"Improvisation is an essential and invaluable technique for the actor's repertoire: It asks you to think beyond a script- and its memorized lines, movements, and facial expressions- to deliver a performance filled with honesty, insight, nuance, and verisimilitude"--Page [4] of cover.

Napier has been at the heart of the professional improvisation community for more than 25 years. Here, he gives you advice and tips for success in improvising. You'll learn the rules of improv-- and why they don't matter. You'll discover how to take care of yourself in a scene, as well as working in two-person or large-cast scenes. And you'll get tips on preparing and psyching yourself for an audition.

A history of the uniquely American art form of improv, from its beginnings during the McCarthy Era through the rise of such institutions as Second City, the Groundlings, and the Upright Citizens Brigade and such performers as Tina Fey, Steve Carell, and Bill Murray. "From the best-selling author of Fosse, a sweeping yet intimate--and often hilarious--history of a uniquely American art form that has never been more popular. At the height of the McCarthy...

Eleven-year-old Ava Andrews has a Technicolor interior with a gray shell. On the inside, she bubbles with ideas and plans. On the outside, everyone except her best friend, Zelia, thinks she doesn't talk or, worse, is stuck-up. What nobody knows is that Ava has invisible disabilities: anxiety and a heart condition.Ava hopes middle school will be a fresh start, but when Zelia moves across the country and Ava's Nana Linda pushes her to speak up about...

"Improv instructor and writer Jorjeana Marie presents the first book to harness the creative power of improvisation exercises to help both aspiring and seasoned authors defeat writer's block and generate new ideas"--

The authors, both executives at Chicago's The Second City, present their insights and perspective on how to apply the seven elements of improv comedy in both professional and personal situations.

When seventeen-year-old Zelda is chosen for an elite team at a prestigious improvisation camp, it is a big step toward achieving her dreams, but first she must survive her teammates' sexism and coach's cruelty. Zelda Bailey-Cho has her future all planned out: improv camp, then Second City, and finally Saturday Night Live. When she lands a spot on the coveted Varsity team at a prestigious improv camp, it means she'll get to perform for professional...