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Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ and Dave Book
T.J. and David are internationally known, award-winning, master improvisers from Chicago's legendary scene. This in-depth look at the techniques, principles, theory and ideas behind what they do is both authoritative and entertaining. Since their early years playing the iO (formerly Improv Olympic) and the Second City mainstage theater (where David won a Joseph Jefferson award for best actor in a revue), TJ and Dave have been performing for over fifty years combined - fifteen as a team. David worked with improvisation guru Del Close, in development of the The Harold , the preeminent longform theatrical structure, and both are multi-award winning actors. Steven Colbert says, "One of these guys is the best improviser in the world. And the other one is better." Other The New York Times says they are "the premier improv duo working today," while Time Out New York wrote of their long-running TJ and Dave "BRILLIANT, HEARTBREAKING, MIND-BLOWING, INSPIRING! The best 50 minutes of improv comedy we've ever seen ....DRINK THEIR KOOL-AID."
225 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2015
34 people are currently reading
415 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 4, 2025
Logging improv theory on goodreads is so humiliating. I might as well be publicly rating self-help books with titles like “Becoming The Girl Boss ADHD F*cking Queen Of Your Dreams Mama!!!!”. TJ&Dave are still the artistic highbrow end of improv, though, and I feel like a more thoughtful performer for having read it, even if 99% of their method boils down to “MAKE EYE CONTACT!!” and “act NORMAL!!!!!!!!!!”
June 22, 2018
I liked it - I don't think I was the target audience. This book was about how TJ and Dave improvise. It was very clear on that point. And one of the themes was that when they are on stage, they are improvising for each other. The target audience was TJ and Dave fans, and we learned about how they improvise.
See, for me, what I really wanted, was to learn how I could improvise more like them. And while I got some good tips and advice and understanding, that wasn't the main focus of the book. I understand that there is a federal law that any book on improvisation has to start by recapping how cool {Chicago, LA, Toronto} was in The Old Days, so I don't blame them for that, but I really just didn't need it.
I am a fan of TJ and Dave, and did a workshop with TJ, so it was interesting to read. A lot of the credit for that goes to Pam Victor. In compiling their words, and adding her own, she was the one of the three who most reached out to me, the reader who cares about his own improvving. She was always bringing it back to what the reader can get out of this.
She's a really good writer.
TJ and Dave are excellent at communicating and being interesting onstage, and so they were interesting in this book as well. It is an amazing behind-the-scenes how the trick is done book. I suppose I was more interested in "how can I do the trick" than "how do they do the trick." Because part of the reason, as I learned, that they can do what they do is that they are unique people with a unique chemistry.
It is sounding like I'm panning the book, and I'm not. I guess, back to the first sentence, I wasn't the target audience. But I got a lot out of it. Sorry this is incoherent - I'm typing at the speed of life, and I'm not editing like I usually do. It wouldn't feel right to do so.
See, for me, what I really wanted, was to learn how I could improvise more like them. And while I got some good tips and advice and understanding, that wasn't the main focus of the book. I understand that there is a federal law that any book on improvisation has to start by recapping how cool {Chicago, LA, Toronto} was in The Old Days, so I don't blame them for that, but I really just didn't need it.
I am a fan of TJ and Dave, and did a workshop with TJ, so it was interesting to read. A lot of the credit for that goes to Pam Victor. In compiling their words, and adding her own, she was the one of the three who most reached out to me, the reader who cares about his own improvving. She was always bringing it back to what the reader can get out of this.
She's a really good writer.
TJ and Dave are excellent at communicating and being interesting onstage, and so they were interesting in this book as well. It is an amazing behind-the-scenes how the trick is done book. I suppose I was more interested in "how can I do the trick" than "how do they do the trick." Because part of the reason, as I learned, that they can do what they do is that they are unique people with a unique chemistry.
It is sounding like I'm panning the book, and I'm not. I guess, back to the first sentence, I wasn't the target audience. But I got a lot out of it. Sorry this is incoherent - I'm typing at the speed of life, and I'm not editing like I usually do. It wouldn't feel right to do so.
April 17, 2015
Improvisation at the Speed of Life: The TJ & Dave Book (2015)
T.J. Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi with Pam Victor (1971- and 1960- with I’m guessing 1980- )
Drama / instruction / art theory (220 pp.)
when; where
2001-2015, but starting as early as 1980s; improv theaters in Chicago (and New York)
what
A guide to TJ & Dave’s style of long-form improv: pay attention, everything’s already there.
Semi-Random Semi-Representative Sample:
Listening is all there is.
Bookstore Cat Sample:
It’s a shame that other emotions do not produce such immediately perceived responses as laughter.
Reminds me of: books on counterpoint like Gradus Ad Parnassum or books on chess like The Life and Games of Mikhael Tal, i.e., utterly fascinating and valuable, but I don’t know how someone who isn’t familiar with the matter at hand would respond.
Other: As a book, it’s a bit overwritten or rather overspoken since it’s a series of interviews. The voices are separated fairly well and the format is explained in a foreword. Still, as a reading experience it’s a touch odd. But the overall takeaway is meditative. It simultaneously focuses and expands the mind.
