Improvisers are always on the quest for a perfect improv scene. Is such a thing even possible? If so, what would such a scene consist of? In my endless crusade to remove all the fun from improv and analyze it in a painfully granular manner, (I did direct Improv Nerd's live shows for five years, […]
Great improvisers are great listeners. Great actors are great listeners. Listening is the foundation of the performing arts. We cannot be in moment if we are not listening. It is impossible. We cannot react to our fellow actor if we are not listening. It won't happen. Why? Because if we aren’t listening, we aren’t open to what […]
A few weeks ago, I got an email from Rob Snow, the Executive Director of Stand Up For Downs, a non-profit organization based in Cleveland, OH, that is dedicated to helping people with Down syndrome. Rob is a native Ohioan who studied at Second City, iO and The Annoyance in Chicago in the ‘90s before […]
I am crispy. I am burnt out. I am tired. I have had a very creatively busy summer, and I am grateful. I put “World's Greatest Dad(?)” up and have taught my ass off and I have enjoyed it. I actually don’t think I’ve ever worked as hard as I have done lately, and for someone […]
Improv is considered a young person’s game. Improv classes at iO and Second City are often overrun with 20-somethings just starting out in life trying to make it big in comedy someday. But what if you are over 35 and you’ve just gotten into improv? You know you are never going to audition for SNL […]
I recently finished teaching one of my Art of Slow Comedy Summer Intensives, and I'm gearing up to teach another one this weekend. I've been teaching these intensives every year for the past several years, and each year I get the pleasure of teaching students from all over the world: Germany, New Zealand, China, Denmark, […]
I have been performing since I was in my 20s. And when I started out, I wish to God someone would have told me that to get good at improv, you’re going to have to get comfortable being bad at it for a while – in public – before you can master it. There are […]
Something weird has been happening to me lately: I wake up and I feel successful. I have not changed my diet. I am not getting enough sleep. And I am still not famous. But still, I feel successful. As you know, for me, this not a normal feeling. And you could see why I would […]
Over the years I have taught all types of people in my improv classes and workshops. The majority of people are actors and improvisers, but another group that I’ve found can really benefit from improv are therapists, life coaches, and health professionals. Why? Because therapy, just like improv, is all about listening. And when therapists […]
Have you ever been back stage before a show and peeked out at the audience to see only a tiny crowd and your heart sank? Yes, it’s disappointing. We all want to play to packed houses all the time, but the reality for most improvisers and actors is sometimes that just doesn’t happen. Each group and […]