“We” and “I” in Don’t Think Twice by Herbert H. Stein
“Okay, a little bit of history. In 1955, a group of actors in Chicago invented the idea that improvisational theater could be an art form unto itself, not just a warm-up for other theater.”
Those are the opening words of the film, Don’t Think Twice, spoken in a woman’s voice, probably Samantha, one of the central characters in this fictional work about an improvisational group. The opening, a brief history of improvisational theater, is accompanied by scenes and spoken words from early improvisational artists, starting with The Second City, and of quick peeks at the members of the film’s fictional improv group, the Commune.
They go on to give us the fundamental rules of improvisation, which will prove crucial to the film’s central conflict.
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