When I was in my 20s, my parents would let me invite my improv friends who had no place to go for the holidays over to our house. We used to have improvisers over for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. I guess it was their way of supporting the arts. The other day, I was speaking to […]

Last week I had an audition for an independent film.  Which means you lock yourself in your bedroom and tape yourself on your iPhone, then you e-mail the video to your agent, never to hear about it again. I know, I sound cynical, but auditioning used to be more fun when you went in-person and you at least […]

I hate to admit this, but the longer I teach improv, the more I see the benefit it has in people’s lives. Maybe I’ve drunk too much of the improv Kool-Aid over the years, but improv is a pretty amazing artform, and lately I’ve been struck with how improv can bring people together in a way that […]

Back in the ’90s there were as many great actors and improvisers in Chicago as there were Starbucks. Phil Lusardi was one of them. Though we never worked together, I knew and respected his work. We would occasionally run into each other at the actor bar, The Damen.  He was always positive and honest, which is a rare combo. […]

I have been doing stand-up comedy now for five years, and as I have been learning the craft, I am so grateful that I have had my improv background to fall back on. Although stand-ups memorize their material and improvisers make it up on the spot, there are many skills that you can learn in […]

With the summer heat rising, this is a good time to hunker down inside in the air conditioning and catch up on some streaming and reading. I have put together a short list of recommendations that would appeal to a comedy nerd, like myself. 1. Hacks, Season 4 (HBO Max)I originally watched half of the first season of Hacks […]

My daughter Betsy had a talent show at school this week. The other girls in the third grade had teamed up together in small groups to do different dance routies. She was not included. But she wanted to dance. So she came up with a routine herself. She decide to choose the pop anthem “Fight […]

Last week, I shared five tips on how you can be a better improv teacher. This week, I wanted to share some more pieces of advice on how you can make teaching improv easier, more effective and more fun. Enjoy!

Improv teachers are like magicians. When you’re doing it right, it's pulling a rabbit out of a hat. While magicians never give away their secrets, improv teachers do, because they know they can't keep their skills if they don't give them away. Recently I've been doing some reflecting on my career and what I've learned […]

For the last 30 years, one of my passions has been slow improv. I have taught thousands of improvisers from everywhere from Omaha to Poland how to do it. I’ve used the term in my marketing for years, but lately I’ve realized that not everyone knows what I mean when I say it. So, if […]