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May 26, 2006
Miami Improv Festival announces 2007 dates
The Miami Improv Festival will take place Thursday, January 11 through Sunday, January 14, 2007.
Posted by Fuzzy at 4:10 PM
May 22, 2006
Art by Committee
Charna Halpern, owner of the I.O. Theatre, has a new book-with-DVD, Art by Committee: A Guide to Advanced Improvisation. She'll be appearing to promote the book on Tuesday, May 23, 2006, 7:00 pm, at Borders Bookstore, 1700 Maple Ave, Evanston, IL.
(via Chicagoist)
Posted by Fuzzy at 2:45 PM
May 12, 2006
Play Improv
There's a new e-zine for the Los Angeles improv community: Play Improv. The site features articles, forums, video shorts, and more.
Posted by Fuzzy at 3:46 PM
Improv Accompaniment Book
Michael Pollock has followed up his book about musical improvisation, Musical Improv Comedy: Creating Songs in the Moment, with one focused on improvisational accompaniment.
As with the first book, Music Direction for Improv and Sketch Comedy comes with included CD . YESand.com has an excerpt.
Posted by Fuzzy at 3:43 PM
Denver Improv Festival
The 2nd Annual Denver Improv Festival has been announced for October 13-15, 2006. The festival will be accepting performance submissions through August 1, 2006.
Posted by Fuzzy at 3:30 PM
MILF application deadline extended
The Michigan Improv & Laugh Festival has extended its performance submission deadline to May 26, 2006.
Posted by Fuzzy at 3:28 PM
Groups Update
Groups Added:
Cathcart & Olson (USA - Illinois)
Dirty Water (USA - Illinois)
Fiesty Pirate (USA - Illinois)
The Indicators (USA - Kentucky)
Pretentious Improv Group (USA - New York)
Rant (USA - Illinois)
YAP Group (USA - Massachusetts)
Posted by Fuzzy at 2:56 PM
May 2, 2006
Review: Directing Improv
Directing Improv by Asaf Ronen
Full Disclosure: I've had Thanksgiving dinner at Asaf Ronen's house.
If you're interested in directing theater, there are about a hundred books you can read*. If you want to perform improv, there are about as many books to help you get started. If you want to direct improvisation, there's this new book. So, um, end of review.
Well, actually, I do wish I'd had this book when I started directing improv. Or when I got stuck teaching improv to high schoolers. Or when I was trying to be a director-performer.
Ronen touches on a number of different aspects of directing improvisation, but his primary focus is on a non-performing director directing improv concept pieces (e.g. Ka-Boom! or SITCOM, as opposed to on-going ensemble work. ) There are chapters on developing the work with the ensemble, rehearsing the work, and giving notes on performances.
As often as he advises against the whole concept, especially valuable for many will be the recommendations for the performing director. In every improv ensemble I was a part of until I moved to Chicago, the director also performed, and I think we all could have used some of Ronen's ideas on ways to keep personal conflict out of the notes process, and ways to structure rehearsals and performances to give the director a chance to direct and develop their own performance skills.
There are two lists of exercises to address specific improv problems. And there's advice about creating your own exercises to suit the specific needs of your cast.
The book is liberally strewn with illustrative quotes from many of the best improv directors in the country, like Armando Diaz, Michael Gellman, Kevin Mullaney, Mick Napier, Shira Piven, and Mark Sutton. And there's an appendix featuring anecdotes from some of those directors. Personally, I would have loved even more of these anecdotes. Good advice is one thing, but I can read horror stories for hours.
Ronen is the editor-in-chief of YESand.com and that organization has started a publishing arm to publish this book (and Jill Bernard's lovely mini-book Jill Bernard's Small Cute Book of Improv). The book is available exclusively from their web site (or from the merch table at various improv festivals).
* Literally. I did an Amazon search.
Posted by Fuzzy at 5:36 PM