To get better at improv, you ultimately have to do improv…a lot. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an important place for improv books. Books are a great way to learn the theory behind your improv practice, to read about the history and development of different schools of improv, and to get improv tips from amazing improvisers whom you’re not able to meet (or learn from) in person.
Have I mentioned I really love books? 🙂
So, without further ado, here are some of the best improv books that I’ve read. These books are great for beginning and advanced improvisers alike.
Best Improv Book for Beginners
Truth in Comedy: The Manual of Improvisation by Charna Halpern, Del Close, and Kim “Howard” Johnson
Del Close and Charna Halpern need no introduction, and their book is a guide to creating realistic and truthful improv – and, more specifically, a guide to performing the Harold. If you’re new to long-form improv and the Harold, this is a great place to start. At onl
y 160 pages, it’s a short read, but those pages are densely packed with information and tips, and each chapter ends with a bulleted list of the key takeaways from that section.
Best Improv How-To Guide
The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual by Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts, and Matt Besser
If you’re looking for a very practically oriented how-to guide on performing improv, this is the book for you. This manual outlines the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) style of improv step by step and includes illustrative diagrams and call-out boxes with helpful definitions, examples (including annotated improv scene dialogue so you can see how the principles they discuss play out in a real scene), and lots and lots of improv exercises.
If you’re looking to better understand the “game of the scene,” to avoid common pitfalls that can derail scenes, or to learn loads of practical examples and exercises so you can apply what you’ve learned, this book is for you. It’s also a great reference guide, which you can come back to again and again.
Best Musical Improv Book
Musical Improv Comedy: Creating Songs in the Moment by Michael Pollock
Interested in musical improv but not sure where to start? This book, while out of print and a little difficult to get a hold of, is the perfect place to start. Pollock breaks down the elements of an improvised song; provides a ton of musical improv warmups and games; and gives valuable advice for how to improvise songs with others (e.g., how do you signal to your group members that you think the song should end?).
The book even includes an audio CD that complements the different exercises and examples throughout the book, along with several full-length backing tracks in different styles so you can practice improvising songs on your own.