What I've Learned After 50 Episodes of Improv Nerd Next week we will be airing our 50th episode of Improv Nerd. It’s been less than two years since we started Improv Nerd, and recently I’ve been reflecting on how it all came about. For more than ten years I was a contributor for WBEZ, a […]
Do You Have to Be The Funniest ON YOUR TEAM? I have recently discovered a flaw of mine that is impacting my improvising -- and not in a good way. Since I started improvising, I have always strived to be "the best improviser." You might think that would be a good thing, but in fact, […]
How to Deal with Fear Before a Show Fear before a show is unpredictable. Sometimes I have it, and sometimes I don't. Last month, I had it before doing "Messing with A Friend" with Susan Messing. I love Susan as much as a person as I love playing with her. Having Susan ask me to play with her […]
As another one of my Art of Slow Comedy improv class prepares to do a long-form performance at The Upstairs Gallery in Chicago this Saturday, I want to share with you some good reminders on what you need to make a long-form work. 1. Have Fun -- When you play with Susan Messing in her […]
There’s been something coming up lately in my improv classes, The Art of Slow Comedy, that I call the dark side. Students will be doing a scene with a so-called dark subject matter -- pedophilia, racism, abortion -- and the scene will end up being more dramatic than funny. Afterwards, the students will look shaken […]
There’s been something coming up lately in my improv classes, The Art of Slow Comedy, that I call the dark side. Students will be doing a scene with a so-called dark subject matter -- pedophilia, racism, abortion -- and the scene will end up being more dramatic than funny. Afterwards, the students will look shaken […]
Accentuate the Positive In our last rehearsal for Jimmy and Johnnie, our coach, Jack Bronis, said to me and John Hildreth that we need to play every show with joy. I have been improvising for 30 years and I have never played with joy. I have played with angst and fear and pressure on myself, […]
Time for a break There is a myth among improvisers that the more classes you take and more shows you do, the better you will be. We can become addicted to this art form, always hungry to do more. But sometimes, you can do more by doing less. If you feel burnt out or over-extended […]
HUMILITY = TEACHABILITY If you want to be a better improviser, humility is an important part of the process. Not fake humility, like that bullshit that people say when they are given a compliment after a show, like, “Oh, I am not that good,” or “You think I am good, you should see Billy so-and-so; […]
3 Tips for Letting Go of Jealousy Jealousy exists, especially among improvisers and actors, though no one really wants to talk about it. It's part of the human experience, much like anger or sadness. But we think it’s too ugly of an emotion to talk about, something we’re not “supposed” to feel, so instead, we […]