T.J. Jagodowski and Dave Pasquesi with Pam Victor (1971- and 1960- with I’m guessing 1980- )
Drama / instruction / art theory (220 pp.)
when; where
2001-2015, but starting as early as 1980s; improv theaters in Chicago (and New York)
what
A guide to TJ & Dave’s style of long-form improv: pay attention, everything’s already there.
Semi-Random Semi-Representative Sample:
Listening is all there is.
Bookstore Cat Sample:
It’s a shame that other emotions do not produce such immediately perceived responses as laughter.
Reminds me of: books on counterpoint like Gradus Ad Parnassum or books on chess like The Life and Games of Mikhael Tal, i.e., utterly fascinating and valuable, but I don’t know how someone who isn’t familiar with the matter at hand would respond.
Other: As a book, it’s a bit overwritten or rather overspoken since it’s a series of interviews. The voices are separated fairly well and the format is explained in a foreword. Still, as a reading experience it’s a touch odd. But the overall takeaway is meditative. It simultaneously focuses and expands the mind.
December 5, 2017
Caveat to this entire book: it’s advice on how TJ and Dave approach improv in their show, not an optimal way to approach improv.
p.20: After their first outing, where they totally bombed:
“They realized that dissatisfaction with the current situation was fine. And that, in the future, it would be a better choice to stick in it and try to work their way through it rather than pop away from it. Although the impulse to want to live a potentially uninteresting scene was real, the reaction of bailing was less than courageous. Even if it took longer than they were comfortable with, they decided that instead of abandoning a scene, they would try to sit in the difficulty, and see what came of it."
To practice, observe and ponder things in your everyday life.
p. 27: “If I see a young lady in a wheelchair, why isn’t she walking? Is it temporary? How is she dealing with it emotionally? Maybe her worry is that others seem to be uncomfortable about it. Maybe she doesn’t care what other people think […] Our job is to lead a thoughtful and interesting life offstage, outside of the world of improvisation. And then bring all that to our stage partners.”
p. 107: “Pay attention to the frog. Pay attention to the west wind. Pay attention to the boy on the raft, the lady in the tower, the old man on the train. In sum, pay attention to the world and all that dwells therein and thereby learn at last to pay attention to yourself and all that dwells therein.” — Fredrick Buechner.
On self-forgetting and faith/trust:
p. 34: “TJ remembers an improviser who was a great example of necessary self-forgetting. ‘I would watch her with intense joy, especially when she was on the sidelines. Completely engaged in watching the ongoing scene, she would nod or shake her head to rhetorical questions that were being asked in the scene, and she would smile when things were joyful. You can watch people on the side who look at their shoes or try to think of what they’re going to do for their next scene or predertmine how they’re going to initiate the next scene. When I watched her, it was clear this improviser never had any thought for what she was going to do next. She was just living along with the people in the scene that was going on. And it was beautiful to watch.
Being a good improviser requires faith and trust. We need to trust that our we are just fine by ourselves.”
p. 69: “It comes down to trust that all will be well if I do the next tiny, seemingly mundane thing."
On listening: discover, don’t invent
p. 36: “…it is a remarkable experience to be listened to by Dave Pasquesi, and it takes some getting used to . Most people are not accustomed to receiving that much focus.”
p. 37: “We don’t know anything. Luckily for us, our stage partners provide all we’ll need. And their faces, especially the eyes, are the first place to look. Do their eyes look friendly or suspicious? Are they looking at me with familiarity? What does their body language say?
p. 39: “Our scene partner is both door and key to the scene we’re discovering together. We don’t need to invent anything if our inspiration is standing their looking into our eyes”
p. 39: “a line is not delivered until it is received.”
p. 141: “the job ins’t to be a scary person; the job is for the other people to be scared. If a boss character is frightened of her secretary, then it becomes clearer to the improviser playing the secretary that she is frightening, or at least person who the boss character finds scary.” That character des not not need to become frightening. She already is scary."
p. 41: “Sometimes improvisers mistakenly think that they have to bluff and blabber to cover up the fact that they don’t know what’s going on at the top of the scene. But if we can quiet mouth and mind, and turn that energy unit noticing our partner and the moment we are in, we have a far better chance of being helpful to the scene and show. So we try to hush up, listen, and pay attention.”
p. 42: “you can improve your memory by paying attention to the people you speak with, buy caring enough to be concerned with what they are saying, and not merely waiting until you can talk about yourself again”
Behave as if the scene exists already
When we behave as though the scene exists already, we find ourselves in the right frame of mind to improvise better. Stepping into scene already “in progress” relieves the pressure to provide exposition All we have to do is act as if we have always been these characters, as if these are the room we always inhabit, said we know how we feel about each other.”
