The Improv Chronicle Podcast

Two person shows have been a growing trend in improv and with the release of a three part Netflix special from improvisers Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz, there is a now a mainstream spotlight on improvised duos. Despite theatres being closed right now, people around the world are talking about and forming opinions on what an improvised two person show can be. This is the first of two episode...

In the past couple of episodes you’ve heard from people who have moved their improv online using Zoom - all the improv that you’ve heard covered in this podcast has been visually led. But what about podcasts? Unlike Zoom, improv in podcast form was here before Covid-19 led to the doors shutting on improv theatres and performance spaces. Given the medium already existed as a home for improv, what d...

In the second part of this series on online improv, we re-visit some of the voices you heard last episode - improv practitioners who have taken their work onto visual online platforms like Zoom in order to still teach and perform. As the global improv community continues to wrestle with its current inability to do in-person public performances, we hear about the discoveries, the moments of joy and...

In the midst of a global pandemic, improvisers have had to make huge shifts to continue any sense of work, and for many, huge swathes of income have disappeared in a heartbeat. In this, the first of two episodes on the subject, we are going to examine the challenges people have felt adapting improv to online platforms and the community it has helped create. This episode you will hear from: Varoon...

Whether you teach improv classes, put on or attend shows, or you run an improv festival, the impact of the Corona Virus around the world will have had an impact on what you do. This podcast follows the two weeks leading up to the closure of festivals and theatres through the eyes of the host, Lloydie, who was due to be attending one such festival - the New York Musical Improv Festival. You will al...

How we transition from one scene to the next is something some improvisers spend a great deal of time talking about. So why are so many in the improv world nerds for editing in certain ways when no one chooses a show based on the types of edits that are performed in it? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-improv-chronicle-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more infor...

Improv shows are known for taking audience suggestions in order to inspire the performance but what makes a good suggestion and do we really need them anyway? Hear from Megan Gray of The Magnet Theatre in New York, Nottingham improviser Jack Cross and improviser and marketer Shari Hazlett from New York Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-improv-chronicle-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See...

Loving improv is one thing but when does it start to become too much of a good thing? Hear from improvisers who are loading their lives up with the art form and the mental health professional who advises caution. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-improv-chronicle-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A jam is an event where anyone can put their name in the hat in order to play an improv scene in front of the audience. As improv grows, so do jam nights. It's as if an improv jam is part of the fabric of the art form. Why is that? And what makes a good jam night? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-improv-chronicle-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information...

How your last improv show went sometimes isn't as important as how and when you find out about how good it was. Getting notes in improv whether it be in class or from a coach is sometimes hard. So how should coaches give their feedback and what constitutes good feedback for improvisers? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-improv-chronicle-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/priva...

You've heard from some incredible improv voices since this podcast launched in July. We've not been able to include everything everyone said in every interview so this episode, you will hear clips from a number of the interviews done since July that didn't make it into their intended episode due to time or because conversation had drifted into a side-topic Support this show http://supporter.acast....

The concept we call Yes And has been at the heart of improv and at the heart of how improv is taught for decades. There are books about it, and the phrase is synonymous with improv. The basic idea is that you say yes to what your partner is offering and then add to it. More recently, Yes And has been questioned. Some improv schools don't teach it anymore. Has Yes And as a theory run its course? Or...

What do we mean in improv when we talk about support and how do we quantify what on stage support and off stage support is needed in our art form. As the number of shows and teams grows around the world, how much do we have each other's backs and how useful is it for us to be saying that we must support other people's moves on stage and other people's shows? Support this show http://supporter.acas...

If there's one thing that can divide a group of improvisers quickly, it's the subject of warm-ups. Some people hate them and don't want to do them. Some people love them and could happily warm-up for an hour before tackling a scene. How much warming up do really need to be good at improv and how much difference does it make to an ensemble if they don't warm up? Support this show http://supporter.a...

Experiencing and improv dip and a bout of imposter syndrome isn't uncommon in improv - in fact many people recognise it as part of being an improviser and, more generally, a performer. But in improv, where you never do the same show twice, this feeling seems more common somehow. So what do we do about this? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-improv-chronicle-podcast . Hosted on Acast...

Many improvisers enjoy success not just in improv, but in the realm of scripted work. Does their experience in improv bleed into their creative processes when they write or even when that written work gets performed? This episode you get to hear from a number of successful writers who also have an improv background Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-improv-chronicle-podcast . Hosted...

You can have the best improv show in the world and still not have an audience. How do you get people to come to see your show and how many of them are going to be non-improvisers? This episode you will hear from people who are marketing improv in different ways to get audiences for shows. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-improv-chronicle-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

How does an improv musician view the improv show? What do they add? And what should those of us who take to the stage to work with them know about the work the music director is putting into the show? Hear from improv music directors about how they work with on stage improvisers and the things the performers should know about the musician's job. Featuring Brit Award nominated artist Fred Deakin an...

While some of us are blessed with cities that have a large improv scene with multiple groups or even multiple theatres, some cities have barely anyone flying the flag for our art form. You'll hear from people from three cities from around the world - people who have been the only game in town. Clarification: Maximilian Hanson is founder and creative director of Mind Melt, which he started earlier...

What makes a good independent improv night, and what do you get out of putting on something that isn't connected to an established improv theatre or school? People with experience of indie nights from around the world share their experience and examine what makes nights like these function and succeed. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-improv-chronicle-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See...

Every year, a growing number of improvisers take a creative and financial risk on the Edinburgh Fringe. What are the benefits of taking your work to the world's largest open-access arts festival, and is there a secret to getting a good audience? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-improv-chronicle-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new improv festival has just opened this week in the UK. As improv festivals continue to spring up around the world, what makes a good festival for audiences, improvisers and improv scenes? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-improv-chronicle-podcast . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.