Improv nation : how we made a great American art
(Book)

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Published
Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.
ISBN
9780544557208, 0544557204
Status
Downers Grove Public Library - 2nd Floor - Adult
792.028 WAS
1 available

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More Details

Published
Boston, MA : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.
Format
Book
Physical Desc
xiii, 449 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), portraits ; 24 cm
Language
English
ISBN
9780544557208, 0544557204

Notes

General Note
"An Eamon Dolan book."
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages [384]-435) and index.
Description
A history of the uniquely American art form of improv, from its beginnings during the McCarthy Era through the rise of such institutions as Second City, the Groundlings, and the Upright Citizens Brigade and such performers as Tina Fey, Steve Carell, and Bill Murray.
Description
"From the best-selling author of Fosse, a sweeping yet intimate-- and often hilarious-- history of a uniquely American art form that has never been more popular. At the height of the McCarthy era, an experimental theater troupe set up shop in a bar near the University of Chicago. Via word of mouth, astonished crowds packed the ad hoc venue to see its unscripted, interactive, consciousness-raising style. From this unlikely seed grew the Second City, the massively influential comedy ensemble, and its offshoots-- the Groundlings, Upright Citizens Brigade, SNL, and a slew of others. Sam Wasson charts the meteoric rise of improv in this richly reported, scene-driven narrative that, like its subject, moves fast and digs deep. He shows us the chance meeting at a train station between Mike Nichols and Elaine May. We hang out at the after-hours bar Dan Aykroyd opened so that friends like John Belushi, Bill Murray, and Gilda Radner would always have a home. We go behind the scenes of landmark entertainments, from The Graduate to Caddyshack, The Forty-Year-Old Virgin to The Colbert Report. Along the way, we commune with a host of pioneers-- Nichols, Harold Ramis, Dustin Hoffman, Chevy Chase, Steve Carell, Amy Poehler, Alan Arkin, Tina Fey, Judd Apatow, and many others. With signature verve and nuance, Wasson shows why improv deserves to be considered the great American art form of the last half century-- and the most influential one today."--Dust jacket flap.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Wasson, S. (2017). Improv nation: how we made a great American art . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Wasson, Sam. 2017. Improv Nation: How We Made a Great American Art. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Wasson, Sam. Improv Nation: How We Made a Great American Art Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Wasson, Sam. Improv Nation: How We Made a Great American Art Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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