7 Great Keith Johnstone Quotes on Improv and Performance

Like Keith Johnstone's astoundingly good Impro, these quotes are aimed at improvisers, but they resonate into comedy, performance, and everyday life. Many of the below tie into Keith's modus operandi of allowing our instincts to lead the interaction - not trying - as outlined here

1. "When things happen that seem truthful, observers project themselves into the characters..."


2. "Don't come on to be funny - come on to solve problems."


3. "If you don't have to kick the students out after school, something is wrong."


4. "The best laughs are on the recognition of truth. "


5. "You don't have to have 'a good idea' - just 'an alter-the-relationship'."


6. "In a scene [where the improvisers must interact] without the letter S, the audience is waiting for you to lose - so they can laugh at you. Don't try to win."


7. "Best side-coaching for improvisers in a scene? 'Do it.' Some actors don't want to move into the future."

relax, beef

Books got out of the liberry:
Cosmopolitanism
The Book of Disquiet
Finite and Infinite Games
For They Know Not What They Do
Nonzero