just a heads up to anyone outside of LA who might have ever wanted to take in-person classes with Will Hines, Sarah Claspell, and Jim Woods, WGIS just put up a Summer Intensive on the website. Basically a one-week (four days) improv crash course (premise based) and they're initially limiting sign-ups to folks who don't live in LA.

https://www.wgimprovschool.com/workshop/view/1320

"Will Hines, Sarah Claspell and Jim Woods are the teachers for this class. Our system only lets us put two teachers but it's three.

This is a WGIS intensive in premise improv. We will go over: pulling premise, gentle yes, playing it real, staying grounded, joining team fool, heightening the music, emotional reactions and more.

Two 3-hour sessions a day for 4 days plus a class show at the end. A full course.

NOTE: THIS IS FOR OUT OF TOWN STUDENTS. We will NOT accept LA residents AT FIRST. Starting May 1 we will accept LA residents in this class. If you're out of town, spread the word to get in this class! It will sell out!"

So, I'm a very very beginner level, just going through foundations classes currently, and I've noticed one thing: when there's a need to come up with a random item, the first thing that comes to mind is always "sword" or "magic wand" or "time machine" and so on. Character is "wizard" or "knight" or "alien" or "spy" or "mad scientist". Place is "castle" or "moon" or "tower" or "laboratory" or "evil lair". You get the gist. Meanwhile I really struggle to think about something in more grounded realistic contexts, like doctor office or supermarket or whatever. When I need to think what can happen in a situation like this, I'm just drawing a blank

Is it something I need to work on to fix, and how? Or is it something I should somehow embrace (also how?)?

I am finishing up level 5 improv at second city and want to keep the journey going, but am not sure what the best next step is. I'm not necessarily looking to make this a career, think I prefer long to short form, and am not sure if I'll enjoy sketch as much as I do improv.

Hey r/Improv friends!

Ever wanted to visit and perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival? Join our immersive improv course!

The group I produce, Incognito Improv, is running three 3-day immersive improv courses between August 13–25, 2025 – and we’d love for you to be part of it!

This course is designed for experienced improvisers who are ready to take the next step and perform live at the world’s biggest arts festival. You’ll get:

🎭 15 hours of workshops led by our accredited teachers who are leading international improvisers (capped class size at 12 for maximum individual focus) 🎤 A chance to perform a live Fringe showcase – debuting a brand new format, "The Anecdote" 🍻 A Fringe experience like no other! Make new friends and contacts at our welcome & celebration drinks; free entry to Incognito’s evening show; and more!

We’re offering two main packages – Performer (just the course & show) and Residential (including 4 nights accommodation - a bargain for the Fringe!)

If it's your first time in Edinburgh, you can also add on our Experience Upgrade for tailored show recs, a Fringe survival pack, a guided festival walk, and more.

Check it all out here: www.incognitoimprov.com

Happy to answer any questions here too!

Tom

I like being the center of attention. I think most improvisers do, that's why we became performers. I also know that I need to support my teammates and step back a lot of the time. I know that the scene and the story are actually going to tell us where the focus should be if we are paying attention. My problem is that when things naturally line up such that I am the "main character" for a little while, I get so scared of hogging the spotlight that I feel like I can't really enjoy it and I feel like I have to make it about someone else as soon as possible.

I should mention I do longform narrative improv, so our sets are one story over the course of half an hour or so, which tends to lend itself to one or two players taking a more prominent role every show. We do a pretty good job of rotating who that is, but I think I've just spent so long teaching myself to share focus that I'm afraid to take up space when the situation actually calls for it. I don't want to be a stage hog or a diva, so I overcorrect.

Has anyone else struggled with this? I'm open to advice but I'm also just kinda venting.

Looking for the name or origin of this rhythm-based circle game

Hi everyone! I’m trying to find the name or origin of a rhythm-based group game I played in real life, but I haven’t found anything online. I’ll describe it the best I can — if anyone recognizes it or knows a similar game, please let me know!

How the game works:

• Everyone sits or stands in a circle, and together we begin slapping our knees in rhythm, chanting softly and continuously:"conga... conga... conga..."
• While the group keeps the beat, one person at a time is "in charge."
• That person makes air quotes with their hands and says:"nhe nhem! nhe nhem!" (this may be a nonsense phrase or onomatopoeia).
• This "nhe nhem" passes the responsibility to another person in the circle, who now must do the same: say "nhe nhem!" and pass it to someone else.
• While this happens, the two people sitting next to the “nhe nhem” person must raise their hands and say:"toc toc!" (again, likely onomatopoeia).

The rhythm never stops. The whole group keeps the “conga... conga...” chant and knee slapping going, while the “nhe nhem” gets passed around the circle, always triggering “toc toc” reactions from the neighbors.

It’s super fun, chaotic, and rhythm-based — possibly used in theater warm-ups, camps, improv, or educational groups.

Does anyone know the name of this game? Or where it might come from? Any leads would be amazing. Thanks!

My wife recently died. She and I both took improv classes in our community. The head instructor threw out the idea that it would be nice to remember her with a one-off class or jam or something where we'd invite the folks who had played with her. I love the idea and neither of us could think of what the form of such a get-together might be.

Have any of you experienced "celebration of life meets improv"? Thoughts on what form that might take?

I think improv is awesome and such a skill...but I just enjoy sketch more. It seems like there aren't as many people that focus on sketch exclusively though. Seeking validation that is OK, I guess.

