Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book called “Blink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking”. In it he describes the number one rule of improvisation: Never Say No. An improv comedian is a Yes Man. Most scenes in improv comedy have the same pattern; the actors take whatever is being thrown at them and they turn into [...]
Let me first start out by saying I did not come up with this list. This was written by Chris Gethard, one of the best improvisers alive, and one of my improv heroes. He wrote the first curriculum for the UCB, he taught hundreds of classes, and even wrote a hilarious book called A [...]
When I lived in Chicago I never made an improv team. I had two good auditions and two bad auditions. Directors and coaches just didn’t like the cut of my jib. I felt a lot of rejection when I was there. But I also had a great independent team that played where we could and [...]
Pre. S. I’m not going to proof read this, so if you find a grammar mistake either lemme know or don’t worry about it. There are a lot of rules of improv, but there not so much ‘rules’ as they are consequences of a great scene. One rule is to agree (also known as yes, [...]
Your mind is an incredible tool. Don’t let it go to waste by never using it. Some of the most clever things have been totally fabricated with the mind, and that’s something almost no one can disprove. The body is the key to improv. Don’t let it go to waste by never using it. Once [...]
“My barn having burned to the ground, I can now see the moon.” – Chinese proverb “The monkey is reaching For the moon in the water. Until death overtakes him He’ll never give up. If he’d let go the branch and Disappear in the deep pool, The whole world would shine With dazzling pureness.” – [...]
So recently I held Stephen hostage until he would give me blog permission and with this newly found power I’ve chosen to make a follow up post to Rollie’s. If you haven’t read his “Can You Learn One Thing From Every Show You Watch?” post then read it now, I’d post the link, but I’m [...]
Just a short one today. I have a question but it’s not a very good question. Kinda like when a moms know their teenaged boy stole their victoria secret catalogue and just asks them in front of the neighborhood girls to embarrass you. Here’s the question: Is it possible to learn something genuinely new from EVERY single improv [...]
NIDS, Nice Improviser Disease Syndrome, is when players play polite. They don’t want to offend anyone. They don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable, their fellow players or the audience. NIDS equals boring playing. It’s like going to an office and watching people work. Everyone is polite to each other. Nobody says anything that will make [...]
I’m thankful for having a place to play. I’m thankful I don’t have to clean toilets to play there. I’m thankful I’m not censored where I play. I’m thankful for my players on Distort Report and Idiom. They push themselves each show and don’t rest on their laurels. I’m thankful that Stephen had the guts [...]