09/12/2024
A new improv book was released today written by Matt Fotis. I’m honored to share #24 with the great Susan Messing. We’re part of the chapter called “The Second Wave Luminaries” (along with iO House Teams; Tj & David; Mark Sutton; Joe Bill; Frances Callier; Shaun Landry & Oui Be Negroes).
The thing about lists (Year’s Top 10 Movies; Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Guitarists, ect), everyone has different points of views about them: who’s on there, who’s not, what order, and why, but that’s what creates conversation, criticism, debate and discussion.
What I like about Matt’s book is that he lists everything in 8 distinct chapters: The Icons; The First Groups; The Second Wave Luminaires; Film & Television; The (Further) Expansion Of Improv; The International Powerhouses; The Fourth Wave.
This book goes from Viola Spolin to Zoomprov. In it he lists actors, troupes, schools, theatre, film, and TV. His final sub-chapter is called “The Person You Can’t Believe I Didn’t Include” and he lists many names of people, national and international, and theatres that he could have listed, so he gets it. As he writes in his book’s first sentence, “This list is not definitive.”
He knows any future edition of his book (if there is one) that he may add or subtract names of current or future improvisers. No list is ever complete. Each list ever made by anyone always has different conscious and unconscious preferences contained within.
I also want to point out, in his title, Matt didn’t write “Fifty Best Improv Performers” or “Fifty Most Famous Improv Performers”, but “Fifty Key Improv Performers”, and the use of the word “key” Is key to his insights, his choices, and where he’s coming from.
For me, this book is well written and easy to read. It’s a lovely, shorter, and more academic alternative to Sam Wasson’s book “Improv Nation”, and it fits well in the same genre.
Get the book. It’s a great conversation starter. Plus you get to read about many of the improv artists ranging from the past to the present, and from Chicago to all around the world.
