For years I thought to get good at improv you, had to get piled on by constructive criticism — what some people call “negative notes.” I was that student who would go up to the teacher after class and beg them to “be tough on me.” I was tortured that way. I even took this philosophy into […]
Since the start of the pandemic, I haven't gotten to perform in front of a live audience. That changed last week. No, it wasn't in a theater. It was for a small group of preschoolers and their parents in our backyard. Betsy, who is almost five years old, became obsessed with inviting some of her friends over to put […]
In the last year that I have been teaching improv online, I have gotten to work with improvisers from all over the country and at various skill levels. And regardless of their experience, I have seen the students in my classes and workshops make the same mistakes over and over again. And I’ve also seen that once most […]
I recently watched a documentary on Netflix called The Last Blockbuster. It's about the last remaining Blockbuster video store in Bend, OR. It also takes a look at how the once-powerful chain that had 9,000 video stores collapsed. Watching this documentary brought back memories about when I was high school and first started renting videos. […]
Lauren and I read a lot of library books to my four-and-half-year-old daughter, Betsy. Recently one night we read a new one called Alex's Good Fortune, by Benson Shum. The plot goes like this: Alex invites her friend Ethan over to her house for Chinese New Year, and (spoiler alert) we learn about all of the things […]
Working with great improvisers is exciting and fun, and usually I ended up learning a lot from them. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to get to play with some of the best improvisers out there, and because I am still doing Jimmy and Johnnie on Zoom, I still get to do so. Here are […]
Last week my family packed up and moved to a new house. Which I guess is good news? But I have a hard time with change of any kind, even if it's an improvement. After we unpacked the boxes and I smudged the house with sage to prevent any negative energy from coming in, I then […]
Recently, I wrote a blog about what you can do if you get a note in improv class that you don’t agree with. I got some great comments from both improv teachers and improvisers, and I thought that it would be helpful to share some of the comments with you. If you’re an improv teacher, […]
Have you ever gotten a note from an improv teacher that you didn't agree with? Did it make you feel confused, frustrated or even ashamed, like you had done something wrong? I assure you, you have not. They say that there are no mistakes in improv. But that doesn’t apply to teachers giving notes. If you […]
This month will mark 10 months that we have been improvising online. Can you believe it? Though improvising online will never replace the thrill of improvising in front of a live audience, I have to say it's a pretty good substitute. During this time, I have gotten to work with students from all over the world who […]