[Ads-l] "yes and" improv(isation)

Geoffrey Nathan geoffnathan at WAYNE.EDU
Wed Mar 9 19:00:26 UTC 2022


Still heavily used in current theatre classes. Last class I took pre-pandemic (Acting in a mask/Commedia dell’Arte) included lots of emphasis on ‘yes and..’

Geoff


Geoffrey S. Nathan
WSU Information Privacy Officer (Retired)
Emeritus Professor, Linguistics Program
https://clasprofiles.wayne.edu/profile/an6993
geoffnathan at wayne.edu

From: Ben Zimmer<mailto:bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, March 9, 2022 1:54 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU<mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: "yes and" improv(isation)

[EXTERNAL]

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Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Poster:       Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: "yes and" improv(isation)
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You can access Delton T. Horn's _Comedy Improvisation_ (1991) in full view
on Internet Archive. "Yes and" appears on pp. 18, 68, 69.

https://archive.org/details/comedyimprovisat0000horn/page/18/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/comedyimprovisat0000horn/page/68/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/comedyimprovisat0000horn/page/69/mode/1up

On Wed, Mar 9, 2022 at 1:43 PM Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:

> GB, 1991, yes and merely provisional:
>
>  <
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3DRK4RRWgC7FQC&q=3Drule+of+improv+yes+a=
nd&dq=3Drule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=3Den&newbks=3D1&newbks_redir=3D1&printsec=
=3Dfrontcover&sa=3DX&ved=3D2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgDEAI
> >
> Comedy Improvisation: Exercises & Techniques for Young Actors <
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3DRK4RRWgC7FQC&q=3Drule+of+improv+yes+a=
nd&dq=3Drule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=3Den&newbks=3D1&newbks_redir=3D1&printsec=
=3Dfrontcover&sa=3DX&ved=3D2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgDEAI
> >
> books.google.com =E2=80=BA books <
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3DRK4RRWgC7FQC&q=3Drule+of+improv+yes+a=
nd&dq=3Drule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=3Den&newbks=3D1&newbks_redir=3D1&printsec=
=3Dfrontcover&sa=3DX&ved=3D2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgDEAI
> >
>
> Delton T. Horn<
> https://www.google.com/search?tbs=3Dcdr:1,cd_min:Jan+1_2+1982,cd_max:Dec+=
31_2+1991&tbm=3Dbks&tbm=3Dbks&q=3Dinauthor:%22Delton+T.+Horn%22&sa=3DX&ved=
=3D2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ9Ah6BAgDEAU>
> =C2=B7 1991 =C2=B7 =E2=80=8ESnippet view
> FOUND INSIDE =E2=80=93 PAGE 68
> This rule is especially important in a character improv structure . ... O=
f
> course , an improvisation may be performed in any style , especially broa=
d
> farce and absurdism , which are ... Instead of saying " No , =E2=80=9D sa=
y =E2=80=9C Yes ,
> and =E2=80=94 .
>  <
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dtrn0lsct4g4C&q=3Drule+of+improv+yes+a=
nd&dq=3Drule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=3Den&newbks=3D1&newbks_redir=3D1&printsec=
=3Dfrontcover&sa=3DX&ved=3D2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgEEAI
> >
> Improv Comedy - Page 189 <
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dtrn0lsct4g4C&q=3Drule+of+improv+yes+a=
nd&dq=3Drule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=3Den&newbks=3D1&newbks_redir=3D1&printsec=
=3Dfrontcover&sa=3DX&ved=3D2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgEEAI
> >
> books.google.com =E2=80=BA books <
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3Dtrn0lsct4g4C&q=3Drule+of+improv+yes+a=
nd&dq=3Drule+of+improv+yes+and&hl=3Den&newbks=3D1&newbks_redir=3D1&printsec=
=3Dfrontcover&sa=3DX&ved=3D2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ6AF6BAgEEAI
> >
>
> Andy Goldberg<
> https://www.google.com/search?tbs=3Dcdr:1,cd_min:Jan+1_2+1982,cd_max:Dec+=
31_2+1991&tbm=3Dbks&tbm=3Dbks&q=3Dinauthor:%22Andy+Goldberg%22&sa=3DX&ved=
=3D2ahUKEwjZx8i_1bn2AhWsJUQIHYAfAhwQ9Ah6BAgEEAU>
> =C2=B7 1991 =C2=B7 =E2=80=8ESnippet view
> FOUND INSIDE =E2=80=93 PAGE 189
> One Sentence at a Time ( Two performers ) This scene has the same rules
> and setup as One Word at a Time except that , in this case , the performe=
rs
> may use only one sentence at a time . ... Review the exercises =E2=80=9C =
Yes , an
> Stephen G.
>
>

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