two ladies (and I've read this book both in German and English.) This book makes both of them very real, moving them beyond the literary/lesbian icons that they've become in the last 60+ years. Read this in conjunction with James Mellow's CHARMED CIRCLE and you'll be hooked both on Gertrude and Alice and the artistic era between the two World Wars!

Eternal Improv: A Memoir

5 reviews
Nancy Davenport

iUniverse, Inc., 2006

Tragically Hillarious
I am never sure whether to laugh or cry but I can't get enough of her writing. Thank you for sharing your incredible story Nancy, it offers hope to the rest of us.

The Decorated Gourd: Beautiful Projects & New Techniques

9 reviews
Dyan Mai Peterson

Lark Books, 2002

The most thorough introduction to gourd crafting that's out
This is the first book I purchased on the way to becoming a gourd crafter--I chose it not only because of the unusual and beautiful designs, but for Dyan Peterson's easy and encouraging approach/tone which other reviewers have pointed out. For me,the most valuable suggestion from this book has been to "branch out" and try unusual designs. Dyan Peterson's style (earthtones, natural designs and ...

Acting on Impulse: The Art of Making Improv Theater

6 reviews
Carol Hazenfield

Coventry Creek Press, 2002

Forget the rest, this is the improv book to read!
Life is improv. None of us was born with script in hand, but practicing and performing improv is a whole different enchilada, and moving away from stand up comedy to fun and inspiring scenework is a fantastic goal many aspire to, but so few reach. In a sea of improv and acting books, Carol Hazenfield's "Acting on Impulse" is beautifully written, easy to follow, and damn funny. It's a virtual ...

Orchestrating Collaboration at Work: Using Music, Improv, Storytelling and Other Arts to Improve Teamwork

6 reviews
Arthur B. VanGundy, Linda Naiman

Pfeiffer, 2003

A wealth of enablers in the form of training excercises
I have discovered the power and the simplicity in finding/applying a wide variety of experiencial excercises that spark creativity and imagination in groups. The beauty of this valuable workbook is that it unleashes our hidden potentialities. I have successfully used these activities in private business and in non profit organizations and in every ocassion the results have been the creation of ...

The Second City Almanac of Improvisation

5 reviews
Anne Libera, Inc. Second City

Northwestern University Press, 2004

THE new bible of improv.
Every 20 years or so a new book comes out that sets itself apart as the definitive book of improvisation. Not since "Truth in Comedy," have I read such a useful and practical guide to improv by some of its greatest leaders. With more specialized authors and obviously more contemporary contributors Libera has written and compiled a work that is sure to be the improv industry standard for at ...

Impro for Storytellers (Theatre Arts (Routledge Paperback))

15 reviews
Keith Johnstone

Theatre Arts Book, 1999

Incredibly Useful
This is quite a large book, pretty much entirely made up of a wide variety of games for actors with vivid examples of what students come up with under pressure, and thorough explanations of the goal of each excercise. It's extremely well written and just as good as something to sit down and read, as something to get up and play with. The games range from easy to very hard; many would make ...

Improv Wisdom: Don't Prepare, Just Show Up

30 reviews
Patricia Ryan Madson

Harmony/Bell Tower, 2005

"Say Yes" to this Book...
How many self-help books have you read that leave you shaking your head saying - well, that was 3-4 hours of my life that I can't get back? (I have read many!) You won't find yourself saying that with this book. Patricia Ryan Madson offers up 13 strategies on how to lead an inspired and satisfying life by facing challenges in an unscripted manner. The book is beautifully written. It is filled ...

Making Teddy Bears: Projects, Patterns, History, Lore

2 reviews
Paige Gilchrist

Lark Books, 2001

Provides a fine set of master teddy bear patterns
Making Teddy Bears provides a fine set of master teddy bear patterns ranging form a very easy beginning single pattern piece all the way to a traditional jointed bear with movable arms, legs and head. These patterns are the foundation for sixteen projects which will delight crafts workers looking to make teddies.

