Group Improvisation: The Manual of Ensemble Improv Games - Softcover

Gwinn, Peter; Halpern, Charna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 156608086X ISBN 13: 9781566080866

Publisher: Meriwether Pub, 2003

Synopsis

Who would have thought that participating in group improvisation could be so enlightening and rewarding! Peter Gwinn has developed The Group Mind at Improv Olympic in Chicago to create a new awareness in the mind and spirit of acting students and professionals. Over forty improvisation games are included for developing group chemistry: creation, bonding, dynamics, energy, focus and more. Techniques are discussed for breaking the ice, agreement, listening and support, teamwork, quick thinking and having fun! The Group Mind, the holy grail of improvisation, is created by a synergy between improvisation participants. It is like ESP. It is the feeling of being part of a greater entity, a sense of excitement, belonging, importance that takes acting skills to a new level.

About this title

About the Author

Peter Gwinn is the founder of the musical improv group Baby Wants Candy. After over a decade of improvising and teaching in Chicago, he moved to New York in 2005, where he played with The Stepfathers and Arsenal at the UCB Theater. Peter has taught at the Improv Olympic and UCB Theaters. He is currently a writer for the Colbert Report in New York.

Variety called her one of the top ten women to watch in entertainment. Mike Myers named her the Uta Hagen of Comedy. Charna Halpern, the co-creator of long-form improvisation with her partner, the late Del Close, has changed the face of improvisational comedy forever. Halpern and Close created their famous signature long-form piece, the Harold, a meta-game that "ate" short-form improvisation and became popular worldwide. Halpern and Close have been responsible for creating the talents and sensibilities of some of the biggest comedic stars in show business. Together and apart, their alumni include John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Andy Dick, Andy Richter, Adam McKay, David Koechner and many other illustrious cast members and writers of Saturday Night Live, MADtv, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. As director of i.O. in Chicago (formerly ImprovOlympic), and i.O. West in Los Angeles, Halpern recently celebrated her twenty-fifth year in business with the return of all of her alumni in a star-studded celebration in Chicago that will soon yield a DVD and a television special. Under Halpern s guidance, i.O. is producing the next generation of artistic geniuses.

In addition to directing and teaching at i.O., Halpern travels the world teaching seminars in improvisation. She was hired by The American Embassy in Cyprus to teach her philosophy of agreement to the Greek and Turkish Cypriots in an effort to bridge their communication gap.

Her first book, Truth in Comedy, is considered the bible for improvisation in the entertainment industry and is mandatory reading in theatre departments on most college campuses.

Edition details

• Publisher: Meriwether Pub
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 156608086X
• ISBN 13: 9781566080866
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 91