Impro
by Keith Johnstone · first published 1979
81% recommend19% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Improvisation and theatre book whose sections on status and social behavior change how readers see everyday interaction, spontaneity and creativity; useful even for people with no interest in acting or improv.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Keith Johnstone's involvement with the theatre began when George Devine and Tony Richardson, artistic directors of the Royal Court Theatre, commissioned a play from him. This was in 1956. A few years later he was himself Associate Artistic Director, working as a play-reader and director, in particular helping to run the Writers' Group. The improvisatory techniques and exercises evolved there to foster spontaneity and narrative skills were developed further in the actors' studio then in demonstrations to schools and colleges and ultimately in the founding of a company of performers, called The.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2012–2026Chimpanzee Politics
Frans de Waal
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 156 recommend · 15 mention6 recommend · 156 recommend
2009–2016A history of the Arab peoples
Albert Habib Hourani, Albert Hourani, Malise Ruthven, Kamāl Khūlī
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 22 recommend · 2 mention2 recommend · 22 recommend
2017–2022The wisdom of no escape
Pema Chödrön
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 33 recommend · 3 mention3 recommend · 33 recommend
2014–2016Enlightenment 2.0
Heath, Joseph
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 33 recommend · 3 mention3 recommend · 33 recommend
2023–2025Status Game
Will Storr
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 53 recommend · 5 mention3 recommend · 53 recommend
2013–2017Impro for storytellers
Keith Johnstone
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 44 recommend · 4 mention4 recommend · 44 recommend
2013–2025The Complete Yes Minister
Antony Jay
Recommended by 2 · mentioned by 42 recommend · 4 mention2 recommend · 42 recommend
HN got me into dancing. Around five years ago there was a thread about books that changed your lives. Someone wrote about Impro by Keith Johnstone - an introduction to improvisational theater interspersed with a lot of personal stories. I read it and fell in love with the honesty and the new view of social interaction the book…
on “Ask HN: What has HN given you?” ↗This seems like a good place to recommend one of the best books I've ever read: "Impro" by Keith Johnstone https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/306940.Impro It's a book about improv but it's also the most insightful thing I've ever read about human social behavior. Even if you have no interest…
on “Your product is a joke: lessons from improv to build better product” ↗Books I'm glad I've read: The Inner Game of Tennis Impro by Keith Johnstone Seeing Like a State The Timeless Way of Building Linear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice) The Tao of Pooh Science,…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗If you're being a reddit punthreader, please kindly leave HN alone and die in a fire. If you're honestly asking for more information: http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-John... <=Excellent part on status improv
on “CEOs vouch for Waiter Rule: Watch how people treat staff” ↗There's a great improv book that helps with inter-universe clock sync and emotional reactions to resync operations :) http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-John...
on “The Kids Who Beat Autism” ↗…give your 90-second speech as a description of the emotions and reactions that are running through your head. Describe them in real time, use the emotions as fuel instead of reasoning with them. From "Impro", http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-John... "... Once you learn to accept offers, then accidents can no longer interrupt the action. When someone's chair collapsed, Stanislavsky…
on “Ask HN: How to get rid of speech anxiety?” ↗There is an excellent discussion of status games in the book "Impro." Highly recommend it if you're interested in hacking the non-tech side of things. http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-John...
on “Hacking The Status Game” ↗…(or especially if) you don't feel like doing it. The physical activity of being productive leads to a certain mental state. BTW, much the same idea is discussed in this book: http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-John... Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre, by Keith Johnstone.
on “Self help: try positive action, not positive thinking” ↗Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre (http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-John...) has a great section on communicating status through body language and movement. It describes a number…
on “The secrets of body language” ↗Seconding sohamsankaran and natrius on this. Joining an improv club easily counts as one of my best decisions. Let me recommend the book Impro (http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-John...), in particular.
on “How I learnt to cure stage fright” ↗"Impro" by Keith Johnstone. It may seem like a book on improvisational theater, but is more a collection of notes on interaction between people. Quite eye-opening and empowering. Would recommend to anyone.…
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?” ↗Impro by Keith Johnstone The Inner Game of Tennis A Guide to Better Movement: The Science and Practice of Moving with More Skill and Less Pain Punished by Rewards Microeconomics: Behavior, Institutions,…
on “Ask HN: Book Recommendations?” ↗Impro by Keith Johnstone There's a reason why it's one of two books on Palantir's new employee reading list.
on “Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?” ↗…Life of Great American Cities] Oulipo - A Primer of Potential Literature - nice introduction to the Oulipo and ideas of constraint as creative / poetic device [See also: Exercises in Style; Eunoia] Impro, by Keith Johnstone - great primer on improvisation, really made me appreciate its impacts beyond just the theater, for example the importance of status in social relations The Power Broker, by Robert…
on “Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?” ↗Dancing. After seeing the book 'Impro' by Keith Johnstone recommended on HN, I read it and decided to try improvisational theater. It improved my connection to my body a lot, and as a consequence, changed my feeling of presence in the world.…
on “Ask HN: As an adult introvertish nerd what makes you happy?” ↗