27 – Goodbye, UCB NY
UCB has recently shut down its last permanent theater and training center. I asked people to share what UCB NY meant to […]
Apr 30, 2020•1 hr 8 min
Improv, Beat by Beat
A podcast about improv, explored one piece at a time.
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Episodes
26 – Advice
I asked many of the people I interviewed the same question: what advice would you give an improvisor in their first year […]
May 26, 2019•57 min
25 – The Movie
This episode focuses on a fun, but often difficult form, the Movie. One of the original forms developed by Del Close, the […]
May 13, 2019•1 hr 18 min
24 – The Spokane aka the Pretty Flower
This episode focuses on the form of many names, the Spokane / Pretty Flower / Delicate Little Flower / Gadget / Family […]
Mar 15, 2019•55 min
23 – Coaching, Part 2
How should a coach structure a practice session? What are some exercises to use? How is coaching a house team different from […]
Feb 01, 2019•1 hr 3 min
22 – Coaching, Part 1
What makes a great coach? How do you become a great coach? How do you give helpful notes? None of those questions […]
Dec 25, 2018•1 hr 3 min
21 – Best Notes, Part 2
Once again, each improvisor recounts the notes that shaped their understanding of improv or their understanding of themselves as improvisors. Featuring John […]
Nov 04, 2018•1 hr 14 min
20 – Why Do You Do Improv?
I asked a bunch of improvisors a simple question: “Why do you do improv?” Featuring answers from Nicole Drespel, Kevin Hines, Devin Ritchie, Achilles Stamatelaky, David […]
Sep 28, 2018•44 min
19 – Cliches and Gaps
19 different improvisors discuss the cliches they are tired of seeing and the gaps between the improvised worlds we create and the […]
Jul 05, 2018•1 hr 34 min
18 – Jams
An improv jam is basically an open mic for improv: anyone who goes can throw their name in a bucket to do […]
May 30, 2018•49 min
17 – Musical Improv
Musical improv is exactly what it sounds like: an improvised musical. A bit of dialogue, and then a lot of singing and […]
Apr 26, 2018•1 hr 24 min
16 – House Teams
A house team is a team that is created to perform regularly at a particular theater. At UCB NY, there are 3 […]
Mar 01, 2018•1 hr 50 min
15 – Forms
Your first several years of learning long form improv will likely focus on scenework, the Harold, montages, and perhaps another form or […]
Feb 06, 2018•45 min
14 – The Monoscene
The Monoscene is a form in which the location never changes: there are no edits. In this episode, we talk about how […]
Dec 23, 2017•20 min
13 – Acting
Improv scenes should be more than just reciting lines. In this episode, we talk about how acting influences improv, and how to […]
Nov 10, 2017•1 hr 16 min
12 – The Harold: 2nd and 3rd Beats
In a Harold, after the first beats and the first group game, the team returns to the first 3 games for second […]
Sep 25, 2017•30 min
11 – Auditioning
Most theaters hold auditions to add people to their house teams. Every year around 600 people audition for UCBNY house teams. Molly […]
Sep 11, 2017•28 min
10 – The Harold: Group Games
In a Harold, in between each set of beats is a group scene. These scenes can be tough if the entire team […]
Sep 06, 2017•37 min
09 – Best Notes
Each improvisor recounts the notes that shaped their understanding of improv or their understanding of themselves as improvisors. Featuring Jessica Morgan, Lydia Hensler, Jesse Lee, Jenny […]
Aug 28, 2017•1 hr 12 min
08 – The Harold: 1st Beats
The 1st beats of the Harold are the most important part of the Harold. In each 1st beat, the ideas from the […]
Aug 21, 2017•28 min
07 – The Pattern Game
The Pattern Game is one of the fundamental Harold openings. It can seem intimidating at first, but once mastered it can be […]
Aug 14, 2017•1 hr 27 min
06 – The Invocation
The Invocation is an opening developed by Del Close for the Harold. In this episode, Will Hines and Achilles Stamatelaky convince me […]
Jul 31, 2017•29 min
05 – The Opening
After a team gets a suggestion, they typically do an opening of some sort to generate the ideas they will explore within […]
Jul 24, 2017•47 min
04 – The Harold
The Harold is one of the fundamental longform improv structures, but it isn’t easy, at least at first. But once it’s mastered, […]
Jul 18, 2017•51 min
03 – Warm Ups
The next several episodes will focus on the Harold, one piece at a time. This episode focuses on what happens before the […]
Jul 03, 2017•1 hr 11 min
02 – Game – Playing the Game
Now that everyone in the scene has identified the game, it’s time to have fun. This episode goes into the different approaches […]
Jun 27, 2017•44 min
01 – Game – Framing and Justifications
Identifying and playing the game of a scene is the foundation of long-form improv: the improvisors must agree on what’s fun about […]
Jun 18, 2017•1 hr 9 min
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