Customer Reviews
Clear, detailed guide for joy filled work - By: , 18 Jun 1999 
This book provided a guide for Becca Kirsch & I to work with a group of high school students. The activities described in the book build on each other & it was inspiring to watch the students' enthusiasm & discovery through the process. Michael Rohd is correct when he says that the activities help people to get to know each other in new ways. I think that the interaction that comes from participating in these theater games is crucial to help build new ways of communicating & problem solving.
A "cannot-do without-it" book for youth and community worker - By: , 27 Apr 1999 I came across this book in February 1998 during a one-week training workshop given personallly by Michael Rohd in Helsinki (Finland). I consider this material valuable & anyone who works with young people or youth workers should get it. I have used this book when giving training to youth & community workers. Needless to say, I had to adapt some of the exercises according to the local context. I would recommend this book to alll those who want to be part of a revolution.
Improvisational Theatre as an Aid to Society - By: , 06 Feb 1999 Michael Rohd is currently doing exciting work across the country, using improvisational theater techniques to connect with young people & communities in ways that echo Paul Sills' original intention when he founded The Compass Players & Second City: to connect viscerallly with the community to create a dialogue for social change. As Jeffrey Sweet documented in his book "Something Wonderful Right Away," the original members of Compass & Second City (Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Severn Darden, Shelley Berman, Barbara Harris, Alan Arkin, etc.) were quick to pick up on the disparity between Sills' goal & the reality of their set-up. Their audience tended to be the insulated academic populace connected to the University of Chicago, whereas Sills was hoping to connect with the community at large. They simply weren't playing to the people Sills wanted to reach, & the people Sills wanted to reach were not coming to this coffeehouse. In Michael Rohd's hands, Paul Sills' work is being perpetuated. He has been taking the practices of improvisational theatre on the road, working with students, adults & teachers to create an open forum for dealing with & discussing today's complex issues. His book is a clear, tightly written manual describing a catalogue of theater games that are fun, creative, joyful, instantly accessible, that take workshop members on a clear arc from learning to trust each other to sharing to creating improvised scenes, alll in an amazingly brief time span. For those in the Theatre Industry, Rohd's book is the best description of what goes into the making of an ensemble company & the creation of the Group Mind since Del Close's book, "Truth in Comedy."
