The improviser has to understand that his first skill lies in releasing his partnerโs imagination.
Keith JohnstoneEvery theatre worth anything has somebody in the middle of it who is driving it; like Joan Littlewood with her theatre.
Keith JohnstoneThere are people who prefer to say โYesโ, and there are people who prefer to say โNoโ. Those who say โYesโ are rewarded by the adventures they have, and those who say โNoโ are rewarded by the safety they attain.
Keith JohnstoneAt school any spontaneous act was likely to get me into trouble. I learned never to act on impulse, and that whatever came into my mind first should be rejected in favour of better ideas. I learned that my imagination Wasnโt โgoodโ enough. I learned that the first idea was unsatisfactory because it was (1) psychotic; (2) obscene; (3) unoriginal. The truth is that the best ideas are often psychotic, obscene and unoriginal.
Keith Johnstone