Improv Tips

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. Even when you’re not on stage, you’re always part of an improv performance. Whether you’re waiting for an edit, providing a sound effect, or committing a character name to memory that you can call back later, you never know when your offstage contributions will be called upon. You’re just as much a part of the performance off the stage as you are onstage. So stay off your heels and always be ready to contribute to a set. 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. Keep your mind off your appearance. Face it. You’re a grown person creating a world of make-believe on stage. If you’re doing it right, at some point, you’re bound to look silly. Own it. Be proud of your choices, and don’t preoccupy your mind worrying about how you look onstage. 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’re going to have ample opportunities to rib, kid, tease, and josh your fellow improvisers. It’s often a way improvisers express affection for their fellow performers. Many improvisers I’ve met can take and dish out the teasing with the best of them, but be aware that not all can. So until you get to know someone, be sensitive to the fact that not everyone takes teasing as a form of affection, and it can occasionally come off as just mean. 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 can always find relatable moments in improv. Even when your scene has been sent to space, and you’re playing a ten-armed alien bent on colonizing Earth, find the relatable moment. Maybe your alien is just doing this to impress a girl or please his dad. Maybe he wants to colonize Earth because it’s the place he used to go on vacation growing up until his family moved him across the galaxy. The more you can find relatable moments and emotions in the craziest of scenes, the better. 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. Every time you wink at the audience by breaking the fourth wall and acknowledging that you’re doing this crazy improv scene, you’re undercutting the reality of the scene you’re creating. If executed well, it can certainly be very funny, but don’t let the reward of audience laughter get you in the habit of using it as a crutch. Not all of your scene partners will appreciate what they may rightfully see as a denial of the reality that they’ve done the work to create. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe, stay healthy, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. The more detail you can use in your scenes, the better, and don’t be afraid to be wrong about those details. Remember that you’re inventing this improvised world, so a technically incorrect, but specific reference to your Chevy F-150 or Toyota Ram could lead you to a much more interesting place than a reference to your generic, boring truck. Don’t worry so much about being accurate about everything that it stops you from filling your scene with interesting details. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe, stay healthy, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. On Star Wars day, I’m reminded of something that Harrison Ford once said to George Lucas when they were shooting A New Hope. That George could write this—let’s just say—dialogue, but Harrison couldn’t say it. Don’t worry about your improv dialogue being as formal as stage dialogue or any written dialogue. Your dialogue should flow naturally and shouldn’t sound like you’re from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe, stay healthy, may the force be with you, and I will see you next time.

I’m Michael Bradt for The Bit Theater. You might be a guest in a show with a format you’ve never worked in. “Yes, and” the format the same way you would a scene. It’s okay that you don’t know the format as well as your hosts do. You likely wouldn’t have been invited to guest if they didn’t think you were capable of rolling with their format. But continually commenting or joking around about how you don’t know what you’re doing with the format is a subtle denial of your host’s concept, which is not likely to get you invited back. “Yes, and” the concept. 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. A show for children in the middle of the day at a Catholic school could and should feel different than a midnight show at a dive bar in Chicago. Similarly, you may find yourself in a show with set after set of frenetic energy, and you might want to either play opposite that energy or to play with that energy. I don’t ordinarily encourage folks to change their play style, but I do encourage you to adapt to put on good shows, so that you can get the opportunity to put on more good shows in the future. So, read your room. 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. Improv rules were written to be broken. Theater rules were not. Respect the rules of the place where you’re performing. That goes the same for the rules of show producers, teams you might join, teachers, coaches, and shoots. Learn the rules in advance, and obey those rules. If you think the rules are silly, don’t perform there. Go somewhere else where you can agree with the rules. That’s your improv tip for the day. Stay safe and stay healthy, and I will see you next time.