About the Book:

Appropriate for high school age or older thespians, this concise book contains over 40 improv games for developing group chemistry organized into sections: Bonding, Focus, Awareness, Creation, Energy, Dynamics, and more. Techniques are discussed for breaking the ice, agreement, listening and support, teamwork, quick thinking, and having fun!

Who would have thought that participating in group improv could be so enlightening and rewarding! Every group, not just improv teams, benefits from increased communication, and author Peter Gwinn reveals many secrets about how to facilitate this connection in fun and creative ways. The many improv games and exercises he presents in Group Improvisation: The manual of ensemble improv games help heighten awareness, break the ice, increase concentration, and wire brains together. Peter Gwinn and his colleagues at the legendary i.O. theatre in Chicago have developed the concept of The Group Mind to create a new awareness in the mind and spirit of any group or team. The Group Mind, the Holy Grail of improvisation, is created by a synergy between improv participants. It's like ESP. It's the feeling of being part of a greater entity. With this increased connection, your actors feel part of a greater entity, with a sense of excitement, belonging, and importance that takes teamwork to a new level.

About the Author:

Peter Gwinn is a veteran improviser, teacher, and writer. He studied with Charna Halpern and Del Close at Chicago's world-renowned i.O. Theater, where he performed and taught. After over a decade of improvising and teaching in Chicago, Peter then moved to New York City, where he now performs and teaches at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. In addition to his work at the UCB Theatre, he won two Emmy Awards and three Writers Guild Awards as a writer for The Colbert Report, and wrote for the Amazon Original Series Alpha House starring John Goodman.

Charna Halpern has been teaching performers how to work together for more than 25 years. Having founded the world famous i.O. Theater (formerly ImprovOlympic Theater) in Chicago and Hollywood, Her theaters are the meccas of training in the art of improvisation and act as a recruiting stop for television shows like Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and MADtv, supplying Hollywood with writers and performers. She is the author of the improv training manuals Truth in Comedy and Art By Committee.