33 Quotes by Keith Johnstone

The improviser has to understand that his first skill lies in releasing his partner’s imagination.

Truth is that the best ideas are often psychotic, obscene and unoriginal.

Don’t come on to be funny – come on to solve problems.

If it weren’t for fear, I wouldn’t have to teach you a damn thing.

An artist who is inspired is being obvious. He’s not making any decisions, he’s not weighing one idea against another. He’s accepting his first thoughts.

Good impro can make you laugh, we love it, but soon the content is forgotten. Good scenes from The Life Game stay with you always. They haunt you.

I don’t even think you should tell the audience you’re improvising. It’s like an apology in case it’s bad : ‘we’re just making it up’ If the improv isn’t better than the rehearsed stuff, then you should just rehearse it.

In life most of us are highly skilled at suppressing action. Bad improvisers block action often with a high degree of skill. Good improvisers develop action.

Every time you go the way the audience expects, they’ll think you’re original. People laugh with pleasure at the obvious.