Oh, the argument scene. Most of us do them. I know I do, and sometimes they work, but most of the time they don't. I wish I could say that prevents me from doing them, but even after all these years of improvising, when I get scared, it’s my go to type of improv scene. […]
Last week I interviewed Chicago comedian Kelsie Huff for an episode of Improv Nerd, who runs a very popular stand-up class for women called Fem Com. In the interview, Kelsie talked about how important it is to create an environment in class where women feel supported and nurtured and don't have to apologize for what […]
Sometimes we think the goal in an improv scene is for both players to gets laughs — huge laughs. Wouldn't it be great if that happened all the time? Unfortunately, it doesn't. The reality is sometimes one improviser will come out with an incredibly strong character or point of view and the best thing for the other improvisers in […]
As you know, Lauren and I are about to have a baby. It’s due on June 30, and it will be our first. Even though Lauren is much younger, I am 52 years old, so you may be saying to yourself what we’ve been saying for the last nine months: "What are we doing?!" The other […]
Every summer, improvisers from all over the country and the world flock to Chicago to take summer intensives and immerse themselves in Chicago’s vibrant improv scene. And every year, without fail, I get emails from these out-of-towners about what improv shows they should see when they’re here. So this year, I thought I’d make it […]
I first met Will Hines when he contacted me after an episode of Improv Nerd that he particularly liked. I was floored. I had been aware of his reputation as a teacher and improviser at The UCB in New York, and of course of his terrific blog Improv Nonsense. Whenever one of my peers likes […]
When I first started out teaching improv a million years ago at The Second City Training Center in Chicago, we would occasionally have small classes. Sometimes only five or six people would show up for a Saturday afternoon improv class. I would get really frustrated when that would happen, and I would find Michael Gellman in the […]
Some of the worst decisions I have made in my life I made by myself. When I was in my early 30s, Saturday Night Live was going to fly me to New York to audition for the show. I made the "brilliant" decision all by myself to not go because I thought I really didn’t do characters […]
As improvisers, expressing ourselves is what we do. We do not have a choice: We are born this way. It’s no accident we are drawn toward the performing arts: sketch, stand-up, improv, and acting. These are the way we express ourselves. For me, the need to express myself is part of who I am at the […]
If you’ve been performing with an improv group for a while, you’ve probably started thinking about taking your group on the road, and traveling as a group to an improv festival across the country is not only a fun bonding experience, but an awesome way to take in some shows and workshops and have a […]