They advise against coming in with preconceived joke, idea, emotion. Instead, they say to just look to your scene partner: “our only help [to get the scene going] will come from the relationship we have with that other person […] These moments came out or were discovered because we were trying to explore what the inhabitants of the scene were going through.” (p.99)
Advice to try out: instead of “We’re going to go do a scene”, try “Let’s go see what this is"
Committing
p. 40: “I do not have to be able to point to and prove the existence of this new reality or defend my decision to believe a certain thing. I simply sense that TJ is my elementary school teacher from the way he is standing, how it makes me feel, and most of all, that nothing indicated he was not my elementary school teacher.” #committing
p. 168: “To think specifically causes you to act specifically…and to act specifically causes that specific reality to be better revealed. So we try to take a half-sencond to notice why we’re saying X."
"Listening is all there is.”
p. 45: “You listen to look through the words. Subtext. Whys. Clues and reasons"
p. 52: on silence, speaking concisely. Dave did monologues back in the day with Del Close, and he said: “Those were not good […] Do them again. This time you’re all poets. Your words are far more important than you think. Use them sparingly. They’re powerful.”
p. 73: The search for honestly requested us to quell the fight-or-flighresponse constantly threatening to put the kibosh on many good onstage moments.” #fear
The scene is about the relationship between the players, not the thing they’re doing
p. 59: “some people think a scene requires drastic actions, like jumping into a fire. In fact, the more interesting scene is two guys drying themselves by the fire, having gotten wet in some way that will be revealed. Some simple thing. The scene is between two guys, not between them and an action.”
Their goal is not to be funny but to be honest. That’s what really fires them up about improv.
Amazing stage moment, why just capturing truth is “something more magnificent” (p.162)
Scene: a kid and uncle are at a museum looking at human anatomy. at some point they interacted with a guard in the scene. later on, the uncle becomes grossed out and runs out of the exhibit, crossing the stage multiple times to represent running through various rooms. He gets to the room where the guard is, and runs by him, and says absolutely nothing, the guard says nothing back, barely cares.
Analysis: there was no need to stop and talk to the guard. the fact that Dave didn’t stop says a lot about the guard (eg. maybe it’s normal for people to need to throw up when visiting the anatomy visit, the guard sees this all the time). And the character wouldn’t have stopped in real life to confront the guard.
another similar moment: running through many grocery aisles, running by a guy stocking the shelf, and while running by: “Hey John.” “Hey, Ray.” And the audience dies.
>> It’s these moment of representation and group-mind that are the real shit of improv.
p. 113: “The goal is to commit fully and trust in our scene partners. A good idea before taking the stage is to remind oneself and all involved that the goals is not be funny or to be clever. The goal is to be present."
p. 63: “TJ and David do not claim they perform improvisational comedy, only improvisation. They strive to be honest rather than funny.
p. 65: “with some of our very favorite TJ and Dave scenes, the laughs were nearly non-existent. For us, a captivating silence is as good as, if not better than, a laugh. Comedy is a mere by-product of our approach to improvisation, and a byproduct is not pursuable. Seeking laughter in improvisation is a fool’s errand. Shoot for something more magnificent.”
p.20: After their first outing, where they totally bombed:
“They realized that dissatisfaction with the current situation was fine. And that, in the future, it would be a better choice to stick in it and try to work their way through it rather than pop away from it. Although the impulse to want to live a potentially uninteresting scene was real, the reaction of bailing was less than courageous. Even if it took longer than they were comfortable with, they decided that instead of abandoning a scene, they would try to sit in the difficulty, and see what came of it."
To practice, observe and ponder things in your everyday life.
p. 27: “If I see a young lady in a wheelchair, why isn’t she walking? Is it temporary? How is she dealing with it emotionally? Maybe her worry is that others seem to be uncomfortable about it. Maybe she doesn’t care what other people think […] Our job is to lead a thoughtful and interesting life offstage, outside of the world of improvisation. And then bring all that to our stage partners.”
p. 107: “Pay attention to the frog. Pay attention to the west wind. Pay attention to the boy on the raft, the lady in the tower, the old man on the train. In sum, pay attention to the world and all that dwells therein and thereby learn at last to pay attention to yourself and all that dwells therein.” — Fredrick Buechner.
On self-forgetting and faith/trust:
p. 34: “TJ remembers an improviser who was a great example of necessary self-forgetting. ‘I would watch her with intense joy, especially when she was on the sidelines. Completely engaged in watching the ongoing scene, she would nod or shake her head to rhetorical questions that were being asked in the scene, and she would smile when things were joyful. You can watch people on the side who look at their shoes or try to think of what they’re going to do for their next scene or predertmine how they’re going to initiate the next scene. When I watched her, it was clear this improviser never had any thought for what she was going to do next. She was just living along with the people in the scene that was going on. And it was beautiful to watch.
Being a good improviser requires faith and trust. We need to trust that our we are just fine by ourselves.”
p. 69: “It comes down to trust that all will be well if I do the next tiny, seemingly mundane thing."
