Impro for Storytellers (1999) is the essential follow-up to Keith Johnstone’s seminal work, Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre
. While his first book introduced the world to "status" and "spontaneity," this volume focuses on the mechanics of narrative and the specific games—such as Theatresports Gorilla Theatre
—that Johnstone developed to make improv a compelling spectator sport. Core Philosophies and Techniques
Johnstone’s approach is rooted in removing the intellectual "watcher at the gate" that inhibits adult creativity. Be More Boring:
Johnstone famously tells students to "be average" or "be boring". By not trying to be clever or funny, actors act more logically in the moment, which paradoxically leads to more authentic and often funnier scenes. Status Transactions:
Every human interaction is a see-saw of power. Johnstone teaches that understanding how to raise or lower status through body language (like keeping the head still while speaking) is the key to realistic character relationships. Narrative Reincorporation:
Instead of searching for "new" ideas, Johnstone suggests "walking backwards." Good storytellers look back at earlier established "platforms" and reincorporate those elements to create a satisfying circular structure. Failing Gracefully:
The book aims to take "self-obsessed beginners" and teach them to "fail with joy". When an improviser embraces failure, the audience supports them more, transforming anxiety into playful energy. Key Sections and Content keith johnstone impro for storytellers pdf
The book serves as a practical manual for both performers and teachers, containing: Theatresports & Formats: Detailed rules for competitive improv formats like (an elimination game) and Gorilla Theatre (where directors are punished by the audience). Spontaneity Exercises:
Activities like "Naming Things Wrongly" to break cognitive patterns and "What Comes Next" to train instinctive response. Teaching Advice:
Insights into being a high-status teacher who provides a safe environment for students to "regress" into a playful, creative state.
The Improv Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Improvising in Comedy, Theatre, and Beyond
Title: Beyond the Blank Page: What Keith Johnstone’s Impro Teaches Storytellers
Subtitle: You don’t need a PDF to find the magic—but here is why you should read the book.
If you’ve searched for "Keith Johnstone Impro for storytellers PDF," you are likely in one of two camps: Impro for Storytellers (1999) is the essential follow-up
Let’s get the obvious question out of the way first: Should you download a PDF of Impro?
While the text is widely circulated online, Johnstone’s work is a manual you will want to flip back to constantly. Buy the physical book. Scribble in the margins. But if you are searching for a PDF to get the ideas immediately, I understand. The urgency to unlock creativity is real.
However, before you hunt for a bootleg copy, let me tell you why Impro is the single most important craft book you will ever read—specifically as a storyteller, not just as an actor.
Goal: End stories satisfyingly. Method: Start a story about a baker. In the middle, introduce a random element (a blue cat). At the end, ensure the blue cat saves the baker. Why it works: It trains your brain to value the connections between ideas rather than the quantity of ideas.
Here’s the truth: A grainy, bootleg PDF of Impro will give you Johnstone’s words, not his practice. The book is dense, academic in parts, and easy to misinterpret without context.
Do this instead (legal & more useful):
Most storytelling guides focus on structure: Save the Cat, The Hero’s Journey, three-act plotting. Johnstone throws structure out the window. Title: Beyond the Blank Page: What Keith Johnstone’s
His core thesis is terrifying and liberating: Your education has ruined your spontaneity.
Johnstone argues that schools teach us to be "clever" (critical, judging, editing). But creativity requires the opposite: a state of play. For a storyteller, this means you are likely killing your best ideas before they hit the page because your "Inner Editor" is sitting on your shoulder with a red pen.
Instead of hunting for a potentially pirated PDF (which hurts the legacy of a great teacher), try these paths:
Johnstone believes traditional story structure (Beginning, Middle, End) is often taught incorrectly. He focuses on the Cycle:
Here is the trap of searching for the "Keith Johnstone impro for storytellers pdf."
Impro is not a list of techniques. It is a philosophy of vulnerability. Johnstone writes about the terror of the empty space (the stage) and the terror of the blank page (the page).
Reading a scanned PDF on a laptop encourages skimming. It encourages you to consume the information. But Johnstone demands you do the exercises. He wants you to look like a fool in your living room. He wants you to write a scene so bad that you laugh out loud.
Johnstone posits that storytelling is a shared trance. The storyteller goes into a light trance, and the audience follows. If the storyteller tries to "control" the trance with a rigid plot, the trance breaks. The book provides exercises to enter this trance voluntarily.
Goal: Dramatic tension. Method: Two characters meet. One has High Status, one has Low Status. Play the scene. Then, flip the status halfway through without announcing it—show it through body language and interruption. Theory: Stories are essentially about changes in status.