Auditioning is a way of life for improvisers. You’ll never stop auditioning, so you’ll just have to get good at it! Learning to embrace the audition process, and to finally relax and have fun, will do wonders for your performance. We asked some professional improvisers -- Jay Sukow, a former teacher at Second City; Amey […]
If you've been taking improv classes for a while, you know that most improvisers are really warm, nice and funny people. But every once in a while, you get someone in your class you just can't stand. Trust me, you don't want to be that person. Luckily, I've done a lot of thinking about what […]
Jay Sukow is a great improviser and teacher here in Chicago. He’s part of the old guard; he’s been improvising, teaching and directing for years. His students worship him, and rightfully so. He is so positive and affirming in his approach that it makes me jealous. This July, Jay and his wife and two kids […]
How many times have you started a scene by saying, “How are you doing?” or “What are you up to?” If you’ve done that, you know that the scene goes absolutely nowhere. If you have a good teacher, director, or coach, he or she will usually say, "You need to start your scenes in the middle." […]
Improv Nerd, the live comedy podcast hosted by Jimmy Carrane, begins its new season this summer, featuring some of the funniest and most well-known improvisers in Chicago. The show will run on Sundays from July 5-26, with a special preview show on June 20. All shows will be held at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont […]
This week, social media was a-buzz after Louis C.K. did the monologue during SNL’s final episode of the season. If you haven’t seen it, he talked about every hot-button thing you can think of, from being mildly racist, to Israel and Palestine, to child molesters. Social media went crazy, I mean nuts, especially about the child […]
If you’ve ever taken my Art of Slow Comedy improv workshops, you know that they can be charged with emotions, and often participants can be more vulnerable than they have ever been in improv before. Students often get angry, cry, and show all kinds of emotions that they aren’t used to expressing in public. My […]
Improvising is about creating something beyond your imagination with the help of other people. It takes humility, it takes courage, it takes faith. We are creating something out of nothing on a regular basis. And to do it, we have to stop pretending that we know what we are doing and get comfortable in the […]
I’ve been traveling around the country a lot lately, teaching improv in all different cities. And one thing I’ve noticed in some communities is that improv can feel like gang warfare. There are theaters that don’t want their students studying or performing at other venues. They are protecting their turf. I get it, they are […]
If you want a bigger career in improv you are going to have to network. If you want to climb the improv ladder, you will not be able to able to avoid this step. You are going to have to play the game. You are going to have to schmooze. If you don't want to, fine. Maybe […]