On listening: discover, don’t invent
p. 36: “…it is a remarkable experience to be listened to by Dave Pasquesi, and it takes some getting used to . Most people are not accustomed to receiving that much focus.”
p. 37: “We don’t know anything. Luckily for us, our stage partners provide all we’ll need. And their faces, especially the eyes, are the first place to look. Do their eyes look friendly or suspicious? Are they looking at me with familiarity? What does their body language say?
p. 39: “Our scene partner is both door and key to the scene we’re discovering together. We don’t need to invent anything if our inspiration is standing their looking into our eyes”
p. 39: “a line is not delivered until it is received.”
p. 141: “the job ins’t to be a scary person; the job is for the other people to be scared. If a boss character is frightened of her secretary, then it becomes clearer to the improviser playing the secretary that she is frightening, or at least person who the boss character finds scary.” That character des not not need to become frightening. She already is scary."
p. 41: “Sometimes improvisers mistakenly think that they have to bluff and blabber to cover up the fact that they don’t know what’s going on at the top of the scene. But if we can quiet mouth and mind, and turn that energy unit noticing our partner and the moment we are in, we have a far better chance of being helpful to the scene and show. So we try to hush up, listen, and pay attention.”
p. 42: “you can improve your memory by paying attention to the people you speak with, buy caring enough to be concerned with what they are saying, and not merely waiting until you can talk about yourself again”
Behave as if the scene exists already
When we behave as though the scene exists already, we find ourselves in the right frame of mind to improvise better. Stepping into scene already “in progress” relieves the pressure to provide exposition All we have to do is act as if we have always been these characters, as if these are the room we always inhabit, said we know how we feel about each other.”
They advise against coming in with preconceived joke, idea, emotion. Instead, they say to just look to your scene partner: “our only help [to get the scene going] will come from the relationship we have with that other person […] These moments came out or were discovered because we were trying to explore what the inhabitants of the scene were going through.” (p.99)
Advice to try out: instead of “We’re going to go do a scene”, try “Let’s go see what this is"
Committing
p. 40: “I do not have to be able to point to and prove the existence of this new reality or defend my decision to believe a certain thing. I simply sense that TJ is my elementary school teacher from the way he is standing, how it makes me feel, and most of all, that nothing indicated he was not my elementary school teacher.” #committing
p. 168: “To think specifically causes you to act specifically…and to act specifically causes that specific reality to be better revealed. So we try to take a half-sencond to notice why we’re saying X."
"Listening is all there is.”
p. 45: “You listen to look through the words. Subtext. Whys. Clues and reasons"
p. 52: on silence, speaking concisely. Dave did monologues back in the day with Del Close, and he said: “Those were not good […] Do them again. This time you’re all poets. Your words are far more important than you think. Use them sparingly. They’re powerful.”
p. 73: The search for honestly requested us to quell the fight-or-flighresponse constantly threatening to put the kibosh on many good onstage moments.” #fear
The scene is about the relationship between the players, not the thing they’re doing
p. 59: “some people think a scene requires drastic actions, like jumping into a fire. In fact, the more interesting scene is two guys drying themselves by the fire, having gotten wet in some way that will be revealed. Some simple thing. The scene is between two guys, not between them and an action.”
Their goal is not to be funny but to be honest. That’s what really fires them up about improv.
Amazing stage moment, why just capturing truth is “something more magnificent” (p.162)
Scene: a kid and uncle are at a museum looking at human anatomy. at some point they interacted with a guard in the scene. later on, the uncle becomes grossed out and runs out of the exhibit, crossing the stage multiple times to represent running through various rooms. He gets to the room where the guard is, and runs by him, and says absolutely nothing, the guard says nothing back, barely cares.
Analysis: there was no need to stop and talk to the guard. the fact that Dave didn’t stop says a lot about the guard (eg. maybe it’s normal for people to need to throw up when visiting the anatomy visit, the guard sees this all the time). And the character wouldn’t have stopped in real life to confront the guard.
another similar moment: running through many grocery aisles, running by a guy stocking the shelf, and while running by: “Hey John.” “Hey, Ray.” And the audience dies.
>> It’s these moment of representation and group-mind that are the real shit of improv.
p. 113: “The goal is to commit fully and trust in our scene partners. A good idea before taking the stage is to remind oneself and all involved that the goals is not be funny or to be clever. The goal is to be present."
p. 63: “TJ and David do not claim they perform improvisational comedy, only improvisation. They strive to be honest rather than funny.
p. 65: “with some of our very favorite TJ and Dave scenes, the laughs were nearly non-existent. For us, a captivating silence is as good as, if not better than, a laugh. Comedy is a mere by-product of our approach to improvisation, and a byproduct is not pursuable. Seeking laughter in improvisation is a fool’s errand. Shoot for something more magnificent.”
August 21, 2015
Seit über zehn Jahren hat mich kein Buch über Improvisation und Theater dermaßen erschüttert.
2003 sah ich die beiden in Chicago, und obwohl ich von dem was sie sagten (viele kulturelle Referenzen, eine Menge Slang) nur wenig verstand, sah ich sofort, dass hier etwas Besonderes geschah: Zwei Improspieler, die eine komplette Stunde am Stück improvisierten, sich keine Vorschläge vom Publikum geben ließen, sondern an dieses einfach appellierten: "Vertraut uns, das ist alles improvisiert."
