Matthew Fotis, Ph.D., of Wyomissing, Pa., has penned “Fifty Key Improv Performers,” released by Routledge, Sept. 12. An associate professor of theatre at Albright College, Fotis teaches improvisation, comedy studies, and writing for performance, and is the author of multiple Improv textbooks. Routledge is a global academic publisher, founded in 1836.
“Fifty Key Improv Performers” highlights the history, development, and impact of improvisational theatre by highlighting not just key performers, but institutions, training centers, and movements to demonstrate the ways improv has shaped contemporary performance both onstage and onscreen.
The book features luminaries of improv as well many lesser-known figures in improvisation who have fundamentally changed the way performers make and view comedy. Many of the art form’s most important theatres and groups are also highlighted.
Other recent works by Fotis include “Satire & The State: Sketch Comedy and the Presidency” (2020) and “Long Form Improvisation and American Comedy: The Harold” (2014). He is also co‑author of “The Comedy Improv Handbook” (2016). He has published or presented on various topics, including improvisational theatre, new play development, political theatre, solo‑performance, comedy studies, folklore studies, popular culture and more.
His work has appeared in Theatre Journal, Theatre Topics, Theatre/Practice, The Journal of American Drama & Theatre, Academic Minute, The Encyclopedia of Humor Studies, The Encyclopedia of American Studies, McSweeney’s, and MLB.com, among others. He is an award-winning playwright and the co‑founder and co‑executive director of The First Thursday Comedy Series in Reading, Pa.
