This seminal work on improvisation and theater games has had an astounding impact on modern theater and entertainment.

Foreword written by Paul Sills, who was recently honored at the Tony Awards for his lifetime of contribution to the theater:

http://www.examiner.com/x-7044-Chicago-Second-City-Examiner~y2009m6d8-Paul-Sills-Honored-At-Tony-Awards-on-Sunday-Night

You can't beat this book as a place to really learn about improv. Viola Spolin is a goddess, a giant in the improv world. The material is a bit dry, but there is much to ponder. I checked this out from the library and almost immediately knew I had to have my own copy.
for more on me: Someone Else's Tomorrow: A Tale of Transformation

Very good, I am from México and can read it and apply it in my teachings. I specialize in physiscal theater and I still can grab allot of exercises from it.

A good student must always seek a master, and Viola Spolin is a master of improvisational theatre. The book is filled with powerful games and information to support not only improvisational theatre, but truthful acting and being "in the moment", a hallmark not only of improvisational theatre, but acting.

There's something strange about the way this book is written ... I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it's MEANT to be a TEXTBOOK, but ... it's just strange. It's like, you would think that the subject matter (improvisation) would be associated with a lot of excitement and energy, lots of enthusiasm ... instead, it's just a dry, boring textbook. Very cold and impersonal. The other books I've been reading, including Keith Johnstone's IMPRO, Chalma Halpern's TRUTH IN COMEDY, and Mick Napier's IMPROVISE, are written with enthusiasm and what seems like genuine joy ... the way you'd think a book on improv should be.

Another thing that was odd - one of the co-authors is Paul Sills, who is apparently Viola Spolin's son ... yet in his "Foreward" (or maybe it's the introduction), he refers to her only as "Viola Spolin" this and "Viola Spolin" that ... again it just seemed so impersonal, like he was giving an academic speech before a bunch of old professors. No warmth at all.

And all through the book, Viola Spolin uses the same cold, impersonal language to talk about what should be fun, amusing memories - like, instead of saying "Once in one of my classes there was etc. etc." she'll say "In a class taught by this author, an incident occured at which etc etc" ...

These are minor things, I guess ... maybe I'm asking too much but I guess the bottom line is that, for me, this book (unlike the other books I've mentioned) failed to convey any sense of the thrill and delight that improv is.

After reading the first page of Spolin's first chapter I was intrigued. Several pages later, I was sound asleep. I attribute this to the fact that Viola Solin, when she's theorizing, writes like Immanuel Kant tripping on acid. This was especially discouraging, since I had just finished reading Audition by Michael Shurtleff, which is the most clearly written and insightful book on acting anyone could ever ask for.

Skimming the exercise descriptions, I found some of them tedious ("Play a salesman with only your calves!") and some of them risible ("Scream with your elbow!"). Also, her chapter on Emotion seems to contradict the entire Method acting tradition, which, thankfully, she is in no danger of overthrowing.

I'm sure that there are some useful points that this book makes, or might make through its exercises, if I cared to try them. But thanks to Spolin's soporific word-salad, her points are a pleasure to miss.