About the Author

Patti is an actor, director, author, playwright and teacher who specialises in improvisational theatre. Her tutelage and mentorship has strongly influenced many improvisors and improvisation companies all over the world. She has an infectious enthusiasm for improvisation. Mix this with her insightful improvisation technique, strong narrative skill and her spirit of play, and it is no wonder she is responsible for inspiring many hundreds of people to improvise. Her understanding of Keith Johnstone's work and philosophy, combined with her own discoveries and her wealth of experience on the world impro stage, has made her a "must have" teacher for performers and companies wishing to create spontaneous theatre with fine skill, strong narrative, heart and elegant style. She is a Loose Moose Theatre Company Alumna, a founding member of the award winning Die Nasty - the live improvised soap opera and former Artistic Director of Rapid Fire Theatre (CA), Impro Melbourne (AU), and the International Theatresports Institute (CA).In 2021 she released her first book Improvise Freely. It has received an enthusiastic response from improvisors, teachers and impro companies around the globe. It ha been translated into Italian and French. Patti is a contributor to the book The Art of Making Mistakes and has been interviewed for the books Something Like A Drug and The Improv Handbook (which is dedicated to Patti in recognition of her mentorship.) Adding to her list of credits are three nominations for an Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Theatre Award plus she holds the unofficial record for being the first female to improvise for 53 hours in a row in the famous Die Nasty soap a thon. The Canadian press has given her the titles "Impro Doyen" and "Queen of Improvisation".

Reviews

"This book is a must-read for all improvisers and creative humans. Patti debunks myths, questions rules and hot-wires us back to our authentic imaginative selves. As well as inviting us to look at our habits and defaults, she raises a battle cry to adventure, meaningful storytelling and, critically, the power of supportive collaboration. She reminds us to take responsibility for the stories we tell and the way we interact with others, the communities we create and the spaces we share. Political, profound, mischievous and maverick, 'Improvise Freely' raises the bar for improvisers and improvisation everywhere." Sarah-Louise Young (Amazon review)
"it highlights shifting from improvisational rules to improvisational tools and lists out a number of exercises with citations to help explore the concepts. It feels next level to me in how it's written, which is fairly true of Patti." Joel Veenstra, Associate Chair of Drama, University of California
"It is an elegantly engaging read full of thoroughly thought provoking wisdoms and passionate points of view. A wonderful glimpse into one of the planets greatest improv minds. Heartily recommend!" Rik Brown (facebook)
"This is a book about improv for improvisers. It is the book we have needed for quite some time! Her book unpacks our reliance on these "rules" and offers up perspectives on how to remember they exist while giving yourself and your fellow improvisers lots of space to ignore or creatively break them. She reminds us to connect and continually re-connect to the energy of playfulness, discovery and surprise. You know, the things that probably drew us to improv in the first place LOL. She also addresses the dark underbelly of the scene. How toxic masculinity, bullying, power imbalances, abuse of power and consent violations created improv spaces and companies that were unsafe for many performers." Lee (Goodreads review)
"Having trained under Keith Johnstone himself, Stiles has a unique understanding of the history of improv as we know it. She is also one of the world's best impro teachers and directors. Her understanding of Johnstone's philosophical approach shine through this book. It's a great resource for anyone looking to unlock creativity on stage and off." Improv Books review
"Patti Stiles est une coach d'impro extraordinaire et son livre est un outil précieux pour tout-e improvisateur-ice non débutant-e et, surtout, tout coach d'improvisation qui souhaite réfléchir au bien fondé des "règles" de l'improvisation: "ne pas dire non," "ne pas poser de questions dans une scène," autant de dogmes qu'elle démonte un à un, en invitant à ne pas les suivre à la lettre mais à retrouver l'esprit qui les a vu naître, pour que les pratiquant-e-s de l'improvisation théâtrale retrouvent la liberté de jeu et la joie de la découverte nécessaires à toute exploration artistique, plutôt que de se cantonner à n'être qu'une liste de recettes rassurantes mais étouffantes qui brident notre créativité." Jeanne Toulouse (Amazon review)