Archive for April 2019
Improv Tips #111 – Make The Mundane Meaningful (w/ Nick Armstrong) (2019)
Improv, Improv Comedy, Improvisation – whatever you call it, here at Improv Tips want to help. In this week’s improv tip, In this Improv Tip encore improv tipster Nick Armstrong breaks down how we can turn blah improv choices into energetic and emotional improv choices just by “Making the Mundane Meaningful”. Whether you’re doing improv…
Read MoreImprov Tips #121 – Assumptions (2019)
Improv, Improv Comedy, Improvisation – whatever you call it, here at Improv Tips want to help. In this week’s improv tip, veteran teacher and improviser Paul Vaillancourt talks about a simple but powerful idea, ASSUMPTIONS and how we can you them to supercharge our improv scenes. Whether you’re doing improv comedy, playing improv games, using…
Read MoreAdditional Thoughts on Decision-Making
[ad_1] Earlier this month, I wrote about the challenges inherent in making a big decision. When you’re not sure which path to take, the impulse is to get more data. Ask for more advice. Expand your pro/con list. While you may feel like you’re making progress with these tactics, they’ll likely leave you just as…
Read MoreEverybody Wants To Leave Early
[ad_1] One of my least favorite things to sit through (and one of my favorite thing to rail against) is the encore. The first problem is that the encore is supposed to be a surprise bonus—the fans demanding more; the artists giving just a little extra. Now, though, the encore is baked in. Regardless of…
Read MoreImprov Tips #110 – Make It Personal (2019)
Improv, Improv Comedy, Improvisation – whatever you call it, here at Improv Tips want to help. In this week’s improv tip, veteran teacher and improviser Paul Vaillancourt talks about a simple but powerful technique of MAKING IT PERSONAL in a scene to add depth and meaning to what you’re doing. Whether you’re doing improv comedy,…
Read MoreImprov Tips #109 – Scenic Inertia (2019)
Improv, Improv Comedy, Improvisation – whatever you call it, here at Improv Tips want to help. In this week’s improv tip, veteran teacher and improviser Paul Vaillancourt talks about a simple but powerful idea, SCENIC INERTIA and how it can help you get your scene off to a good stat and keep it rolling in…
Read MoreUnder Construction
[ad_1] When I was in grade school, my parents gave me a Gameboy Color for my birthday. It was summer, so I had all the time in the world to play Pokemon. I’d sit around the house, staring at the screen. And when that got old, I’d go to my friend’s house and play it…
Read MoreTeen Improv Fight Club by Michael Golding
[ad_1] It is not unusual for the at-risk teens I work with in workshops to be reluctant to embrace the unknown and allow an improvised scene to flow organically within the structure of a game. They require advance information with dialogue and action before participating, so they don’t appear foolish. Directing focus on the rules…
Read MoreImprov Tips #108 – Character Refrain (2019)
Improv, Improv Comedy, Improvisation – whatever you call it, here at Improv Tips want to help. In this week’s improv tip, veteran teacher and improviser Paul Vaillancourt talks about a technique that he uses all the time in his work to his characters a consistent and catchy point of view. Whether you’re doing improv comedy,…
Read MoreWhen Have You “Read” A Book?
[ad_1] I once heard that Seth Godin reads 1000 books a year. How is that possible? Apparently, because he only reads the introductions. I don’t actually know if this fact is true. I tried to verify it, but I couldn’t. Then, I came across this post where he actually recommends the opposite. So, who could…
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