Improv Tips

Hello, everyone! Michael here. After a long and needed hiatus, I am back. I was recently listening back to season one of Improv Tips, and I thought to myself, “Oh, boy. You were so young and naive just a few years ago.” To give some context, I was in a weird place back then, and I felt very disconnected from the improv world. I think the first season was an outlet for me to feel connec...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . I’m somewhat blown away that I’m up to 150 of these improv tips. It’s gotten somewhat difficult to sustain due to the fact that I’ve been unable to improvise, rehearse, or teach over these past few months. So, I’m going to call this the end of the first season and take a bit of a break. I’m not sure yet how long of a...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . When you’re putting an improv team together, it may be tempting to simply cast the people you like best or are friendliest with. That’s not always the best strategy for forming an improv team. Yes, chemistry is important, but don’t let the love of your friends cloud your judgment as to what makes a good improv team. Set up a system fo...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . The world is an absolutely wild place, and unbelievable stories happen every day in real life. So don’t be afraid of occasionally using outlandish plot lines onstage. People do find out that they have long-lost siblings. One twin sometimes is evil. People are in comas for twenty years. Maybe don’t make those stories the first tools you pull...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . Early on in your improv career, you may be told that you should never argue onstage. If the alternative is that you’re always arguing onstage, that’s not a bad rule of thumb. However, arguments happen in real life, so they should inevitably happen onstage. Just be careful that you’re not defaulting to arguments or that the arguments y...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . I'm the first to admit that I don't love warming up. Some improvisers do insist that they need to warm up to get into the mindset of improvising. Others are like me and could take it or leave it. However, one thing that I do find useful is to physically warm up my mouth. Tongue twisters, mouth and check stretches, and buzzing my lips help me wi...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . In some circles, there is a bit of a rivalry between short-form improvisers and long-form improvisers. There shouldn’t be. Both short- and long-form improv can be brilliant, both can be terrible, and both can be anywhere in between. The best improvisers I know—and the ones who are the most fun to play with—excel at both short- and lon...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . When you do improv, you’re necessarily going to end up spending quite a bit of time watching improv. When I’m in the audience, I try not to give suggestions, if possible, so as to avoid the appearance of cheating. However, you might have to give a suggestion every once in a while. When you’re in the audience, remember it's not you...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . Find some characters you're comfortable with and confident playing that you can pull out at any time during a set. Not only will you have a safe space of characters you can use when you’re feeling lost or a set is spinning out of control, but also you can grow these characters over time. In addition, your teammates will learn to recognize the...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . There will be times in your improv career when you have to play a doctor, lawyer, scientist, or astronaut. Unless you are or have been in one of those professions, you probably aren't going to know what the heck you’re talking about. It doesn't matter. There are many ways you can still play the scene. One way is to go in with bold confide...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . Remember when you’re playing a character that even though you’re showing only a moment of that character’s life, they existed prior to your scene, and they’ll exist after your scene. This means that they had a backstory before the scene started, and the actions they take in the scene will have consequences for them, even if we d...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . There's one in every class. The person who finds their way to improv because they've always been told that they're so funny. And that’s great, and they should be giving improv a shot. But they approach improv by trying to be the funniest person in the room filled with funny people. And often they try to be very jokey. But improv is no...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . One of the most precious commodities your audience gives you is their trust that you’re making everything up. I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this, but don't destroy that trust by planting suggestions in the audience. It can be tempting, because that certainly puts your set on easy mode, but it's not worth the loss of credibilit...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . Five seconds of silence onstage can feel like a lifetime. But a mistake that is easy to make is to feel obligated to immediately respond to a scene partner’s offer with whatever comes to mind. It's better to take a second to think about your response than it is to blurt out anything just to fill space. If you find yourself doing the latter to...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . One of the things I love most about improv is how collaborative an art form it is. It’s worth remembering that when you’re talking about your sets and shows. If I’m an improviser who is constantly referring to “my” show that “I’m” in instead of “our” show that “we’re” in, I m...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . Once you get comfortable identifying as an improviser, it can be tempting to be “on” one hundred percent of the time, both onstage and offstage. You don’t need to always be on. Some of the most exhausting parties I’ve ever attended were filled with improvisers doing bits. As much fun as bits can be, it’s okay to have fun w...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . It's always a good idea to watch other people improvising. It's a great way to learn new techniques, forms, and skills. But don't allow yourself to sit and critique, nitpick, or second guess every decision that's made onstage. Not only will you not fully enjoy the show yourself, but you'll be completely insufferable to be around. Th...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . Don’t feel obligated to pay off an audience’s suggestion within the first thirty seconds of your set. There are few things more satisfying than spending twenty minutes improvising your set only to call back the suggestion as your blackout line of the set. You have time. Don’t rush to the immediate gratification. The delayed payoff is...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . Stop wasting time agonizing over your improv team’s name. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe, stay healthy, love each other, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . Just as it's important to know your weaknesses as an improviser, it’s equally important to know your strengths. Know what you’re great at. That way, if you ever find yourself in a bit of a slump, you can fall back on your strengths to improvise your way out of it. Falling back on your strengths is like eating your favorite comfort food...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . As someone who doesn’t dive into playing characters as well as many other improvisers do, I’ve learned a bit of a cheat. You don’t have to come out with a massive character decision like playing a mustache-twirling Southern gentleman or a cackling, evil witch (though, by all means, go for that). You can make a tiny change to yourself...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . As an improviser, you are almost definitely going to have a larger public persona than most people do. Be aware that as part of that public persona comes a certain amount of public scrutiny. Now, I'm not suggesting to lecture people during your improv set, but as a public personality, there are opportunities to get involved with groups or causes, p...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . Just like great movies and television shows have great pacing, so do great improv sets. If your set has been filled with high-energy, frenetic fast scenes, it might be in your best interest to slow down for a scene or two to give the audience a chance to regroup. Similarly, if you're following a series of slow sets, it might be wise to play with a...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . A common mistake that fresh improvisers make is going blue early and often. It's not a good idea, especially early in your career. It's easy to get laughs with blue humor, but they're cheap laughs, and blue humor can more often than not derail your scene. If you get accustomed to leaning on blue humor for laughs early in your career, you ma...

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater . When I teach improv, I try to create improvisers who are perfect scene partners and teammates. My vision of the Ultimate Improviser TM is one who can improvise with anyone, anywhere, regardless of their scene partner’s skill level, and regardless of the situation. That improviser cannot be shaken, cannot be discouraged, and can create gold in eve...