The theorist the theory and the context:
• Keith johnstone started as the head of the courts script department and played a major role in the development of the ‘writers’ theatre.’
• Author of the triumphant court plays Brixham Regetta and Performing giant “as he recounts in his book, he started as a writer who lost the ability to write, and then ran into the same melancholy impasse again when he turned to directing.” His book shows how he overcame this problem.
• The court set up a ‘writers’ and group and ‘acting’ studio for Keith Johnstone and William Gaskill. This is where Johnstone first started to teach his own particular style of improvisation. This was usually off fairy-tales, word associations, free associations and intuitive responses, he also taught mask work later on.
• “All his work has been to encourage the rediscovery of the imaginative response in the adult; the redefining of a child’s creativity.”
• Johnston’s aims: stop unnecessary discussion, transform meetings into acting sessions
• “The unconscious uncovers the goods.”
• Johnstone’s theatre machine company
Irving Wardle on Johnstone – Impro; Improvisation and the theatre.
• “At a time when I seemed to have lost all my talents as a creative artist I was driven to investigate my mental images.” He started to look at the images in sleep. They did not appear in sequence and seemed to arrive in spontaneity.
• “I begin reversing every statement to see if the opposite was true.”
• He became a teacher in a working class area in battersea, this was a place most people avoided.
Four things Johnstone focused on:
1. Status –
2. Spontaneity –
Blocking and accepting:
Bad improvisers block action, whereas good improviser accept this and use less speech.
Two places:
Two characters explore two different spaces on the same stage.
Presents:
Two people give invisible presents to each other. The person receiving a present has to act out their reaction and response to this gift. The other person then does the same thing. Neither person knows what the gift is. The aim of the game is to make the gift as interesting as possible. They need to also think of the size of the present they are receiving/being given.
It’s Tuesday:
One person says a day and the other has to respond to this. Eg. “It’s Tuesday”
“Oh my god, it’s my wedding day!”
3. Narrative skills –
Listing:
Listing words. This is to show that you can do this rationally eg, Dog, cat, mouse, trap… or without association eg, cat, bus, beach, hair…
Automatic Writing:
4. Masks and trance –
• Keith johnstone started as the head of the courts script department and played a major role in the development of the ‘writers’ theatre.’
• Author of the triumphant court plays Brixham Regetta and Performing giant “as he recounts in his book, he started as a writer who lost the ability to write, and then ran into the same melancholy impasse again when he turned to directing.” His book shows how he overcame this problem.
• The court set up a ‘writers’ and group and ‘acting’ studio for Keith Johnstone and William Gaskill. This is where Johnstone first started to teach his own particular style of improvisation. This was usually off fairy-tales, word associations, free associations and intuitive responses, he also taught mask work later on.
• “All his work has been to encourage the rediscovery of the imaginative response in the adult; the redefining of a child’s creativity.”
• Johnston’s aims: stop unnecessary discussion, transform meetings into acting sessions
• “The unconscious uncovers the goods.”
• Johnstone’s theatre machine company
Irving Wardle on Johnstone – Impro; Improvisation and the theatre.
• “At a time when I seemed to have lost all my talents as a creative artist I was driven to investigate my mental images.” He started to look at the images in sleep. They did not appear in sequence and seemed to arrive in spontaneity.
• “I begin reversing every statement to see if the opposite was true.”
• He became a teacher in a working class area in battersea, this was a place most people avoided.
Four things Johnstone focused on:
1. Status –
2. Spontaneity –
Blocking and accepting:
Bad improvisers block action, whereas good improviser accept this and use less speech.
Two places:
Two characters explore two different spaces on the same stage.
Presents:
Two people give invisible presents to each other. The person receiving a present has to act out their reaction and response to this gift. The other person then does the same thing. Neither person knows what the gift is. The aim of the game is to make the gift as interesting as possible. They need to also think of the size of the present they are receiving/being given.
It’s Tuesday:
One person says a day and the other has to respond to this. Eg. “It’s Tuesday”
“Oh my god, it’s my wedding day!”
3. Narrative skills –
Listing:
Listing words. This is to show that you can do this rationally eg, Dog, cat, mouse, trap… or without association eg, cat, bus, beach, hair…
Automatic Writing:
4. Masks and trance –
