Theresa Robbins Dudeck is a theatre scholar-practitioner with expertise in improvisation and applied improvisation. She works globally, in both professional and academic settings, applying the power of impro to pedagogy, leadership, teamwork, collaborative creation, and social change. She was a recent US Fulbright Scholar in Brazil and is considered one of the foremost teachers of Keith Johnstone's Impro System. Theresa is co-director/executive producer of the YouTube docuseries "On Keith: Artists Speak on Johnstone & Impro" and co-founder of the Global Improvisation Initiative, an international symposium focused on theatrical improvisation. She earned a PhD in Theatre Arts from University of Oregon.

The first critical biography of theatre practitioner Keith Johnstone, who invented the famous Impro system of improvisation of training actors in order to inject creativity and spontaneity into their performances.

The first critical biography of theatre practitioner Keith Johnstone, who invented the famous Impro system of improvisation of training actors in order to inject creativity and spontaneity into their performances.

1 Introducing Keith Johnstone and his Impro System2 The formative yearsFirst forays in teachingWaiting for GodotThe Royal Court Theatre - A 'School' for playwrightsSamuel Beckett - An arranged meetingSunday Night productions without décorThe Writers' GroupEleven Men Dead at Hola Camp - An improvised dramatic protestJohnstone as a Royal Court Theatre directorCourt politicsThe Knack3 All the world is a classroomThe Royal Court Theatre StudioClowningJohnstone's last season at the Royal CourtThe Performing GiantThe Royal Academy of Dramatic ArtsThe Theatre MachineJohnstone teaches beyond BritainTheatre Machine back at the Court and Johnstone's courtshipJohnstone and Eugenio BarbaThe Last Bird in CopenhagenEmigration4 The master teacher in the university classroomO Canada! Johnstone's new homJohnstone's first staging of GodotThe University of CalgaryDrama 200 and Drama 300Vakhtangov and ZenTeacher-student interactionProduction work at the University of CalgaryLive Snakes and LaddersJohnstone's legacy at the University of Calgary5 From classroom to world stage: The Loose Moose Theatre CompanyThe Loose Moose Theatre CompanyBeginning of TheatresportsWaiting for Godot and The Last Bird againTheatresports Tournaments and The Loose Moose HamletLoose Moose finds a homeA Pinteresque seasonBustling and brokeUnsportsmanlike conductLoose Moose moves forwardImpro and Theatresports in SwedenFestival of Fools in New York and treated like fools in QuebecBack homeBeginning of Life Game and other formatsOut of debt but no recognition(Re)Teaching TheatresportsConflict and closure - Beyond and within; TransitionsThe Loose Moose today6 What now? What comes next? What classrooms still remain?Johnstone - The reluctant guruJohnstone's international workshops - Ideal for who?What may (or may not) happen in a Johnstone workshopImprobable's Life Game and Rebecca Northan's Blind DateImpro hot on stages and in classrooms of Latin AmericaImpro beyond the theatre classroomWhat comes next? What classrooms still remain?BibliographyIndex

Keith Johnstone entered the Royal Court Theatre as a new playwright in 1956: a decade later he emerged as a groundbreaking director and teacher of improvisation. His decisive book Impro (1979), described Johnstone's unique system of training: weaving together theories and techniques to encourage spontaneous, collaborative creation using the intuition and imagination of the actors. Johnstone has since become world-renowned, inspiring theatre greats and beginners alike; and his work continues to influence practice within and beyond the traditional theatre.Theresa Robbins Dudeck is the first author to rigorously examine Johnstone's life and career using a combination of archival documents - many from Johnstone's personal collection - participant observation, and interviews with Johnstone, his colleagues and former students. Keith Johnstone: A Critical Biography is a fascinating journey through the physical spaces that have served as Johnstone's transformative classrooms, and into the conceptual spaces which inform his radical pedagogy and approach to artistic work.