The Backline - An Improv Podcast

There comes a time in every improviser's life when you have to say goodbye to your previous ideas of who,what, and where.  This week, Adam and Rob rabidly scream out their frustrations with the limitations of explaining context and offer other perspectives on structuring scenework.  Whether you love or hate who, what, where - this is an episode designed to stick in your craw.

Every improviser is a golfer with a bag of clubs.  Every club is a different way of improvising and a different school of thought. The improviser looks over the green (the show they are doing) and decides which club is appropriate. Picking the right club for the right hole is an essential skill for any player.  This week, Rob and Adam return back to their Copenhagen apartment and over beers discus...

This week Rob and Adam, delve deep into the world of UCB-style Game of the Scene and discuss framing.  We know framing is all about contextualized, that one weird offer in your base reality (platform), but how do you know what do with those offers?  How do you use them in a way that makes it clear to your audiences and partner: THIS IS THE GAME!  Well, we get into it.  Also, Copenhagen and Olso up...

Jokes are a great place to hide.  Having a funny voice or massive character can protect you from you having to expose your true self. This week Rob and Adam discuss how to open up in front of audience and reveal your story to the audience.

As performers we are inherently greedy for stage time.  We have to be.  It's competitve in an improv show.  Lots of people vying for attention with competing narratives.  This week Rob and Adam gives tips on how to maximize your time onstage (in a nice way).

Again and again, you constantly hear about the importance of having a coach.  Which is all good if you're rehearsing in major improv cities with thousands of other comedians.  But what do you do if you live in a smaller community?  This week Rob and Adam navigate different options for building incredible troupes without the guidance of a professional coach.

This week Rob and Adam discuss the importance of mentorship in the community: what to look for in a mentor, how to connect with possible mentors, and how to be a valued protege.  Also discussed: the giant duck, Rob's new favourite tea, and shout-outs to important mentors from the early days.

While The Backline spends tons of time discussing concepts related to longform improvisaiton, Rob and Adam both started in shortform.  This week: Pillars, Pan Left, roast jokes, set-ups, and best practices when performing a shortform show!

No matter how hard you work, you can only get so good at improvising scenes.  At a certain point it feels like it's impossible to get any better.  This week, Rob and Adam give a list of simple tips to improve your performance - without technique.  Good ole fashion showmanship to give your scenes some much deserved polish. Charm, swagger, and strategize your way to success.

This week, Rob and Adam go behind the scenes of MANTOWN: The Improvised Frat Party to learn what it takes to produce a sold-out improv show.  This episode follows a week of radio diaries from Sharjil Rasool, LeeLee Miller, Noemi Salamon, Andrew Bushell, Geoffrey Cork and the Dean of MANTOWN, Rob Baker.  You'll experience producing an improv show from the cloudy beginnings of its inception to prepa...

In the context of improvisation, jokes can mean many things: a punchline, an out-of-place remark, a desperate attempt to get the audience to like you, or a straight up street joke (think Knock, Knock).  This week Rob and Adam deconstruct what it means to tell a joke and some of the biases improvisers have towards joke-telling.  Also we open up the Backline mailbag!

Silence is golden.  This week Rob and Adam talk very loudly about silent scenes. Together they explore: how to find silences in scenes, the 30 second rule, and how to improvise in a non-verbal way.  Also covered: Australia, Post-ITS, and Adam's new favourite artist.

It's the launch of Season 4.  In this episode Rob and Adam discuss how to take random scenes and find connections between them. Also covered, the difference between callbacks and connections, different methods of finding similiarities between scenes, and the dreaded FORCED connection.  Also Star Wars, surfing, and headphones.

It's the finale of Season 3!  In this episode of The Backline LIVE, a reluctant Adam takes a tour through the world of musical improv with some of Toronto's best musical performers.  Along the way he discovers how to sing, compose a narrative through song, and rhyme with help from Ashley Botting (CBC Because News), Kevin Vidal (Sunnyside), Jan Caruana (Second City), Phatt Al (God Made Me Funky), a...

Its a very special holiday-themed episode of the Backline.   Tis the season for gift-giving, so this week Rob anda Adam examine what kind of offers make the best "gift" for your scene partner.  Together the guys chat about inspiration, reinforcing ideas, and contaminated tap water.   SPECIAL NOTE:  Rob thought he was dying of poisonous tap water, he's fine, Toronto continues to have some of the cl...

From the Backline Archives: Time Travel!  It’s impossible!!!  OR IS IT?  In this episode Rob and Adam go back ten years into the past to warn their earlier selves about improv techniques, philosophies, and rules that they focused on when they were young – but don’t use at all in the FUTURE.  HEED THEIR WARNINGS!  Don’t waste your time like they did.  Make the most of the time you have!  Improvise...

This week Rob and Adam attempt to discuss the longform, storytelling format called The Armando.  Unfortunately, both Rob and Adam know nothing about it and forced to find help. It's a real shit show without some sort of Christmas miracle!   Also, discussed Rob's new cat Stevie. 

Sometimes bigger characters, sillier jokes, and dumber choices doesn't always mean a funnier scene.  This week, Rob and Adam discuss how to create a grounded scene, navigating auditions, and how to be more human in scenes.  

We take two-person scenes for granted.  But most of our training, and time onstage is within two-person scenes.  We think that's improv.  We assume what works in a two-person scene, will work in scenes with 3 or more people.  But group scenes have an entirely different set of techniques.  In this episode, Rob and Adam breakdown group scenes and how to make them work.  Shout-outs to  Christian Capo...

Determining what success or failure is depends on only one thing: expectations.  This week Rob and Adam discuss what happens to an improviser who expects a certain kind of scene partner, or improv scene or improv show.  Also covered: how to deal with expectations, letting go of assumptions, and knowing your role within your team.

In improv classes across the world we are taught the value of saying Yes, going with the flow, and supporting our partner.  But for some reason onstage we focus on conflict, difference, and contrasting characters.  This episode, Rob and Adam dissect the joy of matching energies with your scene partner onstage.  Also ICC and Copenhagen Tour round-up!

Rob and Adam discuss the topic of hecklers!  From calling out in the middle of shows to an accidental cell phone going, the guys discuss ways to handle any surprise.  They also chat about their favourite/worst heckling experiences, things to keep in mind when dealing with a heckler, and how to stop heckling without ruining the show/your own performance.  Big congratulations to Leanne Miller and Sh...

This week, Rob and Adam chat about what your reputation means within the comedy community: the value of a player's reputation, your improv show's reputation, and how to change how you are seen by the comedy community.  Also discussed: Second City's new revue, spaghetti squash, and alternatives to Photoshop.  

Some characters are easier than others.  In this episode, Rob and Adam go over some troubling characters and how to best approach them in a show.  Also Adam shamelessly gushes about his love of map apps, which is odd because it is a very weird interest to have.

After a one week hiatus, The Backline with Rob and Adam are back!  Where did they go?  They were on a West Coast tour: Vancouver, Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton.  Now home they share their favourite memories, tips for starting your own tour, and share their favourite song that kept that sane.