Tina Fey Rocks! Tina Fey is one of the most accomplished comediennes of our generation (SNL, 30 Rock, etc). Many of us actors may look at what she’s accomplished and think, “I WISH I could be as funny/witty/creative as she is.” But Tinay Fey didn’t achieve her success – nor did she become so creatively funny – overnight! She spent years working on her craft, doing what?…. You guessed it… Improv! Tina Fey and Improv Tina Fey studied first at iO (Chicago’s Improv Olympic, where she met Amy Poehler), and then was a member of The Second City Touring Group. She spent years studying and perfor ..read more

It’s spring. A time of birth and renewal. And Easter. For many, a time of re-birth.  Improvising is Creating I’m fascinated by the idea that every time we improvise as actors, we are creating. Not just creating a little moment or a little scene, but we are tapping into our incredible creative powers.  Every scene you do, you are using your gift of creativity to create. Every time you do an improv exercise, improvise a monologue by yourself, every time you play an improv game in a class, every time you make up a story by yourself or with friends, you are creating.  If you impro ..read more

5 Things Chris Rock Teaches Us About Improvising through an Unexpected Moment The Oscars 2022. Will Smith slaps the host Chris Rock in an unplanned and unprecedented moment that left everyone flabbergasted. Yet Chris Rock teaches us quite a bit about getting through the moment with Improvisation.  How did Chris Rock keep the show going? How did he maintain that upbeat energy in the face of what had just happened?  Almost all the focus of this spontaneous moment has been on Will Smith. People are on all sides of the issue. I however simply want to focus simply on on how Chris Rock’s ..read more

11 Improv Tips from a Galaxy Far, Far Away… Continued This is Part 2 of some of my favorite moments of Darth Vader stepping into his true Improvisational Storytelling power. Read Part 1 here. So let’s Hyperjump to the 2nd half of our list. The sixth principle Darth Vader would want all improvisers to understand is: 6. “Yes And”… After a silly Captain lets the Millennium Falcon slip away, the captain makes a bold stand and says he will accept full responsibility. Darth Vader clearly and fully supports the captain’s decision, and “Yes And’s” him with the full power of the force… by choking ..read more

11 Improv Tips from a Galaxy Far, Far Away… Darth Vader was a master tactician, lightsaber duelist, Sith Lord, and according to Obiwan Kenobi, a master of evil. But reading a little between the lines, we can see Darth Vader’s true  mastery and creative contribution to the world of improvisation. Let’s take a look at some of my favorite moments of Darth Vader stepping into his true Improvisational Storytelling power. The first principle Darth Vader would want all improvisers to understand is: 1. Mentally & Physically Prepare Before any improv show, practice, or rehearsal, sit quietly ..read more

How do you get better at something? Practice. (more on this in an upcoming post!) Our Become an Improv Wizard Online Improv Course, our Improv Power Courses, and improv Play-Along Practice Packs are designed to help you practice more on your own, because practice is how you get better. We want you to get better at improvising! Whatever level you are at, from beginner to seasoned professional, we want to help you get better. Now we’re giving you a weekly way to practice for free! And its so ridiculously quick, it’s almost easier to do than not to do it! Seriously, you may feel guilty if you d ..read more

Simple question: How do you make good improv scenes? How do you raise the stakes and drama in your improv scenes? (And don’t forget, drama applies to comedy as well) How do you make good scenes that aren’t just made up of actors ‘Yes Anding’ each other in a boring way. How do you take that ‘Yes And’ to the next level? We’ve talked about how ‘Yes And’ is essential to improv, but does not necessarily create good scenes. Read that article here. In my last article I talked about how to upgrade your storytelling by Making Something Important. Read here. My next tip is take that ‘Something Importa ..read more

So you’re on stage with your scene partner. People are watching. You’ve started an improv scene and things don’t seem to be going anywhere. What do you do next? Or… Maybe you want to tell your friend a story of something amazing that just happened to you. And you’re not sure if you should just charge through the events blow by blow, or stop and give details, maybe even some backstory.  Upgrade Your Improvised Scene Work and Your Storytelling I’m going to give you a simple way to drastically open up the dimensions of your scenes and improve your storytelling. This works for improvisation ..read more

We talked in our last article about how “Yes And” does not make great scenes. It’s an essential part of the process that facilitates storytelling, but does not create good storytelling. So let’s talk about one of my favorite ways to add good storytelling to your ‘Yes And’. Make something important.  But first… Making Everything Ordinary is Lame I worked for many years with a fun improviser who had one unfortunate talent. He would make everything ordinary. No matter what you offered him in a scene, he could make it unimportant. It would sometimes get a laugh, but it would stunt the scene ..read more

‘Yes And’ Does NOT Make Great Improv Scenes What?! Is this improv blasphemy? Everyone says ‘Yes and’ is so important to improv. Spoiler alert, it is. But here’s the key: ‘yes and’ by itself does NOT make great scenes. ‘Yes and’ puts you in a place where can make great scenes. But the yes and is only the basic and first tool to get you there. (If you’re new to ‘Yes And’ check out our course “Yes And Yourself” which will teach you everything you need to know, and give you 3 hours of Play-Along video support to practice it with others OR by yourself!) “Yes And” is Like Grammar Look at it this way ..read more