Improv Tips
150 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago -A micro-podcast feed for The Bit Theater featuring (week)daily improv tips. We can also be found on your Amazon Echo devices!
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Episodes
Teammates
August 14, 2020 07:00 - 55 seconds - 506 KBSet up a system for how you’re going to audition new members to your team, stick to it, and don’t play favorites.
Stranger Things
August 13, 2020 07:00 - 50 seconds - 471 KBDon’t let the fear that a story is too unbelievable prevent you from ever telling it onstage.
Agree to Disagree
August 12, 2020 07:00 - 52 seconds - 486 KBBe careful that you’re not defaulting to arguments or that the arguments you have aren’t going on forever.
Warm Ups
August 11, 2020 07:00 - 51 seconds - 482 KBYou might find it useful to physically warm up your mouth before performing.
The Long and Short of It
August 10, 2020 07:00 - 56 seconds - 515 KBDon’t shut out a particular form of improv, especially if you’ve never tried it.
Giving Suggestions
August 07, 2020 07:00 - 54 seconds - 501 KBThe improvisers onstage would much prefer a suggestion they've never heard before than hear the same jokey suggestions they always get.
Go-To Characters
August 06, 2020 07:00 - 53 seconds - 497 KBFind some characters you're comfortable with and confident playing that you can pull out at any time during a set.
Fake It 'Til You Make It
August 05, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 584 KBThere are many ways you can still play the scene in a profession you're unfamiliar with.
Characters Exist
August 04, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 547 KBEven though you’re showing only a moment of a character’s life, they existed prior to your scene, and they’ll exist after your scene.
The Joker
August 03, 2020 07:00 - 54 seconds - 503 KBIt can be exhausting when someone is trying to prove how funny they are all the time.
Planting Plants
July 31, 2020 07:00 - 46 seconds - 442 KBDon't destroy an audience's trust by planting suggestions.
Think Before You Speak
July 30, 2020 07:00 - 58 seconds - 530 KBIt's better to take a second to think about your response than it is to blurt out anything just to fill space.
Use "We" and "Our"
July 29, 2020 07:00 - 51 seconds - 478 KBRefer to your shows the way you should for a collaborative art form.
Watching Improv
July 27, 2020 07:00 - 47 seconds - 445 KBDon't allow yourself to sit and critique, nitpick, or second guess every decision that's made onstage.
Delayed Reaction
July 24, 2020 07:00 - 50 seconds - 467 KBDon’t feel obligated to pay off an audience’s suggestion within the first thirty seconds of your set.
Team Names
July 23, 2020 07:00 - 28 seconds - 298 KBStop wasting time agonizing over your improv team’s name.
Safe Space
July 22, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 574 KBWhether it be playing a silly character, breaking into a song, or getting lost in a big physical activity, find your safe space where you’re confident that everything you’re doing is brilliant.
Simple Changes
July 21, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 573 KBYou can make a tiny change to yourself and be a new character.
Messenging
July 20, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 575 KBGroups serving the public interest need strong voices, and there are plenty of ways to bring your skill for entertaining to assist those groups, especially on a voluntary basis.
Pace Yourself
July 17, 2020 07:00 - 58 seconds - 529 KBJust like great movies and television shows have great pacing, so do great improv sets.
Going Blue
July 16, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 598 KBShy away from blue humor and get used to working harder for your laughs.
The Perfect Improviser
July 15, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 587 KBThe Ultimate Improviser(TM) is one who can improvise with anyone, anywhere, regardless of their scene partner’s skill level, and regardless of the situation.
A Song in Your Heart
July 14, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 556 KBConsider adding song into your non-musical improv set, particularly if you have musical accompaniment.
Variety is the Spice of Comedy
July 13, 2020 07:00 - 59 seconds - 543 KBAlways be exploring different ways to make folks laugh.
Self-Promotion
July 10, 2020 07:00 - 45 seconds - 430 KBYou’re the best advocate for getting your work noticed.
Leap of Faith
July 09, 2020 07:00 - 54 seconds - 501 KBOnly by having the bravery to take that first step into the abyss will you know whether that support system will hold you up.
Promoting Shows
July 08, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 664 KBA website, a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, a mailing list, or some other free form of social media is a simple way to let people know about your shows.
Playing Drunk
July 07, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 672 KBImprov scenes move quickly and require concentration. Alcohol doesn’t help either one of those skills.
Make Your Way
July 06, 2020 07:00 - 57 seconds - 525 KBYou don’t need to be in Chicago, L.A., or New York to do improv.
Diversity
July 03, 2020 07:00 - 53 seconds - 492 KBIt’s always a good idea to seek out and audition teammates who don’t look and act like you.
Emotional Rescue
July 02, 2020 07:00 - 50 seconds - 467 KBIf you’re having a difficult time investing in the emotion of a scene, pull from your own personal life.
The Chair Up There
July 01, 2020 07:00 - 45 seconds - 430 KBThose chairs are your only props. Use the heck out of them.
Get Your Heckles Up
June 30, 2020 07:00 - 55 seconds - 509 KBThere are plenty of great ways to deal with hecklers or disruptive audience members.
Sensitive Subjects
June 29, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 593 KBPlay the situation as though everyone in the room is currently going through the sensitive situation or is of the same race, nationality, or gender of the character you might otherwise avoid playing.
Slip of the Tongue
June 26, 2020 07:00 - 51 seconds - 476 KBWhat may start as a simple verbal miscue could become a hilarious running joke throughout your entire set.
Get Bad
June 25, 2020 07:00 - 52 seconds - 485 KBIt takes about 100 sets just to get competently bad at improv.
Don't Open the Gift
June 23, 2020 07:00 - 58 seconds - 533 KBThe gift to the scene is the gift, and it doesn’t really matter what’s inside it.
Story Time
June 22, 2020 07:00 - 58 seconds - 531 KBI’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. My father can and has told me the same stories over and over in my life. I’m interested in hearing them every time because he can flat-out tell a story. Remember that as an improviser you’re also a storyteller. The more enthusiasm and heart you pour into the story you’re telling onstage, the more engaging it will be, and the less likely it will be that I roll my eyes when you tell it. Plus, you won’t forget the details because you’re making them...
Louder Isn't Always Funnier
June 19, 2020 07:00 - 1 minute - 575 KBPay attention to your volume, and try turning it up or down for a change of pace.
Be Direct
June 18, 2020 07:00 - 51 seconds - 476 KBAddress the elephants in the room sooner rather than later so you can move your scene to the next logical step.
I Think You're Alone Now
June 17, 2020 07:00 - 59 seconds - 542 KBUntil someone joins you onstage, you have free rein to make any of the scene choices you want to.
Be Better than Yesterday
June 16, 2020 07:00 - 50 seconds - 469 KBOnly by getting better every day will you ever be the best, you competitive nut.
Real Over Funny
June 15, 2020 07:00 - 59 seconds - 543 KBIf you focus on learning how to improvise from a real place, the funny will eventually come.
Binary Decisions
June 12, 2020 07:00 - 54 seconds - 502 KBIf you break down your scenes into a series of binary choices, you might find it easier to free up your brain to focus on reacting to those choices.
Bad Improv Gun
June 10, 2020 07:00 - 54 seconds - 501 KBWhen you’re manipulating an improvised object, it should look just like you’re manipulating a real object, but you can’t see the object.
Benefit of the Doubt
June 09, 2020 07:00 - 54 seconds - 498 KBThere’s no need to wink at the audience if you struggle to come up with an idea or stammer over a line.