How we look at life is how we improvise on stage. If we can't find the joy in our lives and we look at everything going on in the world as a problem, chances are that is how we will initiate a scene. I see this with my students in class. They will be on […]
As I mentioned last week, if you are improvising today, you're probably doing it online -- on Zoom. And what I am finding is that slowing down your improv works especially well on Zoom. Because improvising on Zoom is more like watching a film or TV show than a theater performance, gives you the opportunity […]
I love when people reach out to me looking for me to share some of my experience in improv. Recently, an improviser contacted me to see if I had done a podcast or written a blog about what to do if you live in a small town and are unhappy with your improv group. Here’s […]
Great improvisers are in the moment. They have no need for the future or the past since they know it will not serve them. They do not have an idea of how the scene will end. They thrive on the uncertainty. They are happy where they're at. This is the hardest thing for me to […]
Are you trying to form an improv group or looking to add more talent to your existing group? Or do you run an improv theater? If so, you might assume that your first order of business is to hold auditions. However, holding auditions isn’t always the best way to discover the best talent. This week, […]
It was one of those cold winter days in Chicago with no sun, which make you question your decision to live here. I sat in a booth in the front window of the S and G diner facing Lincoln Avenue so I could watch the cars sputter around in the dirty, slushy street. I had […]
If you find yourself with some extra time between Christmas and New Year, you may want to catch up on some movies and TV shows that you didn’t have time to watch this year. Though, I wish I could have watched more this year, the stuff I did squeeze in this I really enjoyed. So, […]
This last year I have returned to doing storytelling shows around Chicago, as well as doing private coaching for some really talented storytellers. And guess what? I am having so much fun doing both. (Please don't tell anyone). Not only is the storytelling community in Chicago super supportive and nurturing, similar to how the improv […]
As you know, shame is one of my favorite things to write about, since I have so much of it on daily basis. I’m pretty sure I’ve had shame all of my life, but it wasn't until I started to taking improv classes in my late teens that I started to really start to feel it. […]
If you’ve been acting or improvising for a while, you’ve probably learned that success as a performer always seems to ebb and flow. If your improv career is in a dry spell right now and you haven’t been landing any auditions and no one is asking you to be in their show, it’s easy to […]