In baseball, the most elite athletes are called “5 Tool Players.” These all-stars specialize in five different categories: hitting for average, hitting for power, running the bases, fielding, and throwing. Because improvisers and professional athletes are so often compared (due to our similar income levels), I thought it’d be interesting to see what traits would […]
This month it's been nine years since I started writing this blog. It was not my idea. It was Lauren's. She thought it would help with marketing my improv classes and workshops. Like most of the good ideas I get from Lauren, or anyone else, my first reaction was to resist. So the first blog I […]
This year, my 4-year-old daughter, Betsy, was really into going trick or treating. She was out of her mind excited about it. Me, not so much. I was just the parent taking her. When she woke up on Halloween morning at 7:14 a.m. the first thing out of her mouth was "When is it going to […]
When I tell a story on stage, I want to get laughs. I know not all storytellers work like this, but if you do and you are looking to punch up your story to squeeze in some more laughs, I have some quick tips that may help you make your story funnier. Storytelling is not […]
"Perfect is the enemy of good." — Voltaire For most artists, creating is the fun part. The problem comes when they want to get their work out in the world. They have been bitching and moaning that they're nobody recognize their art for years, but when they have the chance to put themselves out there, […]
In our house we have a ritual. Almost every night after dinner, me, my wife, and my 4-year-old daughter, Betsy, all sit on the floor and play a board game. We play Candy Land, Hi-Ho! Cherry-O or other board games that are appropriate for a 4 year old. It usually starts off pretty good, and […]
I can't think of a better sound than the word "Thank You." "Please" would be a close second. They’re two words that I am realizing I don't use enough, as we are trying to teach my 4-year-old daughter manners. As much as I had a complicated relationship with my parents, I think they did a good job of […]
What I love teaching the most in improv is connection — players connecting on a deeper emotional level. So many improvisers focus on trying to be witty and fast and funny, but they don’t realize that you can’t really do any of those other things well if you don’t first form a real emotional connection […]
As more and more people are doing improv over Zoom, we are all starting to adapt to this new medium and find ways to make it work for improvisers. In the past few months, I’ve published a few blogs about how to make your improv pop on Zoom and how to host an improv show […]
Recently, the performing arts have been hit hard. Live theater has gone dark, until further notice. We are feeling all sorts of emotions about it. Mostly we are all still grieving. Some day we will be in front of live audiences again, I am sure of it, but in the meantime we must fight these feelings of isolation or die. […]