Keith Johnstone: A Critical BiographyKeith Johnstone entered the Royal Court Theatre as a new playwright in 1956: a decade later he emerged as a groundbreaking director and teacher of improvisation. His decisive book Impro (1979), described Johnstone's unique system of training: weaving together theories and techniques to encourage spontaneous, collaborative creation using the intuition and imagination of the actors. Johnstone has since become world-renowned, inspiring theatre greats and beginners alike; and his work continues to influence practice within and beyond the traditional theatre. Theresa Robbins Dudeck is the first author to rigorously examine Johnstone's life and career using a combination of archival documents – many from Johnstone's personal collection – participant observation, and interviews with Johnstone, his colleagues and former students. Keith Johnstone: A Critical Biography is a fascinating journey through the physical spaces that have served as Johnstone's transformative classrooms, and into the conceptual spaces which inform his radical pedagogy and approach to artistic work. |
Contents
Chapter 1 Introducing Keith Johnstone and his Impro System | 1 |
Chapter 2 The formative years | 19 |
Chapter 3 All the world is a classroom | 57 |
Chapter 4 The master teacher in the university classroom | 93 |
The Loose Moose Theatre Company | 121 |
Chapter 6 What now? What comes next? What classrooms still remain? | 167 |
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