Impro
Keith Johnstone's groundbreaking exploration of spontaneity and theatrical improvisation
Overview
Impro by Keith Johnstone is a seminal work on improvisation and creativity that explores status transactions, spontaneity, narrative skills, and the use of masks and trance in performance. It fundamentally changed how improvisation is taught and understood.
Johnstone draws on his experience as a teacher and director at the Royal Court Theatre to present a theory of improvisation grounded in social dynamics and the liberation of suppressed creativity. His observations about status are particularly influential.
How It Works
Essential reading for improvisers and for any actor who wants to understand social dynamics, power, and spontaneity in performance. The concepts of status and spontaneity are applicable far beyond improv comedy.
Available in paperback and digital formats, typically priced between $14-17. A classic text that has been continuously in print since 1979.
Who Uses It
One of the most influential books on performance ever written. Johnstone's insights into status, spontaneity, and creativity will change how you approach every scene and interaction, on stage and off. The book appeals equally to theater actors, improvisers, comedians, directors, and educators — anyone whose work involves human interaction and spontaneity. Drama schools worldwide have assigned Impro as required reading for decades, and its concepts regularly appear in acting workshops, corporate training seminars, and even psychotherapy contexts. Johnstone's influence extends well beyond theater into fields like design thinking and creative leadership, making this one of the rare acting books with genuinely universal application.
Pricing & Plans
Impro is available in paperback from Routledge and other publishers, typically priced between $14 and $17 for a new copy, with used copies often available for under $10. The Kindle and other digital editions generally cost around $12 to $14. There is no audiobook edition available as of 2025, which is unfortunate given the book's conversational writing style. Given that this book has been continuously in print since 1979 — a remarkable run for any book, let alone one about theater — its staying power speaks to its enduring value. At under $20, it represents one of the best investments an actor or improviser can make in their creative development.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
Impro's greatest strength is Johnstone's revolutionary analysis of status transactions, which gives actors a concrete, observable framework for understanding power dynamics in every scene and every human interaction. His writing about spontaneity cuts to the heart of what blocks creative freedom, offering insights that are immediately applicable to rehearsal and performance. The book is written in a warm, anecdotal style that makes complex ideas about creativity and psychology genuinely accessible and entertaining to read. Johnstone draws on a vast range of examples from theater, education, and everyday life, which keeps the material fresh and prevents it from feeling like a dry textbook. The mask and trance chapter, while more specialized, opens up fascinating territory that most acting books never touch. Few books in any field manage to be simultaneously this entertaining, this original, and this practically useful.
What Could Be Better
The book's structure can feel disjointed at times — it reads more like a collection of essays and observations than a systematic training manual, which may frustrate readers looking for step-by-step exercises. Some of Johnstone's claims about education and psychology, while provocative, are based more on his personal observations than on rigorous research, and some have not aged perfectly. The mask and trance chapter may feel irrelevant or even unsettling to actors whose work does not involve these techniques, and it sits somewhat awkwardly alongside the more universally applicable material. Readers expecting a practical improv handbook with games and exercises will find that Impro is more philosophical and theoretical than hands-on. The writing occasionally assumes familiarity with British theatrical traditions that American or international readers may not share. Additionally, some of Johnstone's examples and language reflect the era in which the book was written, which can occasionally feel dated.
Our Recommendation
Every actor, improviser, and director should read Impro at least once — it is one of those books that fundamentally shifts how you see human behavior and performance. It is particularly essential for anyone studying or practicing improvisation, but its insights into status and spontaneity are equally valuable for actors working in scripted theater, film, and television. If you are looking for a practical improv exercise book, pair Impro with Truth in Comedy or Mick Napier's Improvise for the hands-on component that Johnstone's book does not provide. If you find Johnstone's ideas compelling, his follow-up book Impro for Storytellers offers more structured games and exercises based on the principles outlined here. Actors who only read one book about improvisation should make it this one.
Pro Tips
Read the status chapter first — it is the most immediately applicable section and will change how you watch every scene and every conversation. Practice observing status transactions in everyday life: at coffee shops, in meetings, on public transit. Notice who raises and lowers status, how, and why. Try playing a scene with a deliberate status choice, then reverse it and see how the entire dynamic transforms. Do not skip the mask and trance chapter even if it seems esoteric — the ideas about surrendering conscious control connect deeply to the kind of creative freedom that makes great performances possible. Revisit the book every few years; you will find entirely new layers of insight as your experience as a performer deepens. Pair your reading with Johnstone's YouTube lectures and workshops, many of which are available online and bring his written ideas vividly to life.