Improv Beyond Rules: a practical guide to Narrative Improvisation by Adam Meggido

Adam Meggido is an experienced writer, director and teacher of improvisation, but as he makes clear early on, in his new book, Improv Beyond Rules, improvisation, like theatre, like society, like us, is perpetually evolving and in a state of flux, and as such we shouldn't get bogged down in dogma, and most importantly, rules. In fact, I enjoyed his idea of playing an improv game which challenges one of improvisation's long-standing rules: don't ask questions. Why not play a game whereby two actors ask nothing but questions? This may reveal the usefulness of asking questions in a scene, or perhaps draw attention to how a statement might be preferable – try it and see!

Improvisation, though, is a practice to be crafted, not something we are going to pick up instantaneously. We do need some sort of structure and guidance, and therefore he advocates not rules, but principles. Listen. Accept. Commit – these are the three guiding principles which permeate all of Meggido's ideas and techniques. I found myself thinking that they're not bad principles for life actually

Megiddo gently takes the reader by the hand on a journey through three main chapters: the Moment, the Scene and the Story: the latter two building and expanding upon knowledge acquired in the previous chapter. Woven through each are thoughts on Stanislavski, Chekhov, Meisner, Spolin and Mamet. This gives the book a philosophical grounding and weight, and it is as if the reader gets a ‘best of’ insight into the methodologies of these theatre greats. The way in which Meggido has carefully selected the ideas, and because of his own intelligent insights, the overarching message I gleaned, was twofold. First, that improv is the pursuit of the elusive truth, under the imaginary circumstances of the stage. Secondly, it is creating a story for an audience to be immersed in. Simultaneously marrying two such lofty ambitions is surely a lifetime's pursuit, but because of this book's logical and graspable, not to mention fun writing, the lofty ambitions seem somehow achievable, and one is inspired.