The Backline - An Improv Podcast

For the final episode of the season, Rob and Adam discuss ending scenes from within the scenes, how to pull edits, and what a satisfying ending might look like.

Warm-ups are an essential part of any show or class. This week, Rob and Adam discuss types of warm-ups, why we do them, and what it means to warm-up before a show.

What does it mean to go first in an improv show? How does it affect the way you play? This week Rob and Adam are back to discuss cold rooms, running orders, and the selfless act of going first

This week, Rob and Adam discuss the shortcuts improvisers use to make a scene work and how true creativity might be the cost of using these shortcuts.

In this episode, Rob and Adam discuss feeling like you don't belong, ego trips, and knowing your own worth.

This week Rob and Adam discuss how to create characters, why space is necessary to find a character's point of view, and the instant invocation known as the Mantra.

In this episode, Rob and Adam discuss confusion around "energy", what it means, and what happens when you direct your intention at your scene partner. Also, Adam reveals his recipe for the perfect breakfast sandwich.

This week Rob and Adam talk all things duo! From finding the right partner, to making scenes work, to the dangers of playing a 2-person show!

In this episode, Rob and Adam fantasize about building a training centre. What does it look like? Who are the teachers? Who are the students? Also: the internet is bad, The Secret of Mana, and improv shows where other performers heckle you.

This week's episode asks "Should improv jams be free?" and the result is a conversation about class disparity, improv whales, and the improv cape boys.

This week Rob and Adam discuss: the First, the Second, and the Cross. As well as glue players, directors, and grinders. Also, Adam's mind is blown when Rob tells a story about jumping in a lake.

This week, Rob and Adam talk with host Corey Whaley about improv, touring, and Deep Ellum.

"Don't try to reproduce your favourite improv scene; try to reproduce the mindset of the improviser playing that scene". In this episode Rob and Adam discuss how to create an open mindset when first stepping into a scene.

"Improv rules, but then also there's improv rules." This week Rob and Adam, discuss the history of improv rules, what's necessary in an improv scene, and how to not get bogged by our artform's long history.

In this episode, Adam and Rob look backwards to the origins of improv, how it spread across the world, and what's the difference between an American and a Canadian improviser.

This week's episode delves into the world of three-person scenes, how they differ from duoprov, and the power of team dynamics.

In this episode Rob and Adam discuss the phenomenon of hack jokes, the ethics of stand-up, and comedy's modernist sensibilities.

This week Rob and Adam discuss what types of shows are marketable, how to sell them, and common pitfalls to avoid when advertising your production. Also, it's the debut of CREAM.

In this episode, Adam and Rob discuss the justification, why we need it, why explaining too much causes problems, and the need for mystery in scenes. Also: Flash baths, re-reading books, and updates on a very important URL.

This week, Adam and Rob discuss their criticism of "grounded scenes". In this episode: the reality of a scene, truth in improv, Norse creation myths, and how to make big, wild scenes work.

An updated 2022 our list of all the characters we are ready to retire. Also: the 5th Anniversary of the Assembly, UCB's new investors, the politics of accents, and why the mystery is a foundational cornerstone of science fiction universe.

This week Rob and Adam discuss cornerstones of what conditions are necessary for improv mastery. Also discussed: teaching Improv 2, Malcolm Gladwell, migraines, and how to confront your improv partner if they miss an appointment.

There's a whole bunch of reasons why someone might feel frustrated: bad day at work, fight with a friend, doing your taxes ... but what do you do if the source of your frustration is the person you're improvising with? This week Rob (but mostly Adam) talk about what to do when things don't go your way onstage.