Improv for Everyone
Greg Tavares
M and L Books, South Carolina, 2012
An interesting and very analytic book about the art of improvising. Tavares considers improv in a very technical way. In his owns words: you learn to ride a bike in a very step-by-step way; once you know how to ride a bike, you don't think about how you're doing it, you just do. Similarly, Tavares breaks down improvising in what he calls micro-techniques: use these techniques and you can train yourself to be awesome (or so he claims).
The first part of the book introduces his 'theory' and the second part provides exercises.
Tavares' theory breaks down in 3 parts: what he calls noodles, sauce and spice. Noodles is building agreement. The sauce is basically exploration of (characters') point of view to discover the (primary) emotional drive of the characters. The spice, finally, is Heightening .
Tavares' approach is not for everyone (though he would disagree with this statement). Those analytically-minded will enjoy his methodical breakdown; those of the "let's just play" will probably balk at the theory. But irrespective of personal preferences, the book is well written, Taraves has a definite drive, and the whole of his philosophy makes well-rounded sense. Absolutely recommended!
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