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

Brought to you By: The Sonar Network

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?”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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This week Rob and Adam discuss nuanced characters, creating active audience members, and avoiding going “too big” in a scene. Plus, the shame of not feeling enough onstage, some upcoming touring in the fall, and how every improviser is either Superman or Superboy onstage.

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This week Rob and Adam discuss finding the fun in physicality, object work for your improv essay and the antidote for Talking Heads Syndrome.  Also covered: playing negative, not judging yourself, and Adam admits he was wrong about stacks/sacks.

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Every improviser has experienced “being in your head” and every improv podcast has discussed what it feels like. In this episode, Rob and Adam discuss the opposite, being “in the pocket”, as well as, the exciting improv scene of Buffalo New York, softball, and Adam’s new Dune-insipired improv catchphrases.

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This week Rob and Adam discuss what to do when your improv team breaks up, and how to move forward with the artform you love.  Also, a birthday week, reconnecting after a long break, and the Backline Stacks VS. Sacks 2025 debate.

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