Improv Interviews
Kenn Adams
Oct 31, 2022
Kenn Adams, author of 'The Story's Fine' and artistic director of Synergy Theater, shares his adventurous journey from Midwood, Brooklyn, to a vibrant life in the arts. He discusses the 'story spine' concept, which revolutionizes improvisation for young audiences, revealing the magic of narrative structure. The conversation dives into the delicate balance of spontaneity and structure in improv, exploring Joseph Campbell's storytelling principles and emphasizing emotional depth. Kenn also highlights the importance of props and physicality in enhancing theatrical experiences.
50:14
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Quick takeaways
- Kenn Adams emphasizes the importance of the Story Spine in teaching storytelling structure for effective improvisation and collaboration.
- He advocates for viewing improvisation as an integrated discipline, highlighting the need for study in acting, playwriting, and directing to enhance performance.
Deep dives
The Origin of the Story Spine
The Story Spine is introduced as a tool for teaching story structure in improvisation, developed by Ken Adams during his time at NYU. While studying playwriting, he recognized a lack of resources for outlining stories in improv and created the Story Spine as an outline for middle school students. This structure includes key phrases that guide the creation of a narrative, allowing performers to collaborate effectively. Ken later applied this tool to teaching improvisation, showing that it could be used to craft full-length improvised plays, a novel idea at that time.
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