Jazz Improv: How to Play It and Teach It

2 reviews
Jimmy Amadie

Thornton Publishing, 1991

A BREAKTHROUGH IN JAZZ ED. BUT...
Amadea's approach to teaching Jazz improv is a major breakthrough. The book that precedes this and which you should read first (HARMONIC FOUNDATIONS FOR JAZZ AND POP MUSIC) is incredible. It presupposes you know NOTHING, yet after you work through this book it'll be like finishing 4 years of college in 6 months and graduating MCL. - - The one drawback of JAZZ IMPROV is that it requires a ...

Improv Ideas: A Book of Games And Lists

2 reviews

Meriwether Publishing, 2006

Improve ideas for up to 4 players provide would-be actors with plenty of acting options
Cross-referenced and indexed twelve ways, Improve Ideas packs a cd-rom filled with printable PDF files of every list with a compendium of games which have been compiled and created by the authors so its contents won't be duplicated elsewhere. Improve ideas for up to 4 players provide would-be actors with plenty of acting options.

The Pattern Companion: Beading (Pattern Companion)

2 reviews
Ann Benson

Sterling, 2004

compilation
This book is really good with great illustrations in color on the techniques including netting, peyote, squared needle weaving, tubular right-angle weave, ladder, brick and herringbone stitches, square stitch, loom bead weaving, bead knitting, crochet, tubular beaded crochet, embellishment techniques and knotting. This is followed by good material on the beads and tools . The many projects are ...

Improv Made Easy! The Play-Along Series with a Difference!

2 reviews
Tony Vacca

Houston Publishing, Inc., 1995

A Jazz Education Classic !
This is just a great book and an excellent start for anyone who wants to learn jazz improvization. Reading this book and practicing its excercises will benefit both the beginner and the accomplished jazz player, and Vacca's unique style of teaching the chord/scale relationship inherent in the jazz idiom makes this book a must for anyone truly interested in jazz. The play-along tape is perhaps the ...

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solos & Improv (The Complete Idiot's Guide)

2 reviews
Michael Miller

Alpha, 2004

They Don't Make Idiots Like They Used To
This books covers a world of material on crafting rock/jazz/blues solos for less than the price of a music lesson. You need to have reasonable mastery of your instrument before tackling this book (playing scales, reading music, producing proper tone, etc.). The book will easily take a non-obsessed musician over a year to plow through and absorb fully if they do not have much background in ...

The Second City Guide to Improv in the Classroom: Using Improvisation to Teach Skills and Boost Learning ...

2 reviews
Katherine S., Ph.D. McKnight, Mary Scruggs

Jossey-Bass, 2008

One of the best teaching tools ever!
As a new high school teacher, I'm always searching for interesting ways to deliver my material. The last thing I want to be labeled as is "boring" -- a description I admit I've been accused of in my first year, and boy did that sting. But I used some of McKnight's improv techniques during my last day of class, a week after I got this book, and the students absolutely loved them. My teaching ...

Musical Direction for Improv and Sketch Comedy:

3 reviews
Michael Pollock

Masteryear Publishing, 2005

A must-have reference for anyone in music, theatre or comedy
"Musical Direction for Improv and Sketch Comedy" is a book I wish I'd had when I was learning the job. Michael Pollock has undertaken and conquered the colossal challenge of compiling decades worth of insight into musical direction. Whether you are looking to accompany improvisation or sketch, this book is the shortcut that bypasses much of the land of trial and error. Enormously informative and ...

Joy of Improv, Book 1

2 reviews

Hal Leonard Corporation, 1998

Simply the Best
As a beginner/intermediate student of jazz, I've found this course to be excellent. If you want to learn how to improvise, this is a great start. If you're already at an advanced level, it can further improve your skills.

Encyclopedia of Spirituality: Essential Teachings to Transform Your Life

2 reviews
Timothy Freke

Sterling, 2000

What! You mean my belief is not the only one.
Particularly helfuly as an introduction to spirituality on a broad scale. This book is writen in four parts. Part one Spirtual traditions, Part two Spiritual practices, Part three Spiritual teaching and part four has a glossary, and further reading list, etc. The first part deals broadly with Shamanism, hinduism, christianity, Psychedelic drugs, Zen, Islam etc. The second part introduces you to ...

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