There's no better time to catch up with your reading then during a pandemic. The summer helps too. So before you fill up the kiddie pool with water and pour yourself another Arnold Palmer, I have come up with a short list of books all about making it in the world of comedy that I think […]
Happy Fourth of July, even though in most parts of the country, all celebrations have been cancelled. In the town where I live, the annual parade, fireworks and face painting is all taking place online. It's not the typical Fourth of July sitting inside on your laptop watching computer-generated fireworks, but this is not a […]
I need to write for my mental health. For my sanity. It’s been harder lately, with everything that is going on in the world -- a pandemic, protests about racial injustice, and the closing of theaters. When it comes to writing, I have not felt inspired. My muse is A.W.O.L. And during this time I […]
My almost four-year-old daughter, Betsy, was playing with her two-inch tall plastic Disney princess dolls, when Cinderella’s head fell off and rolled under the couch. She looked and looked and couldn’t find it. So she decided to have a funeral for Cinderella. She lined up all the other Disney princesses on the coffee table and […]
May 5th was my birthday. I turned 56. It's been a tradition of mine, a week or so before my actual birthday, to get more depressed than normal, followed by a wave of self-pity. Thank God, with everything that has been going on in the world and that fact I have not left my house […]
After six weeks of teaching improv classes online using Zoom, I wanted to share with you some scenic exercises that I have had success with in this whole virtual format. They are simple and straightforward, and I have found that they have helped the students become more comfortable with the format, which seems to be a concern […]
I recently watched a short film called The Improv Guru, written by improviser George McAuliffe and produced by former Second City director Scott Goldstein. It's based on McAuliffe's popular Twitter account @improvguru39, which I have always found extremely funny. The film is a dark comedy about an arrogant improv teacher, and his deranged students, as they desperately climb […]
For most of us, this is the most serious time we have ever experienced in our lives. It is scary, unpredictable and stressful. And even though it may feel like the end of the world – in fact, because it feels like the end of the world – it’s crucial that we don’t lose our sense of […]
It is an understatement to say things have changed in the world, and improv is no exception. For the time being we cannot safely meet in person to do shows, hold rehearsals or attend classes. All the performing arts are in limbo. Some improvisers have moved fast, and have already started doing online classes, rehearsals […]
Shit. These are crazy times, wouldn’t you say? We are uncertain about the future while grieving the past. It is causing us to live one day at time. We are in survival mode: food, shelter, and staying healthy are our priorities. Most of us are just hanging on. I know I am. I have been […]