Long-form Improvisation & the Art of Zen: A Manual for Advanced Performers

The Boss!

As a teacher of theatre and improv myself (and someone who has read well over 20 books devoted to improv short and long form) I really like the approach this author has taken to long-form improv. Instead of over complicating it, he distills it into essentially 4 "Prime Directives" and then explains how to apply these to long form. He also applies some of the concepts of Zen and martial arts to the art form in a surprisingly convincing way. In addition he gives advice to those people who might fill the role of coach or director for an improv team/cast and how to approach that role. This book is only 55 pages long and is a really quick read, but it is also packed with great ideas and is well written. Well worth the $10 he is charging for the book.

I think the info in this book is pretty solid, but it's self-published and DESPERATELY needs a good edit. The second half is much stronger than the first half of the book. The first half is essentially just bitching about all the things beginning improvisers do wrong, while the second half, actually starts to get into Mr. Chin's personal philosophy.Improvise, by Mick Napier is a much better book and clearly accomplishes everything Jason Chin sets out to do, but doesn't quite make it.Also, the title is pretty offensive. Zen is barely mentioned in passing and there are no practical links to Improv whatsoever. Zen is like Improv. Yeah, so what? Make the case and then give us some practical tools to use when onstage. HOW is Improv like Zen and WHY does it matter to performers?Maybe this one will be worth a read in the second edition.

Good advice, told simply with some fun anecdotes. Jason wrote this book like he teaches - with heart and spoken directly in a manner that's easy to remember.

I really enjoyed this book and the author's experience and expertise with long-form. It's definitely a book for someone or a group who are already experienced and he makes that clear in the beginning. His concepts are helpful for those who are "stuck" and finding their scene work dying on the vine. I especially loved his "tips on two-person scene work - Conflict is good. Argument is good." He asserts that "a heated emotional exchange between two people is interesting if they're being led by their hearts." So true!! I've seen countless argument scenes where two people stand around and debate logical which becomes a bore quickly. But to see two people engage passionately about their point of view is riveting. I'd recommend picking up this book if you're a performer or an improv coach who needs some help getting unstuck.