Nun hat sich die lobenswerte Pam Victor gefunden, den beiden etwas von ihrer Weisheit abzupressen wie damals der Zöllner dem Laotse. Es muss eine harte Arbeit gewesen sein, denn die beiden arbeiten auf einem Niveau, auf dem über bestimmte Techniken gar nicht mehr nachgedacht wird, da sie schon in Fleisch und Blut übergegangen sind. TJ & Dave entwickeln ein völlig eigenes Vokabular, das über den üblichen Improjargon hinausgeht. So gehen die beiden davon aus, dass die Szene, die sie improvisieren, schon läuft, wenn sie sie betreten, sie müssen sie nicht forcieren, sondern sie "nur" bedienen. Dabei kommt dem Zuhören und der Ehrlichkeit eine enorme Bedeutung zu. Ich muss als Improvisierer meinen Partner nicht mehr "ausstatten", das Wer, Wo, Was etablieren, sondern nur ehrlich bei der bereits bestehenden Beziehung bleiben, dann "enthüllt" sich alles andere von alleine. Das heißt aber nicht, dass die beiden im Ungefähren herumwabern. Im Gegenteil - die Szenen sind durchaus sehr spezifisch. Aber es wird nichts mehr gewaltsam benannt oder eingeführt. Das Publikum, so meinen die beiden, ist schon schlau genug, zu verstehen, was gerade läuft. Der Erfolg gibt ihnen hier recht.
Unklar ist mir noch, ob sich dieser Ansatz so ohne weiteres auf andere Formate und Stile übertragen lässt (wenn wir etwa in die Richtung des abstrakteren europäischen Theaters denken).
Das Lektorat hätte hier und da ein paar Längen streichen können. Trotzdem fünf Sterne dafür, dass ich in den nächsten Monaten etwas zum Nachdenken habe.
2003 sah ich die beiden in Chicago, und obwohl ich von dem was sie sagten (viele kulturelle Referenzen, eine Menge Slang) nur wenig verstand, sah ich sofort, dass hier etwas Besonderes geschah: Zwei Improspieler, die eine komplette Stunde am Stück improvisierten, sich keine Vorschläge vom Publikum geben ließen, sondern an dieses einfach appellierten: "Vertraut uns, das ist alles improvisiert."
Nun hat sich die lobenswerte Pam Victor gefunden, den beiden etwas von ihrer Weisheit abzupressen wie damals der Zöllner dem Laotse. Es muss eine harte Arbeit gewesen sein, denn die beiden arbeiten auf einem Niveau, auf dem über bestimmte Techniken gar nicht mehr nachgedacht wird, da sie schon in Fleisch und Blut übergegangen sind. TJ & Dave entwickeln ein völlig eigenes Vokabular, das über den üblichen Improjargon hinausgeht. So gehen die beiden davon aus, dass die Szene, die sie improvisieren, schon läuft, wenn sie sie betreten, sie müssen sie nicht forcieren, sondern sie "nur" bedienen. Dabei kommt dem Zuhören und der Ehrlichkeit eine enorme Bedeutung zu. Ich muss als Improvisierer meinen Partner nicht mehr "ausstatten", das Wer, Wo, Was etablieren, sondern nur ehrlich bei der bereits bestehenden Beziehung bleiben, dann "enthüllt" sich alles andere von alleine. Das heißt aber nicht, dass die beiden im Ungefähren herumwabern. Im Gegenteil - die Szenen sind durchaus sehr spezifisch. Aber es wird nichts mehr gewaltsam benannt oder eingeführt. Das Publikum, so meinen die beiden, ist schon schlau genug, zu verstehen, was gerade läuft. Der Erfolg gibt ihnen hier recht.
Unklar ist mir noch, ob sich dieser Ansatz so ohne weiteres auf andere Formate und Stile übertragen lässt (wenn wir etwa in die Richtung des abstrakteren europäischen Theaters denken).
Das Lektorat hätte hier und da ein paar Längen streichen können. Trotzdem fünf Sterne dafür, dass ich in den nächsten Monaten etwas zum Nachdenken habe.
August 5, 2015
"Improvisation is the impossible dream..." Pam Victor concludes. Although, after reading about TJ and Dave's perspective, it seems slightly more tangible. I had the privilege to see TJ and Dave while I was reading this book, and seeing what I was reading about inspired me. Their approach to scenes, characters, the show, and even improv itself made sense to me. I want to grow up to be half the improvers that TJ and Dave are. So...this book is a goal. I'll be sharing it with my team, and probably committing parts of it to memory. I'm definitely going to step up my game...or should I say my scenes?
June 5, 2017
A decent read. But it felt like the book wanted to be a documentary rather than a book. David comes off a bit pretentious throughout; and it's often mentioned how this type of improv can only truly be utilised when every player is in agreement that this is how they'll play. So following most of their advice is only serviceable when the team is in agreement that you'll all play this one particular way. The chapter at the end of the book of Practical Uses was very informative though; I'll probably return to that one chapter now and then. =)
October 5, 2015
I've been taking improv classes to help me approach group and public situations more calmly and confidently. The way TJ and Dave talk about their craft, though, makes me think it's all really a metaphor for how to approach life.
