Improv Wisdom

The publishers sent me a review copy of Improv Wisdom, by Patricia Ryan Madson. She is senior lecturer in Drama at Stanford and a long time practitioner of Improv. I've not met Patricia, but I think quite a few members of our community here have done.

I struggle to finish most non-fiction, but this book passes with flying colours. It's concise, well-written and down-to-earth. Patricia sets out 13 maxims drawn from Improv and applies them to life - partly inside the theatre but mostly out there in what is sometimes laughingly called the real world.

The great thing about Improv principles is that, while simple on the surface, they have great depth. I particularly enjoyed Patricia's way of looking at ways of interpreting them as guides to daily life. My favourite chapter is "Be Average", echoing Keith Johnstone's "dare to be dull".

Patricia is a big advocate of action and the book is full of to-dos. I'd suggest treating these as a menu of offers and pick the ones that appeal. Several that struck home for me were in the Chapter "Wake up to the Gifts". I loved hearing about her Zen retreat:

I was there to do some bookkeeping. My task was to focus on three questions: What had I received from others during my life? What had I given back to them? What trouble or bother had I caused them?

Patricia is greatly influenced by Eastern, especially Japanese, philosophies and gently works this into her themes.

And there's a great epilogue, with a delightful and humble twist in the tail that I absolutely loved. I won't spoil it by revealing it here but I found it authentic, appropriate and a wonderful way to close the circle on the book.

The book is out in May. I see you can get it for $10.88 at Amazon. That's a bargain I reckon.

Posted by Johnnie Moore on March 26, 2005 02:21 AM in Book reviews
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