There's nothing more unfair when an audience picks their collective favourite onstage.  How important is it to be likable onstage? What can you do to stay on the good side of a discerning crowd?  And most importantly, is there any path back towards the audience's good graces?

This week Rob and Adam discuss the careful art of taking lessons from the classroom and applying them to the stage.

This week Rob and Adam discuss personal growth, improvement, and developing yourself throughout your improv career.

This week Rob and Adam discuss one of the foundational rules of improv, "Always make the active choice."  In the age of modern improv, what does an active choice look like? How does an "active choice" interact wtih Game of the Scene? What's the difference between "action" and an "active choice?"

This week Rob is knocked unconscious, and replaced with Second City alumni, and Annoyance Theater mainstay, Susan Messing.  In this episode, Adam and guest host, Susan Messing discuss starting scenes, making strong choices, and controlling your own spine.

We're told that Yes And is the building block of every improv scene, but are there are drawbacks when using this tool? This week Rob and Adam discuss the origins of Yes And, how to agree effectively, and how to use emotion to hold the story in place.

This week Rob and Adam discuss how to find your ending onstage, what a resolution looks like onstage, and how your ending might differ based on what format you're playing. Thanks to ITS Company Director Kate Coates.

This week Rob and Adam discuss scene painting within scenes, openers, and transitions.  As well as Mitch Marner, ceremonial swords, and the science of revenge.

The Backline launches a new series of mini-episodes called Come Render With Me - a Patreon Exclusive where host Rob Norman directly responds to Patreon questions and comments. In this episode, Rob offers some tips for new coaches and how to navigate tricky personalities on your team.

This week Rob and Adam discuss story-structure, the limitations of modular improv, and how to create simple narratiaves for your improv show. Thanks to Garrett for his contribution to the Backline Mailbag.