Improv Nerd Blog Logo
March 8, 2024
Why It’s Important to Play the Reality of a Scene in Improv

Some improv teachers (including myself) will say over and over again “Don’t try to be funny.” That can be confusing. A better approach is, “play the reality of the scene.” When improviser do that, especially when they are given a certain task, the funny will show up without them trying. In improv, the more believable you […]

Read More
February 29, 2024
5 Things Improvisers Need to Stream Right Now

Like many of you, I love to catch up on entertainment late at night before bed, and lately, I've seen some really great TV shows, movies, stand-up specials and documentaries that have reminded me of my own journey as an improviser. So if you're looking for a little creative inspiration, here are a few things […]

Read More
February 22, 2024
When You Are Lost In a Scene, Be Honest

A lot of times when people are improvising, people think they have to keep going no matter what. Oftentimes improvisers feel so much pressure to keep a scene going that they will muscle ahead in a scene even when they don’t know what’s going on. But confusion without clarity just leads to more confusion. If […]

Read More
February 2, 2024
To Be a Master, You Must Remain the Student

To be a master, you must remain the student. We all want to master improv. But a true master accepts that he's never going to master what he's trying to master. Shunryu Suzuki explains it better in his book Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: “If your mind is empty… it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are […]

Read More
January 26, 2024
To All You Performers, Keep Going

Kim Greene is the owner of The Laughing Academy in Glenview, and she’s someone I have known in the improv scene in Chicago since the ’90s. We first met doing a business theater gig for Second City, and today, I teach classes for her at her theater. What I love about Kim is that not only […]

Read More
January 4, 2024
Find the Love in Your Improv Scenes

When we watch an improv team or a person on stage who loves improvising, it can be contagious. If we are having fun, the audience is having fun. But often, I forget to bring the joy and bring the love to what I am doing, both on stage and in life. In my improv classes and workshops, we […]

Read More
December 21, 2023
My 3 Wishes for Improvisers in 2024

As we come to the end of this year, I have 3 wishes I'd like to make for all improvisers in 2024. 1. Slow Down Slow down on stage and in life. When we slow down, we feel our feelings. Feeling leads to more creativity and a deeper connection with the improvisers on stage and […]

Read More
December 15, 2023
3 Long Form Hacks to Help Improve Your Improv Scene Work Quickly

Want to become a better improviser? Sometimes, making a simple adjustment is all you need to do to make your improv scenes really work. Here are three long form hacks that can make an okay improviser good, and make a good improviser great. They are simple, but not always easy to do. But with a little […]

Read More
December 7, 2023
Lean Into the Pauses

Music is the space between the notes. Claude Debussy When people first start working with me and they begin to slow down in their improv, they notice the pauses or the space between dialogue. This can seem strange at first to people who are used to improvising very quickly, but I try to teach my […]

Read More
November 2, 2023
Why You Need Humility to Be a Good Improviser

An improviser is a true artist. And to be a true artist, it takes true humility. It takes more humility to be on stage than ego. When I improvise from my ego, and I still do sometimes, it's “Get out of the way, I am the best." And "I am the best" never leads to getting better. […]

Read More
1 2 3 44

Download the Book

Sign up for Jimmy's bi-weekly newsletter and get a free copy of his ebook, The Inner Game of Improv.

Sign Up for the Newsletter