"Before you try to figure out what's wrong with it, first figure out what's right with it."
"Follow the fear."
"Everything is already there."
If I get to apply a few of these lessons beyond my classes, that would be amazing.
"Before you try to figure out what's wrong with it, first figure out what's right with it."
"Follow the fear."
"Everything is already there."
If I get to apply a few of these lessons beyond my classes, that would be amazing.
December 6, 2017
Very helpful book on improv. Their method is unique, and deceptively simple: 'Listening is all there is.'
The book itself is just a string of interviews written up by Pam Victor, so most paragraphs seem to start with: "TJ and David believe..." That gets annoying, but it's worth ploughing on, because, to my knowledge, the advice given in this book hasn't been laid out (as clearly) anywhere else.
The other annoying thing is the flippant, unfunny little foreword by Amy Sedaris.
The book itself is just a string of interviews written up by Pam Victor, so most paragraphs seem to start with: "TJ and David believe..." That gets annoying, but it's worth ploughing on, because, to my knowledge, the advice given in this book hasn't been laid out (as clearly) anywhere else.
The other annoying thing is the flippant, unfunny little foreword by Amy Sedaris.
October 15, 2016
After 1.5 years of study and indie performances, this book changed the way I do improv almost immediately. This seems to be the closest thing I've read to the simple ideas that Del Close seemed to preach like religion a few decades back (I haven't read Truth in Comedy yet).
"[your grand idea sucks. It will always suck.]"
"listening is all there is."
Honor the reality of the show at all costs.
React honestly.
"[your grand idea sucks. It will always suck.]"
"listening is all there is."
Honor the reality of the show at all costs.
React honestly.
June 20, 2015
Written to discuss their style of improvisation, but many of the lessons can be applied to other styles. Perhaps their style doesn't graft perfectly onto short-form or other "quicker" styles of improv, but their lessons can be used for good, solid scene work regardless of the style.
I thought this book was great.
I thought this book was great.
January 14, 2016
I am giving this book 5 stars because I think it's important.
Improvisational theater can be a lot more than a laugh machine (though there's nothing inherently wrong with that).
Improvisational theater can blow the tops of our heads off through terrific drama and character revelation.
These guys show one way to do that.
If this interests you, read the book.
Improvisational theater can be a lot more than a laugh machine (though there's nothing inherently wrong with that).
Improvisational theater can blow the tops of our heads off through terrific drama and character revelation.
These guys show one way to do that.
If this interests you, read the book.
August 24, 2017
I could summarize this book by just repeating "be a better listener" for 200 pages. That said, there's a lot of good philosophy in here and some nice words. This book's structure stinks. I say all of this stuff while also thinking the world of these guys. They're better on stage than in print.
May 21, 2022
I admit I haven't seen a full TJ & Dave show, only 40 minutes of a show on YouTube, so I didn't go into this with the veneration for them that some readers might have.
From what I can glean from the video and this book, they do a kind of show that is slow, realistic, and patient, and they are good at this kind of show. Honestly? It's not my favorite kind of improv to watch, though as an improvisor who's played around a little with the style, there is some satisfaction in doing it, because you're going at a pace were you feel like you're not dropping any pieces. It feels more like the satisfaction of putting a jigsaw puzzle together, and at the end you feel like you've created something clean and whole and grounded. But as a viewer, I tend to enjoy things that are a bit sillier, unrealistic, and varied, where you feel like the performers are inviting you into this state of giggly euphoria.
But this book has a lot of solid (though not really ground-breaking) improv advice regardless of the style you're going for - I liked the points about invention vs discovery, and a quote from Del Close about how it's not the job of the improvisor to be scary, it's the job of the scene partners to be scared of them.
I think this book is decently written, but needed to be edited down significantly. It's pretty repetitive and points are belabored. Sometimes the transcripts of the conversations between them were kind of irksome, and it definitely is the product of two-three white people (one chapter repeatedly uses the example of the opening line "you've gotten so Asian"...), and particularly two white male performers (some gender stuff).
From what I can glean from the video and this book, they do a kind of show that is slow, realistic, and patient, and they are good at this kind of show. Honestly? It's not my favorite kind of improv to watch, though as an improvisor who's played around a little with the style, there is some satisfaction in doing it, because you're going at a pace were you feel like you're not dropping any pieces. It feels more like the satisfaction of putting a jigsaw puzzle together, and at the end you feel like you've created something clean and whole and grounded. But as a viewer, I tend to enjoy things that are a bit sillier, unrealistic, and varied, where you feel like the performers are inviting you into this state of giggly euphoria.
But this book has a lot of solid (though not really ground-breaking) improv advice regardless of the style you're going for - I liked the points about invention vs discovery, and a quote from Del Close about how it's not the job of the improvisor to be scary, it's the job of the scene partners to be scared of them.
