A Guide to Keith Johnstone's Theatresports(TM)

by Keith Johnstone (Other), Patti Stiles (Contribution by), Shawn Kinley (Contribution by)

Overview

This guide is for all those wishing to train in and produce Theatresports(TM). It is a fantastic format to experience Impro Keith Johnstone style and receive all of the personal and group benefits that go along with it. Theatresports(TM) players develop in storytelling, spontaneity, joyful failure, confidence, teamwork and so much more.

In the late 1950's Keith Johnstone was experimenting with Theatresports(TM) in London England. It was first produced in Calgary, Canada in 1977, from there spread around the world and is now played in over 90 countries.

The International Theatresports(TM) Institute was created by Keith to entrust and manage his Impro formats.

The ITI grants performance rights to groups wishing to train on and perform the Keith Johnstone formats of Theatresports(TM), Maestro Impro(TM) and Gorilla Theatre(TM). Money from royalties goes to member benefits, building the Impro community and managing the trademark and legacy. Keith himself has never taken any profit from the licensing of Theatresports(TM).

The ITI Theatresports(TM) Guide was originally produced exclusively for performance rights holders free of charge in pdf form. This new print edition has been revised and improved for larger distribution. ITI members still have select access but it is now available for purchase to anyone.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780995955509
Publisher:	International Theatresports Institute
Publication date:	05/02/2017
Series:	Iti Format Guides , #1
Pages:	46
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.13(d)

About the Author

KEITH JOHNSTONE is one of the few internationally recognized authorities in the field of improvisation, great chunks of which he created, including Theatresports(TM), Maestro Impro(c) (or Micetro(c) Impro), Gorilla Theatre(TM), and The Life Game(c). Keith has written two best selling books about his Theatre and Improvisation theories and practices, in addition to several plays and short stories. His books Impro, and Impro For Storytellers, have been translated into many languages. His plays are produced world wide. Keith's ideas about improvisation, behaviour and performance appeal to a wide variety of groups. From Actors to Psychotherapists, Improvisation companies to Theatre Schools and Companies, Business and Management training specialists and Humanities Research Institutes, Universities and Film Production Companies have invited him to come to teach them about his ideas, and how they might apply them. He founded the Theatre Machine Improvisation group in England in the 1960's, touring Europe and North America, was the Co-founder and Artistic Director of The Loose Moose Theatre Company in Calgary, Canada in the 1970's, 80's and 90's. He founded The International Theatresports(TM) Institute in 1998.

Patti Stiles is an actor, director, playwright, teacher and improvisation artist living in Australia. She received her training at Calgary, Alberta's world-renowned Loose Moose Theatre under Keith Johnstone. It was there she worked intensively with Keith Johnstone in many forms of improvisation. She performed regularly in Theatresports(TM), Gorilla Theatre(TM) and Life Game(TM) as well as performing in Keith's plays, directing and performing in the Theatre For Kids program and touring productions. Stiles moved to Toronto Canada and was the Artistic Director of Dream Kitchen Theatre, which produced Theatresports(TM). From there she moved to Edmonton Alberta and was Artistic Director of Rapid Fire Theatre from 1991 - 1996. Young performers in the company at this time include Mark Meer, Jacob Banigan, Josh Dean, Nathan Fillion whom she helped to train. Along with her AD duties Patti was very involved with other theatre endeavours. She directed David Belke's production of The Maltese Bodkin which featured Nathan Fillion (in one of his first theatrical roles) and received an Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Outstanding Fringe Production. In Edmonton Patti wrote her first play for Theatre For Young Audiences called If Whales Could Tell Tales, which was commissioned by the Provincial Museum. She was heavily involved in the Edmonton Fringe Festival as actor, director or productions as well as their opening / closing ceremonies and also the Edmonton Street Performers Festival as a roving character artist, director of Women In Comedy or performer in Late Night Madness. Patti also had the honour of being a founding member of Die-Nasty: The Live Improvised Soap Opera (nominated for several Canadian Comedy Awards and winner of the 2006 award for Best Improv Troupe) and holds the record as the first female improviser to improvise 53 hours straight in the annual Die-Nasty Soap-A-Thon. For 6 months Stiles lived in London UK, during this time she worked a great deal with many of the impro companies in London. It was then she met and was able to train Deborah Francis White and Tom Salinski founders of The Spontaneity Shop and authors of The Impro Handbook which includes a dedication to her. Stiles moved to Melbourne Australia and became the Artistic Director of Impro Melbourne from 2004 to 2009. During this time she wrote her second theatre for young audiences play Water of Life. She is also founder and Co-Director of Secret Impro Theatre and Artistic Director of Die Nasty AU a Melbourne branch of the soap opera style created in Edmonton. Patti now has her own company in Melbourne Patti Stiles Impro focused on her improvisational teaching. Stiles has had the pleasure of playing with many notable improvisation performers including Colin Mochrie, Brad Sherwood, Wayne Brady, Joe Flaherty, Daniel Cordeaux, Rebecca De Unamuno, Julia Zemiro, Dan O'Connor, Ron Pederson, Jeff Haslam, Dana Andersen, and Alan Cox. She is a three-time nominee for the Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award for Theatre Excellence TV credits for Stiles include Neighbours (AUS), Stingers (AUS), "John Safran's Race Relation's" (AUS).

Shawn's home base is Canada which he is rarely in. He works with people in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australasia and Africa 9 months of the year - enough time to make a baby.... which, he has not yet done but says he would like to one day. Broadly speaking, Shawn teaches workshops and performs. More specifically he engages performers, businesses people, health care professionals, education experts, scientists, toymakers, dancers, psychologists and even the military in various forms of improvisation and movement to make their world a little better. Over the past three decades Shawn has been asked to teach in 43 countries. Memorable visits include Universities in Oxford and Cambridge, a roofless building in Peru, the National Theatre of Iceland, and Opera of Norway, a Favela in Brazil, palaces in Germany, circuses in Poland and Colombia.

Table of Contents

Contents

INTRODUCTION

About This Guide

Keith Johnstone

Resources

The International TheatresportsTM Institute (ITI)

THEATRESPORTSTM BACKGROUND

What is TheatresportsTM?

TheatresportsTM Origins

The Global Explosion of TheatresportsTM

What TheatresportsTM Can Achieve

Content

IMPORTANT CONCEPTS

What You Need to Know Before You Start

The Spirit

Failure

Teamwork

Misbehavior

Skills

Terminology

LET’S BEGIN

TheatesportsTM by Stealth

The Quick Start

What You Need for Basic TheatresportsTM

A TheatresportsTM Show

The 10 Minute Game

The Free Impro

The Danish Game

The Regular Challenge Match

Variety

THEATRESPORTSTM IN MORE DETAIL

Disaster is Unavoidable

The Start of the Show

Commentator/Emcee

Competition

Teams

Team Entrances

Seating the Teams

Leaving the Stage

Judges

Judges Entrance

Hell Judges

The Horn

The Basket

Scoring and Scorecards

Fairness

Challenges

Winning Prizes

Keith’s Advice

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Scenography

Notes

Games List

IN CLOSING

Final Words

For More Information