Improv Tips

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. It’s a good idea in improv, like in anything requiring practice, to form good habits early. From day one, be consistently on time, make strong decisions, make your fellow improvisers look good, and do all of the other things that make for a good improviser. If you do those things consistently, they’ll become habits. When the fundamentals of improv become second nature, it’ll be much easier to learn and to expand your improv skills to include all of the additional nuances of improv. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe and stay healthy, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. I can’t count how many times I’ve performed, and I still get a little nervous every time I take the stage. It’s okay to be nervous, no matter how much experience you have. In fact, it might be beneficial. That nervous energy can give you an edge and make you more alert than you otherwise might be onstage. If you find yourself getting nervous prior to a show, don’t double down on it by panicking. Accept the nervousness and make it work for you. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe and stay healthy, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. No matter how good you are at taking or giving focus in a scene, there will be at least a time or two when you find yourself talking at the same time as a fellow performer. More than one person talking at once, is not likely to be coherent to the audience. Unless that’s an intentional choice in service of the scene, it’s going to have to get fixed. Your safest bet to unclutter the conversation is to make like you’re back in drivers’ ed and yield focus. You’ll get your chance to speak later. When in doubt, yield. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe and stay healthy, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. Of course you strive to create the best possible creations that you can. But don’t let your desire to make everything absolutely perfect interfere with your production of content. The beauty of improv is that it’s perfectly imperfect. You don’t get second takes, and you can’t obsess over the smallest details of each scene. Bear that in mind when you’re working on any project. It’s never going to be absolutely perfect, and if you hide it from the world because of that, you’ve made perfection the enemy of creation. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe and stay healthy, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. You will most likely have a stage or some sort of designated performance area for most of your performances. But unless there’s some sort of rule against it, don’t shy away from using the entire space. Few things bring me greater joy than seeing a performer going into the audience or creatively using the entire space in some way. As Shakespeare wrote, all the world’s a stage. So why not use all of it? That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe and stay healthy, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. It’ll probably never be the perfect time to take that first improv class, to go out for that first audition, or to write that first page. But if not now, when you’re stuck at home, when? I understand the fear of failure and rejection as much as anyone, but if you wait forever for the perfect time to come along to put yourself out there, trust me, it’ll never come. So as soon as you’re done listening to this, take that first step. Now. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe and stay healthy, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. As tough as social distancing has been, there is a way to take advantage of your current situation. You might live in an improv desert, where there is not a readily-available place to take classes or see shows. If there is a silver lining to the shelter-at-home, it’s that many reputable theaters are offering a much wider variety of online classes and shows. If you haven’t had a chance to take advantage in the past, now might be the time to do so. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe and stay healthy, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. I was recently reminded that everyone is on their own improv journey and comes to the craft for their own unique reasons. I didn’t do a particularly good job remembering that myself, so I want to take this opportunity to remind all of you of that fact. Everyone’s path to and through improv is different, and each individual journey should be respected and appreciated for what it is. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe and stay healthy, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. Everyone is getting a little stir crazy during this time of sheltering at home. Most of the improvisers I’ve met are very social people. If you’re one of those social people sheltering at home, and you’re alone, make it a point to regularly communicate with other people instead of whiling away the hours on social media. Call, don’t text, and make sure that the social interactions that have necessarily changed over the course of the last couple of months aren’t forgotten. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe and stay healthy, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. I believe that there is such a thing as making too many connections in an improv scene. Connections and callbacks are fantastic and gratifying and should definitely be used. However, don’t lose the forest through the trees. If you are throwing out dozens of connections and callbacks, you might lose the interesting thread of the scene in all the chaos. Don’t let making connections cause you to lose focus on the scene. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe and stay healthy, and I will see you next time.