I think this book is decently written, but needed to be edited down significantly. It's pretty repetitive and points are belabored. Sometimes the transcripts of the conversations between them were kind of irksome, and it definitely is the product of two-three white people (one chapter repeatedly uses the example of the opening line "you've gotten so Asian"...), and particularly two white male performers (some gender stuff).
September 24, 2019
This is the best book that I read during August 2019.
Important: Only for people that are looking to improve their improv skills.
The only reason it is not a 5 it's because although I think that the mindset shared in the book will help any human being, I think there are other books out there that will do so more directly without having to be so focused on the improv comedy topic.
For improvisers, this book it a 5-star book!
I've been talking non-stop about it to all my improv friends lately, and will likely continue to do so. If you don't know TJ and Dave, I would recommend watching their documentary before reading the book (it's on Amazon for about $7).
Flow: 4/5; It might get a bit repetitive sometimes
Actionability 4/5; It doesn't really give you much specifics about what is it that you should do to improve your improv
Mindset: 10/5; this is where this book over-delivers!
Some Of My Highlights:
"...the rest of an improviser's time is spent logging hours."
"'You don't have to be afraid to tell the truth. No one will believe you think that way. They'll think you're acting."
"Del also would reprimand us for trying to get a laugh because that was not constructive in these scenes or for the Harold. He would remind us that good improvisers are not going for laughs; they are going for cheers."
"The primary duty of an improviser is to be of most use to one's scene partner."
"You don't have to be funny. You don't have to be brilliant. You just have to be helpful."
Important: Only for people that are looking to improve their improv skills.
The only reason it is not a 5 it's because although I think that the mindset shared in the book will help any human being, I think there are other books out there that will do so more directly without having to be so focused on the improv comedy topic.
For improvisers, this book it a 5-star book!
I've been talking non-stop about it to all my improv friends lately, and will likely continue to do so. If you don't know TJ and Dave, I would recommend watching their documentary before reading the book (it's on Amazon for about $7).
Flow: 4/5; It might get a bit repetitive sometimes
Actionability 4/5; It doesn't really give you much specifics about what is it that you should do to improve your improv
Mindset: 10/5; this is where this book over-delivers!
Some Of My Highlights:
"...the rest of an improviser's time is spent logging hours."
"'You don't have to be afraid to tell the truth. No one will believe you think that way. They'll think you're acting."
"Del also would reprimand us for trying to get a laugh because that was not constructive in these scenes or for the Harold. He would remind us that good improvisers are not going for laughs; they are going for cheers."
"The primary duty of an improviser is to be of most use to one's scene partner."
"You don't have to be funny. You don't have to be brilliant. You just have to be helpful."
April 19, 2024
This book is about how TJ and Dave improvise. About where they were (around 2015) after thousand hours of duo performances together in a single style. Plus a lot more practice off stage. And that is basically about "paying attention to each other". Said over and over again. Not even in that many ways. Which is great advice once you are at that level of Improv skills. And play with a partner who "will never break painted scene accidentally, therefore it had to be on purpose". It is like saying "you can fly any plane, you just need to pay attention to the sky."
This book has no specific advice on how to get to where they are. Just "pay attention and keep trying". It rejects a lot of scaffolding advice from other books (e.g. the endowements) but offers no methods or path of they own. Heat and Weight concepts they offer rely on already having group mind fully established, a pipe dream for most people. In fact, a couple of times in interviews Pam nearly begs for practical exercises or approaches and get platitudes back, so she gives up and moves on. Those are most frustrating moments in the book for me.
The book is not bad as a peek into their mind and philosphical treatise on their approach. I just did not see any practical lessons for beginner/intermediate improvisor. Which I really hoped for as I would love to be able to do their style. Of course the book did not promise that, in the first place.
I found part 5 (about 15 pages) most interesting as TJ and Dave comment about other formats.
This book has no specific advice on how to get to where they are. Just "pay attention and keep trying". It rejects a lot of scaffolding advice from other books (e.g. the endowements) but offers no methods or path of they own. Heat and Weight concepts they offer rely on already having group mind fully established, a pipe dream for most people. In fact, a couple of times in interviews Pam nearly begs for practical exercises or approaches and get platitudes back, so she gives up and moves on. Those are most frustrating moments in the book for me.
The book is not bad as a peek into their mind and philosphical treatise on their approach. I just did not see any practical lessons for beginner/intermediate improvisor. Which I really hoped for as I would love to be able to do their style. Of course the book did not promise that, in the first place.
I found part 5 (about 15 pages) most interesting as TJ and Dave comment about other formats.
April 30, 2021
It took me a bit to get used to the style of the book--sometimes it's interview, sometimes it could be TJ and/or Dave writing, maybe it was Pam? Not always the easiest, but okay. They are also very careful not to denigrate different styles of improv and they are extremely humble. Extremely. Dudes, you can brag a little more.
