Growing up, I always told myself that I was not very good at math. As an improviser, I told myself I was not good at characters. I thought characters had to have an accent or a funny voice, and I knew people who were brilliant at them: Joe Liss, Pete Gardner and Dave Koechner, to name […]
Next week is Thanksgiving here in America, and most improvisers will be headed home to spend some time with their dysfunctional families. For most improvisers, spending the holidays with their parents can be as painful as being cut from a Harold team or bombing on stage. But don't worry, you don't have to get drunk or […]
A friend of mine who is an actor called me the other day in a panic. He had a decision to make and wanted some help. He had been offered a part in an independent film that was shooting out of town. And while he was excited to have a part in a film, he would […]
Lately, I have been trying my hand at stand-up and storytelling, doing some open mics around the city. So far, the results have been mixed, but where I am starting to see it pay off is in my improv. Doing things outside of improv only makes you a better improviser. A lot of times I […]
Over the years, I cannot tell you how much time I have spent trying to figure out why I haven’t had a bigger career. I have seen people I started out with in Chicago go on to have gigantic careers in comedy. What was wrong with me? I could never crack the code. So I started studying […]
I have always liked what St. Louis improviser Ben Noble has had to say about improv in his weekly blog. Ben found improv only three years ago. He thought it would be great way to make friends and give him a creative outlet after a break up. Of course, like most of us who fall […]
Every couple of days, we like to ask our social media followers a question with #ImprovNerdAsks. Often the question is serious or thoughtful, but occasionally it’s decidedly silly. This one was definitely the latter. We loved the weird stories of improvised shenanigans that you shared with us so much that we thought it deserved a […]
It has been so much fun to watch Stephen Colbert go from the character of Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report to talk show host Stephen Colbert on Late Night. In his new role as host he is so smart, playful, silly, political, and funny you almost forget the old character. If you have watched […]
There’s been some buzz about Improv Nerd and The Art of Slow Comedy classes in the press lately as our fall season starts up this Sunday. Here’s what people have been saying: Improv Nerd made the cut for Chicago Now’s October Comedy Calendar. (October 5, 2015) Time Out Chicago just listed Improv Nerd as one […]
Last month I was at DSI Comedy Theatre in beautiful Chapel Hill, NC, teaching three workshop and doing a live recording of Improv Nerd. At the end of the first day of workshops, we got into a lengthy discussion about the issues of "stage hogs" in improv classes and in shows. You know, those improvisers […]