Talking Improv: Archive

Chris Reblogs: Improv Ramblings: Try the happy... →

chrisreblogs: Your scene partner initiates with: “For your 21st birthday party, Johnny, we planned a whole Disney Princess theme.” Your impulse may be “That’s not what a 21st birthday for a man should be. I am supposed to be upset.” Sure. Fine. But how about… You choose to love it. A lot. Don’t get upset…. Take the positive choice if you can. The game more often than not is easier to...

Feb 17th

9 notes

the Montreal Improv blog: Useful Lie: "Don't Ask... →

montrealimprov: “Don’t ask questions” is one of those supposed improv rules that has a good reason behind it but I would never just say that in a class I’m teaching and leave it as is. If improv is to reflect our reality in any way, questions must exist. We all ask questions in day to day life and so onstage,… Such a simple concept, but often lost on beginning improvisers. That...

Feb 15th

4 notes

UCBT Announces 14th Annual Del Close Marathon |... →

comedynerdsunited: The marathon is scheduled to take place from June 29th to July 1st. Huh. It’s so early this year! (I’m not complaining.) Get to submitting, you hilarious people you.

Feb 8th

38 notes

the Montreal Improv blog: Dramatic Improv →

montrealimprov: Warning: this is a rambly, introspective examination of my thoughts on dramatic improv. I’m writing this primarily to straighten out my brain wiggles but maybe it will be useful to someone. Maybe not. Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here. I started out doing improv in comedy bars- Wait, scratch… I’ve been thinking the same thing recently. I’d love to do an...

Feb 5th

9 notes

Feeling bad about your improv?

coreybrown: Go watch a level 1 grad show and remember that that was you at some point. Then remember how far you have come.

Jan 31st

19 notes

13 tags

Jan 30th

112 notes

4 tags

Quick Improv Thoughts #4

It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it. Whatever you do, you should be able to just “play.” Heighten it, lower it, expand on it, and squeeze all the juice you can out of it.

Jan 30th

7 notes

7 tags

Jan 27th

2,971 notes

8 tags

Jan 27th

9 notes

5 tags

“Improvisation…made sense to me. I love the idea of two actors on stage with...”

– Tina Fey, Bossypants (via kaete)

Jan 26th

27 notes

Jan 25th

15 notes

Improv Obsession: Angels in Improv →

improvobsession: The one rule at an improv jam is don’t be a dick. This rule was not followed on November 28th, 2011. For those of you who don’t know, an improv jam is a show where anyone can participate in an improv set, be it veteran improvisers, people who’ve never improvised, and anyone in between. The… We only wish that a person like “This Fucking Guy” weren’t...

Jan 25th

11 notes

6 tags

perlstein asked: When should you leave a group?

Jan 25th

4 notes

5 tags

Holy cow, hey new followers!

Thanks for the follow! I hope you enjoy reading the stuff on here. Please feel free to engage in discussions about anything in improv. In fact, let’s do that now, shall we? What would you like to read about/discuss? You can either reply below or leave me a message in my inbox. Happy improving! —Chuck

Jan 24th

2 notes

5 tags

The Daily Grace: I'm an Improviser! Grab Me!! →

chrisreblogs: thedailygrace: Maybe I’m in a little bit of bad mood today. Maybe I’ve just had too much caffeine. Maybe I’m nervous about the way too many things I have going on today but I just want to talk for a minute about the perception of Improvisers being open and fair game for anything from anyone at all times. Am I… Doing improv is not a excuse to social graces and folks’...

Jan 24th

33 notes

Anonymous asked: Randomly Googled "Something on your mind? Ask away!" something that Alistair in "Dragon Age: Origins" says and I found this :D

Jan 23rd

8 tags

Quick Improv Thoughts #3

When you’re in a scene (in either a long or short form show) and you say: “This/that is the best ____ ever!” What you’re really saying is: “I have no opinion and am totally disconnected from what’s going on right now.” If you’re a frequent or even semi-frequent user of this line, it’s okay. It happens and will probably happen again....

Jan 22nd

7 notes

Jen Kirkman - comedian: What I Would Have Said... →

jenkirkman: **I wrote this last night but was shy about publishing it. But I feel good about it today. Please forgive any grammar or spelling errors. I’m not the best editor. ** - Jen Kirkman I was supposed to talk to the Larry Mantle show on NPR this week. They wanted to talk to me about the recent…

Jan 20th

554 notes

Teaching Interviews: Chris Gethard, Part 2 of 2

improvnonsense: Part 2 of an interview with Chris Gethard about teaching improv. I asked him for general advice for teachers/coaches. I added the boldface emphasis. Speak in universals - if you tell two people why their scene is off, two people can get something from it. If you tell those two people how what they’re doing is emblematic of common problems and tendencies, everyone in the room can...

Jan 18th

55 notes

Teaching Interviews: Chris Gethard, Part 1 of 2

improvnonsense: This is a series where great improv teachers I know write down their thoughts on teaching improv. We start with Chris Gethard, who was the second person to ever run the UCBT-NY school after Kevin Mullaney. Gethard wrote the first full curriculum for the school, taught dozens and dozens of very popular classes at all levels and also coached some of the best teams to ever develop...

