The end of this episode organically shifted to my group discussing how to view boundaries.  It’s awesome.

Before then I talk a bit about the British Improv Project, Copenhagen International Improv Festival and how I tried imbuing my cast with super powers!

Let’s explore another format!  The Funeral Service, is a controlled long form show that highlights relationships and is best served when you play the reality of the scene instead of making it wacky.

Didn’t have a rehearsal due to the holiday weekend, but looking forward to our next one!  Thank you for listening and please share!

I have an excellent guest on this episode.  Phaedra is on the Mischief Managed team and has been a part of it from the beginning. We explore her background and some of the excellent moves she has made in scenes. It’s fascinating to hear what she does in her field (DNA) and how that is juxtaposed with her talent in performing improv.

This will be one of the highlights to those of you who teach improv – hearing someone new to the field appreciate the skills improv highlights.

A tough rehearsal, where I take credit for all the challenges.  The team still rocked through it and trusted each other. All teams will have a tough rehearsal – a rehearsal where people just don’t jell.  Even through a tough rehearsal my team took big risks and trusted each other.

I am beginning to train someone to teach improv.  This allows me to define what virtues I think make a good teacher.  I get into that, which explores the relationship between the improv teacher and their students.

Enjoy!  Please like, share and subscribe.

Vanessa Anton guests on this episode, and we talk about her coaching the team for International Women's Day.  Our regular cast had the pleasure of working with several guests from other teams.     After an online conversation with Dr. Ron Harvey, I decided to add an improv scene to this episode.  After which we discuss specific moves in the scene and some tips on how we enter scenes.   Great episode!

Le Rhonde is an improv format where the performers edit and enter scenes in a specific order. All their storylines are related to one another, but never cross over – unless your team decides to do so.  The order creates a circle and you at some point come back to the first person.

I also go over how Long Form Formats typically capitalize on a few elements that are found across most long forms. Also, how practicing both Short Form and Long Form can benefit your team!

Lastly, I also go off on invention versus discover and the benefit of that in your improv sets.

I sol- WE BOTH solemnly swear we’re up to no good!  I have another guest!  Our warm-ups: 

1. Trust Circle
2. Stretching
3. Dog-Bark

George Smith is my guest co-host for this episode.  We deconstruct the last rehearsal and talk about some specific improv tactics.  George and I touch on “justify and don’t normalize” and how relationship is more important than plot – because it will help you out more when the energy seems to dip in a scene.

During the last rehearsal we ran a full Short Form set in the style of “Whose Line Is It Anyways?” as well as a full Long Form Set. 

George was also part of the show in Leeds and gives us his insight about that show.  He was very impressed with how other members took a suggestion from the audience that may be both polarizing and over played, “Trump.”  Other troupe members of the team interpreted as a mix of competition and “triumph.”

This all leads to an awesome moment where George opens up about his reason for finding improv and how improv can be transformative.

Kate Swift is my guest, co-host for this episode. 

1. Animagus
2. Mandrake Roots
3. House Elves

 We dissect the rehearsal and a bit of the show in Leeds. Kate is a brilliant student of improv, and has some observations that even people who have been doing this for years normally don’t notice.

We talk about how trust comes from support.  We mention a moment of great support in the rehearsal where Kate supported me with “oh that’s a great band!”  This support creates trust, but it also shows that the initiation is not as important as the support.  We also talk about support in being “living paintings” – a 6 person scene!

Kate has great insight on reading your partner. So happy to have her in the Mischief Managed Improv team, and having her as a guest on this podcast!

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Much like Episode 0 where I discussed and explained the Harold, I thought I would explain another long form format.  I discussed the Pretty Flower, sometimes called the Family Guy Format.  There is a flow-through scene which incorporates all the players.  Then cut-to’s or tagout runs branch off this, but we always come back to the main flow-through scene. 

Because of how shows and rehearsals landed there were no rehearsals between the last podcast and the current one.

Hope you enjoy it!  Please share, like and subscribe.

 

We had some good experiences getting bad suggestions!

I solemnly swear I’m up to no good.  Here are the warm ups! 

1. Vera Verto
2. Woodchucks
3. Mirror Erised

This rehearsal we went over some great improv mechanics! We worked on warping the reality of the scene with Split Scenes. And within those split scenes we would hand stuff back and forth to each other. We also worked on how to initiate it.

Then we rehearsed and discussed the mechanics of “Wand Battles.”  How to keep the chaos and magic smooth.

I also get pretty honest about how hard it is when players cancel on you.  It’s a challenge, and it happens.