Tag Archives: Improvisation

Wax On, Wax Off

Posted on June 18, 2012 by

A number of weeks back I wrote about the improv tool set AEIOU. I return to the topic now. After students have learned the basic pieces of AEIOU it is helpful to drill each of these tools individually and then … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundamentals, Improv Games, Improv Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Graduation Speech, Improv Style

Posted on June 12, 2012 by

‘Tis the graduating season. This past month my wife was contacted by an old grade school classmate, Kevin. It seems that 25 years ago she and he delivered co-Eighth Grade Graduation speeches. His task was to talk about the past, and her’s … Continue reading →

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How To Perform Improv

Posted on June 6, 2012 by

Reblogged from Thought Catalog: Have you ever wanted to perform comedy onstage, but then remembered you’re functionally illiterate and therefore cannot read or recite lines of dialogue? Have you ever said something funny to someone at any time in your … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundamentals, Improv Skills | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Through…

Posted on June 4, 2012 by

Ok… sorry folks… this is going to get esoteric. In my previous post I talked about the struggle. I thought I would then go back to writing about improv-y things… like AEIOU and the like. However, blogs and writing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Attitude, Fear | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

The only way out is through

Posted on May 16, 2012 by

Life can get pretty messy and complicated and scary at times, can’t it? Just like being in the middle of an improv scene when you aren’t quite sure where it is going. I know every improviser can relate to that … Continue reading →

Posted in Attitude, Fear, Improv Life Lessons, Taoism/Zen | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Who am I?

Posted on May 9, 2012 by

This is a small interlude from my current writing about AEIOU. I’ll get back to that… but this was important. I have a problem and I suspect most improvisers have the same problem as me. I want to be liked … Continue reading →

Posted in Attitude, Fear, Fundamentals, Improv Life Lessons, Parenting | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Words, Words, Words

Posted on May 3, 2012 by

In any play, movie, story, or improv scene there are two kinds of dialog. One type of dialog forwards the story, the other is atmospheric or basically filler. Dialog that forwards the story is rich with information. The information doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundamentals, Improv Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Shut up already

Posted on April 28, 2012 by

Improv can be beautiful and elegant, but it can also be really damn loud. Improvisers are a wordy bunch. Go to almost any show in any city and you can pretty much “watch” whatever improv show with your eyes closed … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundamentals, Improv Skills | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Out with the CROW in with the AEIOU

Posted on April 17, 2012 by

For many years, I taught CROW (Character, Relationship, Objective, Where) to beginning improvisers. This was something that I was originally taught and it seemed good. Unfortunately, teaching CROW — while it sounds like a great way to get scenes off … Continue reading →

Posted in Fundamentals, Improv Games, Improv Skills, Longform vs Shortform | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Surprise me

Posted on April 10, 2012 by

I’ve been performing improv for a long time. This is my 22nd year of being in an improv troupe. I have done Short Form, Harolds, Theater Sports, created my own long forms, etc, etc, etc. I am not saying this … Continue reading →

Posted in Attitude, Improv Life Lessons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments