Katy Schutte is a UK based improviser, performer, coach and teacher, and she has put her years of experience and talent on to the page in her book, The Improviser's Way: A Longform Workbook. It is a call to action, a declaration of how empowering, life enhancing and just plain fun the art of improvisation can be. It is witty, sparse and concise, unapologetic, and a textbook (the would-be improviser can make notes, draw pictures, write reflections in designated boxes, and follow a twelve-week programme).
It is not necessarily aimed at the drama student or actor, it can be used by anyone who might benefit from the confidence building, creativity stirring and fear busting power of ‘longform’ improvisation. Which is, in a nutshell, the improviser having autonomy over the direction in a scene, rather than being led by a director. This is a bit like how life should be; you learn how to take charge of yourself and make good choices, but you also understand how to look after other people, build and create something together: two is better than one.
In addition to teaching the technicalities of improv, what really struck me about The Improviser's Way is the philosophy of trust and generosity which underpins everything that longform improvisation stands for. Quoting American actor and improv teacher Del Close, Shutte sums up the art beautifully: ‘The philosophy of treating one another like ‘artists, geniuses and poets’ has become a way of being. With improvisation, there's no use in playing a cunning power game, psyching out the competition for roles…’. These sentiments chime loud and clear in what seem to be unfortunate times of Machiavellian political uncertainty, the cult of the self, and the rise of the individual. As a Drama teacher, I will attempt to hold aloft the baton of trust and generosity. I intend the baton to improve my teaching and motivate my students to new heights of creativity, confidence, and fun – thank you Katy Schutte.