Improv

Want to learn the improv techniques that helped Mike Myers, Chris Farley, John Belushi, and many others along the road to TV and film stardom? Then let two esteemed founders of long-form improvisational theatre, Del Close and Charna Halpern, teach you the "Harold." This groundbreaking acting exercise emphasizes pattern recognition and subversion of the audience's expectations, which are important factors for making people laugh without ever telling a joke. It involves six to seven players and many kinds of scenes: games, monologues, songs, skits and more, all of which are bound to keep both actors and audience members guessing. The Harold is non-linear entertainment that remembers everything and wastes nothing the key to successful improvising and has become a standard in comedy clubs and improv theatres around the globe.

In The Triangle of the Scene, veteran improv teacher and performer Paul Vaillancourt lays out a simple set of tools that enable improvisors old and new to use the three basic elements of a scene to super-charge their work and take it to the next level. In this book, Paul shows you how to better connect with your partner, how to use the ‘where’, and how to find the ever elusive game of the scene. The Triangle of the Scene is also the first improv book to use embedded videos to allow readers to see the book’s exercises and techniques in action. With 30 years of experience performing and teaching improv Paul (the Co-founder of the iO West and member of the legendary improv group Beer, Shark, Mice) shares with you the techniques that he has used to help thousands of students become more fearless, confident, and powerful improvisors.