Jan 16th

114 notes

6 tags

Do It For You

If you’ve done longform for any amount of time, you’ve had the experience of working with coaches. A typical practice is complex enough when it is just the improvisers, but the added ingredient of a critic mixes many different personalities and philosophies. Before I go any further (and before you chastise me), I firmly believe that coaches are necessary for a team to progress and...

Jan 16th

9 notes

9 tags

The Sweet Sound Of Nothing

Not too long ago, I took a workshop from RCC’s Zach Arnold, which focused on using silence in scenes to enhance moments. It was a fantastic experience. I had never really given much thought to using silence as a way to communicate. However, folks…it really works…if you let it. At one point in the workshop, we were forced to have at least five seconds of silence before we said...

Jan 7th

65 notes

6 tags

When You're Not Performing

If you love to improvise as much as I do, you find that it’s more than just a hobby. When that thing is taken away from you, either through an illness, injury or through other circumstances beyond your control, a piece of your identity is missing. Lately, I have been suffering from a type of improv withdrawl. I have not performed regularly in well over two months. I have been actively...

Jan 6th

A great write up for the Improvisation News blog.... →

Dec 9th

15 tags

Sep 21st

24 notes

Brown's Mumbler: Be malleable →

coreybrown: An improv post. If I could give one improv note to the major community, it would be to be more malleable. When I say that, I don’t mean in scenes, I mean as a human being. Be willing to just sit back and say OK, I will try that. I see a lot of people say no to trying new things in their groups…

Aug 31st

18 notes

Improv Nonsense: Better Conversations →

improvnonsense: Improv can make you funnier, will likely make you a better actor, and could maybe even get you work. But one thing it will definitely do is make you better at having conversations. You listen better, you speak to the heart of the matter more, you lie less, you speak more concisely. But also, you… This is a few days old, but improvisers and non-improvisers should have a...

Aug 30th

122 notes

Compelling vs. Funny

A real shocker here: not all scenes have to be funny, so stop trying so hard. In fact, scenes that draw people in and make them feel something can often be better than just a funny scene. I’ll use a recent example. Humor me, please. I was doing a two-man show a while ago. We were a married couple on the ropes. I was the disgruntled husband and he was the doting wife looking for admiration...

Aug 23rd

4 notes

6 tags

Aug 10th

41 notes

6 tags

Is Improv Legitimate Art?

So when thinking up of the next post to write for this blog, I got inspired by sitting in and observing a workshop being conducted by one of my friends. Watching them teach improv and seeing the reactions of the students made me think about improv in a broader sense. These people are taking the workshop because they want to be there. They see improv as something of worth that goes beyond a...

Aug 6th

5 tags

Quick Update: We're Social!

Hey improv folks! I’ll be updating this blog soon enough, but first I’d like to let you know that I’ve integrated the Google “+1” button for past and future posts. You can also +1 the entire blog at the main landing page (talkingimprov.tumblr.com). As if that weren’t enough, I’ve also added Facebook and Twitter share buttons on the right-hand side of...

Aug 4th

2 notes

Brown's Mumbler: Per Morgan Phillips request →

coreybrown: I usually leave my improv posts on my blogspot (GOOGLE ME) and leave this tumblr to less serious stuff, but Morgan asked me to put this in a place where he can “like” it. I hear the term resting the game a lot, and I think that saying this is confusing to students. First, what does it actually…

Jul 28th

The House That Del Built: A Note on Notes →

This is a fantastic write-up on note-taking. Coaches (and future coaches), you might want to bookmark this particular page. thehousethatdelbuilt: If you’re reading my blog, you may be enough of an improv nerd to have already seen this amazing video of the most generic notes for a Harold ever. What’s great about this video is how universal it is. Although the show it’s reviewing never existed, we...

Jul 28th

10 notes

7 tags

Improve Your Improv

Several people have asked me through various means of what they can do to become a better improviser. This is quite a loaded question. The reality (as I’ve said before on here) is that there’s no real secret to success on stage. There is no sure thing or perfect mix of classes to take, books to read or shows to see. All I can give are suggestions that have helped me over the years. ...

Jul 26th

15 notes

4 tags

More To Come Soon!

Sorry I haven’t posted much here in the recent week or so. I haven’t had a chance to sit down and write up a new article. However, there are a couple of things I’d like to touch on, so expect something to read within a couple of days! Happy improving! —Chuck

Jul 25th

1 note

“I look at improvising as a prolonged game of chess. There’s an opening gambit...”

– Steve Carell in The New Yorker Just to clear up any doubt that Steve Carell is a genius. (via improvobsession)

Jul 21st

6 tags

Fun With (Team) Chemistry

You’ve just completed your improv training and you’re ready to form your first long form team. Your club lets you pick and choose team members. The future looks bright and full of camaraderie with your new teammates. Great, but where do you begin? I. CHOOSING YOUR TEAM MEMBERS I’ve said before, I feel the most important thing when forming a new team is liking the people you...

Jul 18th

5 tags

Quick Improv Thoughts #2

Only be on a team with people you want to perform with. It’s more fun when you actually like the people you work with once (or more) a week. When you perform with someone you don’t like, it’s obvious. Your subconscious is just naturally more negative towards them. Thoughts?

Jul 16th

9 notes

Jul 16th

5 tags

This is a nice read on how those with Alzheimer's... →

Jul 13th

6 notes

Thanks for following everyone!

These people rock: iliketulips 21stgoddamncentury brainkim evankaufman

Jul 13th

4 tags