How Improv Is Like Euchre

How Improv Is Like Euchre

By Randall | Improv in Life, Just for fun!

Human beings learn by making associations between things (e.g. Pepsi is like Coke, except without all of the good taste*). Improv is analogous to a great many things; herein I consider one specific example – Euchre. I was in Boise, Idaho for a wedding this past weekend, and had the opportunity to play Euchre with some old [&hellip

The First Rule of Improv is NOT

The First Rule of Improv is NOT “Yes, And”

By Randall | Improv Tips

When you take improv classes, you start off by learning the rules. The first, and most famous, rule is to say “Yes, And.” You may have heard of it if you’ve seen Yes Man, read Bossypants by Tina Fey, or ever had a friend take an improv class. There are a lot of principles encapsulated in this phrase – agreement, [&hellip

Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk

Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk

By Randall | Improv Tips

I’d like to preface this by saying this is a much longer post than usual, but it is 100% worth the read. As promised, I would like to share a technique for creating new characters for each scene you do. I’ve heard many improv instructors provide this simple instruction for creating a character: make a physical [&hellip

How to Spot an Improviser

By Randall | Just for fun!

Happy Monday Funday! Here’s a cool video that some of my improv friends showed me. It’s a reminder of how important good object work is. Enjoy! &nbsp

The Art of Listening to Your Partner

By Randall | Improv in Life

I came across this article today, and thought it sounded a lot like what I’ve been working on in my improv scenes lately. Sounds like maybe improv can help you be a better lover too! Here’s an excerpt from “The Art of Listening to Your Lover,” published by Psychology Today: In our fast paced society, [&hellip

Why We Create Characters

Why We Create Characters

By Randall | Improv Tips

I’ve seen two main approaches to characters in improv scenes: playing characters that are just slightly different versions of ourselves (“Excited Randall” or “Despondent Randall” or “Sensual Randall”), or playing characters that are physically and vocally distinct from ourselves. The latter are generally more memorable, but can often devolve into caricatures that are difficult for [&hellip

3am Improv Thoughts from Jill Bernard

By Randall | Improv Tips

I just saw this video tonight and thought it warranted sharing, for all the other improvisers out there who might not have seen it yet. Enjoy and apply! 3am Improv Thoughts from Jill Bernard from Jill Bernard on Vimeo. &nbsp

The Problem with Fear

The Problem with Fear

By Randall | Improv in Life, Improv Tips

About a month ago,  I went out for a walk. Early on, I passed a stranger on the street who held eye contact for slightly longer than normal, so I said “Hello” and he said “Hi” back. Even something as simple as that, just being acknowledged by a stranger, had a significant impact on my [&hellip

The Problem with Fear

The Problem with Fear

By Randall | Improv in Life, Improv Tips

About a month ago,  I went out for a walk. Early on, I passed a stranger on the street who held eye contact for slightly longer than normal, so I said “Hello” and he said “Hi” back. Even something as simple as that, just being acknowledged by a stranger, had a significant impact on my [&hellip

Liam Neeson Does Improv

By Randall | Just for fun!

Well, I know that I had said last week that I would start posting warm-ups on Monday, but then I realized that Monday Funday might be a better way to start off the week. Instead, I’ll be targeting Wednesday’s to cover various improv warmups. For the few of you who may not have seen it [&hellip