Our goal as artists is to evolve, and the best way to do that is to constantly challenge our way of thinking and our approach. One way effective way to do that is by reading books about improv. The goods ones, and there are a lot of them out there, make you look at things […]
This week seems like a good time to talk about gratitude since Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Gratitude it a one of the most powerful over-the-counter drugs on the market today. In fact, it works so well in my life that I stop taking it. When I do remember to sit down and come up with a […]
Most people who start in improv become obsessed by this art from. We take every class we can afford. We perform in every show humanly possible. We eat like crap and get little sleep. We think the more we obsess, the more it will make us better. We tell ourselves that is what successful artists do. […]
Sunday, Nov. 3 will mark the eighth anniversary of the Jimmy and Johnnie show. For the last eight years, on the first Sunday of the month John Hildreth and I and at least one special guest have improvised together. And the experience has really been a blast. I can't even take credit for the show’s […]
As improvisers, we are considered "creative types." Some of us may be quirky or even moody, but regardless of our personality, we are all after the same thing: to get in the creative flow. When we get into the flow, it’s like being a surfer riding a big wave, and it's exciting. Ideas just come to […]
Teaching improv is a gift I take for granted. Not only am I good at teaching and getting better, but I also really enjoy it. But often I compare myself to my friends who I started out with who are now famous and completely dismiss my gift, which just leaves me feeling shitty about myself. Last […]
The goal is to be in the moment -- in life and on stage. I don't care if you are an actor with a script, a storyteller telling us a seven minute story from your life, an improviser doing a long form show, or you’re out to dinner with your friends -- your goal should […]
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 […]