When people in 12-step groups find out that I teach and perform improv, they always ask me how improv has helped me in my recovery. To me, improv and the 12 steps have a lot in common: They both are done in a group, they both bring more joy into your life, and they both […]
Students ask me all the time, is there any homework I can do in between the next improv class? The answer is usually the same: Yes, you have many opportunities to practice improv in your everyday life, and the best part is that people won't even know you are doing it. Here are three things […]
As someone who has been an improviser and an improv teacher for the last 30 years, I have seen "Yes, and..." work on stage and in the classroom. But in my own life it's a slightly different story. A couple of months ago, I auditioned for a big, leading part in a hugely popular TV show. I […]
My 10-year-old daughter went to art camp this summer, and the first week, she was excluded by some other girls she thought were her friends. The advice I kept giving her was, "If they are excluding you, they are not your friends. Make friends with the other people in camp." This is great advice for improvisers. I cannot tell you […]
Four years ago, I was cast in the TV show The Bear, which shoots in Chicago. I got Covid and was replaced. To say I was disappointed is a huge understatement. I love that show. My friends kept saying, “Don’t worry, they like you. They will have you back. You will get a better part." Like any […]
If you have taken improv classes and worked with a good teacher who knows your work, you will one day get a "hard note." A "hard note" is usually a bad habit you have developed over time that you either think is working or you are unaware of. Some examples of "hard notes" I’ve given over […]
Last weekend I went out of town to teach a couple of Slow Improv workshops at the 2 Day Comedy Festival in a little town in New England called Kittery, ME. I had not flown to teach at an improv festival in almost 10 years. I used to do it all the time before my […]
On Tuesday I turned 62. (If you didn't have a chance to wish me happy birthday, you can do it the comments below.) When you become my age, it’s very popular to get together with your friends and complain about your health. You talk about your cholesterol levels and statins and how it sucks to get old. Old friends […]
In December my friend and fellow improviser Pat Finn died of cancer. Most people knew him as Finner. Some people called Finnstone, but I am not sure if Pat made that nickname up for himself, and I could not verify it before the publishing of this blog. I cannot explain how this happens, but sometimes the people […]
Evanston comedian Jimmy Carrane is thrilled to be back performing his one-person show, "World's Greatest Dad(?)" on June 6 at the Northfield Public Library! About World's Greatest Dad(?) After 10 years in group therapy, Jimmy Carrane is still unhappy that he is not as famous as some of the people he started out doing improv […]