Like some other reviewers, I wanted insight into "how to be more like TJ and Dave"--what's the secret? The chunky summary is: listen, pay attention, react, then repeat moment by moment. I think what TJ and Dave have achieved in their improv is Flow. Late in the book they mention the idea (with a reference to FLOW: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, which I intend to check out) but it's what they mean from the start. When they say the show is simply revealed to them, it is when they are in a state of Flow. When it happens, it is fantastic! It looks like magic, it feels like magic, and once you have achieved it, you want it all the time (but can't always get it.) TJ and Dave give reminders of ways to achieve Flow in improv.
Not the best book for a beginner, but for those who have been performing a while, it is worth a read. And if you've never seen TJ and Dave, you must! Check out their filmed show, "Trust Us, This is All Made Up". It will make you want to know their secret.
Like some other reviewers, I wanted insight into "how to be more like TJ and Dave"--what's the secret? The chunky summary is: listen, pay attention, react, then repeat moment by moment. I think what TJ and Dave have achieved in their improv is Flow. Late in the book they mention the idea (with a reference to FLOW: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, which I intend to check out) but it's what they mean from the start. When they say the show is simply revealed to them, it is when they are in a state of Flow. When it happens, it is fantastic! It looks like magic, it feels like magic, and once you have achieved it, you want it all the time (but can't always get it.) TJ and Dave give reminders of ways to achieve Flow in improv.
Not the best book for a beginner, but for those who have been performing a while, it is worth a read. And if you've never seen TJ and Dave, you must! Check out their filmed show, "Trust Us, This is All Made Up". It will make you want to know their secret.
February 5, 2022
TJ & Dave understand the craft of improv possibly more deeply than anyone else alive. After watching their recorded performances on Vimeo over and over, I had to read this book, and I’m so glad I did.
This book reveals that there’s no magic in what they do onstage. Listening is all there is. And the way their improvisation works and feels so magical is just a result of that paying attention and reacting honestly. They just do the next little thing for 50 minutes and the wonder is an emergent property of that work.
Some people might think they’re lying or holding back, it not me. I trust them that this was all made up.
This book reveals that there’s no magic in what they do onstage. Listening is all there is. And the way their improvisation works and feels so magical is just a result of that paying attention and reacting honestly. They just do the next little thing for 50 minutes and the wonder is an emergent property of that work.
Some people might think they’re lying or holding back, it not me. I trust them that this was all made up.
January 4, 2018
TJ & Dave makes an interesting distinction between discovery and invention. They believe you don't have to invent anything; everything is already there. All you have to do is pay attention and discover it.
October 22, 2024
Great tips in here, but only for a certain style of improv. And a lot of the tips are actually bad advice for improv in fast-paced comedy.
Basically, a great book... if you want to do slow TJ & Dave style comedy.
Basically, a great book... if you want to do slow TJ & Dave style comedy.
August 10, 2020
Interesting, different take on a lot of the same thinking. It very much orients around TJ and David's show structure and playstyle. Looking forward to exploring and trying it out!
July 14, 2021
Insightful and funny
December 20, 2022
Lovely book about how two passionate improv players look at the art of improvisation theatre. Everything is already there. You just have to look for it.
February 27, 2023
Such a beautiful take on improvisation and its magic.
July 17, 2023
Improv teachings gold....
November 21, 2023
The best improvisation book I’ve ever read. Even changed the way I think about acting in general. Would have given it more stars if I could.
June 11, 2024
Read this over and over again if you are an improvisor. Watch their shows.
September 13, 2024
Seminal. Of all the books on improv, this is the one I go back to again and again.
April 10, 2020
This book was magical. These two men are incredibly talented and I decidedly do NOT do comedy, I found this incredibly insightful for my own writing.
February 3, 2024
The book goes around the same takes several times (beginner improvisers like myself appreciate such amount of repetition) which can be summarized in:
- Be honest: Play close to your true self, make the next little obvious step. React honestly to your partner.
- Trust your partner: trust that they're understanding the reality correctly. Don't box them and let them space to develop their character.
- Pay attention: everything you need to know is already there. For this you need to be present in the very moment, truly listen to your partner and observe them. Also pay attention to your daily life, the job of an improviser is to live an interesting life and bring it onstage!
Compared to the other book about improv that I've read ("How to be the greatest improviser on Earth"), this book gives more freedom to the reader and it's not oriented so much to how to act in specific situations, that is why it would be better for people that are already familiar to improv.
It's also very much applied to TJ and Dave's show but the lessons obtained can still be applied to different types of improv.
- Be honest: Play close to your true self, make the next little obvious step. React honestly to your partner.
- Trust your partner: trust that they're understanding the reality correctly. Don't box them and let them space to develop their character.
- Pay attention: everything you need to know is already there. For this you need to be present in the very moment, truly listen to your partner and observe them. Also pay attention to your daily life, the job of an improviser is to live an interesting life and bring it onstage!
Compared to the other book about improv that I've read ("How to be the greatest improviser on Earth"), this book gives more freedom to the reader and it's not oriented so much to how to act in specific situations, that is why it would be better for people that are already familiar to improv.
It's also very much applied to TJ and Dave's show but the lessons obtained can still be applied to different types of improv.
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