An interesting read, but nowhere as good as Truth in COmedy. This book loosely tries to introduce advanced work with a DVD.

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Product Description

This series contains both a book and DVD. It is a guide to advanced improvisation. This sequel to the best-selling improv book "Truth in Comedy" is designed to help improv performers move up to the more advanced levels of improvisation. Accompanying the book is a DVD featuring performers in action demonstrating the instructions and ideas covered in the book. The DVD includes performances by four popular improv groups: Upright Citizens Brigade, Beer Shark Mice, Armando Diaz Theatrical Experience, The Reckoning and assorted short clips with Peter Hulne. Also on the DVD are interviews with many celebrity improv artists including: Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler, Stephnie Weir, Tim Meadows, Andy Dick, and Adam McKay.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #302051 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

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Customer Reviews

Redundant and unnecessary
"Truth in Comedy" is a decent little book that lays out well the philosophy of Improv and the Harold structure. "Art by Committee" reiterates some of what's in Truth, very slightly expands on some of the concepts, but mostly it's just chatter about IO, improv, and Del Close. There's a whole lot of former students talking about how great improv is. There's a whole lot of vague ruminations on how great improv is. And there's a whole lot of pretty pointless... addenduming (if that's a word). The book is like one big addendum to Truth in Comedy, one big "what I was saying is..." and "oh yeah, I forgot to mention this (insignificant thing related to something from Truth)". All of this is stuff you'll hear from your teachers at any decent improv class (minus the personal stories, of course). Plus, it's just not that well written. It's poorly organized and poorly conceived and the writing style is far too conversational. But given that not much is being said and really, it's all just fluff and filler, I guess an overly conversational style is the only way to pad it out.

If you live somewhere with no access to decent improv then the DVD may be of some help. The book... well, if you're in Podunk, Nowhere the book might help flesh out a few things from Truth in Comedy as it has some examples of things that worked out or didn't and how they might have gone the other way had the players followed/not followed the rules, stuff like that, but for anyone else actively studying improv, don't bother.

Good book, excellent DVD
There is some good info in this book. The best part of the book is that Halpern references examples from the included DVD to illustrate some of her points. These examples come in the early chapters and are by far the strongest part of the book.

In fact, the DVD itself is worth the price of the book with full performances by "Beer Shark Mice" and the "Reckoning" as well as performance snippets of ASSCAT and an Armando (with Joe Bill as the Armando). There are also interviews with various well known improvisers such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, etc.

Halpern's writing is weak because - even though she makes good points - she never takes you through the whole thing so that you can get it. A book that would lay out specific issues in teaching long form improv and then useful exercises and teaching points would make for a more useful book. It seems like she is either describing the final result (what makes up a Harold, for example) or making a small teaching point (how to treat mistakes as gifts), but she's never taking you through the whole process. If Halpern could write with the discipline of Carol Hazenfield (see Hazenfield's "Acting on Impulse"), you would have an excellent long-form improv book.

Halpern uses the last part of the book to tell some stories about Del Close and the history of improv. Anyone with an interest in the development of long-form will find this part of the book interesting.

"Art" is a good book - not great, but good. Even if you are not a fan of Halpern's work, the DVD itself is worth the price of the book.

fluff and feathers
Tim R. has it all said. Whatever happened to what improv is supposed to create rather then 'how to - over, and over' which is exactly the philosophic opposite.