Keith Johnstone

Keith Johnstone is a drama instructor whose teachings and books have focused on improvisational theatre and have had a major influence on the art of improvisation.

Education

Born February, 1933, in Devon, England, Johnstone grew up hating school, finding that it blunted his imagination and made him feel self-conscious and shy. In the late 1950s, as a play-reader, director and drama teacher at the Royal Court Theatre in London, he chose to reverse all that his teachers had told him in an attempt to create more spontaneous actors.

Teaching and writing career

In the 1970s, Johnstone moved to Calgary, Alberta to teach at the University of Calgary. There, he co-founded the Loose Moose Theatre, and invented Theatresports, that has become a staple of modern, improvisational comedy. Johnstone has subsequently invented further improvisation formats including "Gorilla Theatre", "Micetro" or "Maestro", and "Life Game" that has been seen at the National Theatre courtesy of Improbable Theatre, and on U.S. cable television.

He has written two books about his work, Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre and Impro For Storytellers.

Bibliography

• Johnstone, Keith (1979). Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre (1st ed.). Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-571-10989-6, 9780571109890 . 
• Johnstone, Keith (1999-05-01). Impro For Storytellers. Faber And Faber Ltd. ISBN 0-571-19099-5. 
• Reddick,Grant . "Keith Johnstone," Theatre 100. Calgary: Alberta Playwrights Network, 2006
• "Keith Johnstone" in Contemporary Dramatists, 6th ed. St. James Press, 1999.
• Berney, K.A. ed. (1994). "Johnstone, Keith". Contemporary British Dramatists. London: St. James Press. p. 377.  ISBN 1-55862-213-6

External links

• Keith Johnstone, Keith's web page.
• Improvisation & Storytelling Workshops, Workshops based on Keith's works
• Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia entry
• "Unscripted", Chris Wiebe, Alberta Views magazine, September 2005.