Recently an improviser contacted me and said he was struggling with playing low-status characters in his improv shows and he wanted some advice on how to do it. I have always loved playing low-status characters, maybe too much. In fact, I think that’s all I played the first ten years of my improvising. This got […]
There's an expression that goes, “Would you rather be right or would you rather be happy?” This applies to improv. I have seen my students time and time again wanting to "do it right" and follow the rules, rather than trusting their instincts and having fun. They would rather be right than happy. There are a lot of reasons […]
If you've been improvising for a while, at some point one of your teachers/coaches will say you need to take an acting class. This may be confusing. If you are like me, you might think something like, “I am improviser, not an actor.” And then a huge acting opportunity will come along, like a play, […]
Keli Semelsberger has been teaching, directing and performing improv for more than 26 years. She founded the award-winning Charlotte Comedy Theater and she is the author of her new book, Improv Shaman: The Transformative Journey of Divine Play. We talked to her about being enough, taking care of yourself and how to be more vulnerable.
This Sunday is Father’s Day and it’s making me think a lot about my dad, who died a little over six years ago, a few months before my daughter, Betsy, was born. In one of the last conversations I had with him, I read him a list of 11 things he gave me as father. […]
Kindergarten ended this week for Betsy. She made it through, and more importantly, I did, too. Watching your kid grow up is emotional. One day she has a new BFF, the next she doesn't. It's like watching the stock market. When she was a baby all my friends that were parents said, "Enjoy this time. It will go fast." At […]
Rich Sohn is a master teacher and improviser at The Pack Theater in Los Angeles. He's worked at The Annoyance Theater, iO-Chicago and Second City. We talked to him about how he found his voice as a teacher and improviser at The Annoyance, how the Annoyance style brings such freedom on stage, and what he […]
Do your art for the joy of it. Don't do it unless it brings you happiness. It's not about the fame and fortune. Those will come or they will not. Make up your own definition of what "making it" means and fuck the rest. Do what makes your heart sing or skip a beat, just […]
Patti Stiles is a world-renowned teacher and improviser who lives in Melbourne, Australia. She is the author of Improvise Freely: Throw away the rule book and unleash your creativity. We talk to her about why she doesn't like rules in improv, how we can shift from rules to tools, how to enjoy making mistakes more.
I think sometimes improvisers get hell bent at working at certain theaters or making a house team, and then they stay too long at places out of frustration or insecurity. I think moving on is even harder if you work with improv gurus, whom you make your higher power because you think they have all […]