By far the thing I hear most from improv students when they first start working with me is: "I want to do characters. Teach me how to do characters. My last teacher said I need to do more characters." I get it. I have struggled with this myself. There was even a time when I […]
Improv is a family, and when a member dies, regardless of whether or not he had a direct impact on you, you are affected by it. This was the case when I heard that Jason Chin died last week at the age of 46. I was in the back of an airport shuttle getting thrown […]
Beware of the buzz kill. That person who is in your group or in your class who takes a perfectly good show or class and shits all over it. They do it with their words. They do it with their negativity. Have pity on them; they don't know any better. I should know, I am […]
I’ve had a great year, and the thing that I am most grateful for is that I am still learning. Can you believe it at my age? Though at times bumpy and ego bruising, I've learned a ton from doing Improv Nerd -- from my guests, from my staff and from the fans. Here are […]
One of the fun things about writing an improv blog is that I often get questions from people all over the world asking for my advice. They often want to know what their next step should be in their career, whether they should move to New York or Los Angeles, or how to deal with […]
Are you an improviser who has had your fill of zip-up hoodies and pairs of skinny jeans? If so, this year, we recommend that you ask Santa to bring you some books. These four books are must-haves for any improviser who wants to get out of his or her own way, boost your creativity, and make it […]
Since 2014 is drawing to a close, I thought it would be the perfect time to reflect back on the year that was. And when it comes to comedy, there were lots of changes on the landscape, both nationally and within our own little improv universe. When you look back at all of the massive […]
It doesn’t matter if you are an improv newbie or a seasoned veteran, when it comes to long form, the same rule applies – You have to have good scene work before using a fancy form. I have said it before and I will say it again, good scene work trumps form every time. People […]
Thanksgiving is a hard holiday. You can feel like this whole gratitude thing is being shoved down your throat. And what if you have nothing to be grateful for? Maybe you aren't as far as you would like to be in your career or you think people you started out with are passing you by. […]
In the world of improv, we all, including myself, struggle with showing up on time. Improvisers are not known for their punctuality or their professionalism. I can’t tell you how many times students have run into class late, or how many times I’ve barely made it to a theater before I was supposed to go […]