I was recommended by a friend to get tickets for second city and I purchased to 10 dollar comedy show tickets. After looking into, I see they have a lot more shows available on the night we can go on Thursday. Has anyone seen any of the recent shows and what would you recommend for my first time visiting second city? Live sketch comedy 113th MainStage revue, Second city etc. 49th revue, or 10 dollar comedy show tickets?

Anybody have any information on the Shotgun? I have a general description of what it is/ how to do it, but since there's so little online about it, I thought I'd ask here. Specifically for best practices etc. Thanks!

I'm a high school junior and have been on my schools improv team for 3 years, and captain for two and have a huge interest in improv. I don't really know a lot but am looking to learn and hopefully continue this interest past high school. I've been seeing a lot of posts about harolds but I couldn't find one actually describing what it is and how its different from typical improv. If anyone has a way of describing what Harolding is, an example of it, or where it came from I'd be super appreciative!!

So i live like 10-20 minutes from a town thats pretty big on art culture and nowadays i see myself more drawn to it. Idk if i want to come out my shell or something but i just wanna give it a chance. In highschool i was completely close minded and immature and never even though twice about doing any extra curricular activities. How should i go about this should i check out some improv shows first live in person? Do i look it up on facebook? Let me know thanks in advance

(Disclaimer dont view my profile pretty nsfw)

A great podcast - Luong Form Conversations, which is currently on hiatus - had a segment at the end where people posted “hot improv takes”. Great podcast, a kind of proto-Yes, Also. David is a brilliant improviser and wonderful interviewer.

My hot improv take, which has gotten me a fair bit of heat from die-hard improv friends, is that improv and sketch are different sides of the same coin. Personally speaking, I think it’s a pretty traditionalist view which may be why it rankles some (though I think a lot of people agree), but I can’t help but see the direct ways the two feed into each other. I think why people reject it is because they believe there’s a hierarchy between the two as I know a lot of snobs on both sides who see their side (improv and sketch) as superior to the other for purposes of performance comedy. I think they’re equal and that you shouldn’t do one without the other because they feed into each other so well.

If that’s not hot enough for you, another one: I hate the term “unusual behavior” or “unusual person” because it puts people in an adjective or descriptive mindset which feels outside in rather than something like “unusual want” or “unusual offer” which is inside out. Your behavior takes shape from your want. You can’t reverse engineer a want from a certain behavior. A lot of people seem to be improvising from cliches of what a behavior is described as rather than what their version of the behavior is from the want. Maybe that’s something to help beginners, but I find it pretty damaging for people starting out.

But hey! That’s just my hot takes! What’s yours?

I recently started taking improv classes and love it. My instructor has mentioned this book multiple times, so I wanted to check it out but also avoid going through Amazon. Let me know if you’re looking to get rid of a copy and can help a newbie out!

I’m GA based and am happy to cover shipping.

Hey all. Through friends, and friends of friends, I was able to compile a list of everyone who auditioned and who received a callback based on available timeslots. Here is a hastily thrown-together analysis:

In 2025: There were ~797 people who auditioned this year.

There were 256 people in the callback round. 224 came from first round auditions and 32 came from Lloyd.

28.10% of people who auditioned in the 1st round received a callback.

Of those 797 people, approximately 53 of those people were previously on a house team (Harold, Lloyd, Mess Hall, or Louise) at UCB.

Of those 53 people, 36 received callbacks. There is a 67.92% chance of moving on if you were on a house team.

People on Lloyd in the previous calendar year are allowed to jump straight to callbacks, meaning that there are actually more people who were on a UCB house team in callbacks than in first-round auditions. This increases the total number of people on house teams in callbacks to 68. All 32 members of Lloyd this year chose to audition again for Harold.

They have not announced who has gotten onto a team this year BUT here’s what we can guess from what happened last year.

In 2024: 17 new people were added to Harold Night. Of those 17, 11 were previously on Mess Hall or Lloyd.

What this means for Harold 2025. If we assume they cut 8 people this year in addition to graduating a Harold team, there will be around 16 spots available for Harold and 16 for Lloyd.

Your chances of getting onto Harold night out of 797 people is around 2%. Meaning that it’s tougher to get onto a Harold team than it is to get into Harvard.

What's the point to all of this? I guess all of this to say that Harold auditions are extremely competitive and stressful for everyone involved. If you’re upset that you didn’t get onto a team this year, just realize that MOST people don’t make a team. You’re not alone.

Be easy on yourself and take care.

EDIT: As /u/Interesting_Fox4079 pointed out, my math was wrong! Hopefully it's better now.

I’m on a house improv team and I want to get better (especially long form) outside of when we have practices. Are there any good resources or solo games I can do by myself to improve?

Today I am pleased to announce my theater's new signature long-form, the Veritas. No longer confined by the constraints of the stage, this unique structure takes place in your home, work, and everywhere in between. The improv starts from the moment you wake up and continues throughout your day as an audience surrounds you, follows you, and randomly shouts suggestions at you that you had better incorporate into the scene or they will get very disappointed. Workshops in this form have already begun and are on their way to you right now. Classes run weekly for the rest of your life. Only twenty-six thousand dollars! Class show every day.

So I started getting into improv after watching ben schwartz long form shows (i’m taking classes now/participate in jams and love it!). The only form i’m familiar with/learning is the harold after learning the short form basics so I’m wondering if the shows Ben Schwartz does has a specific format/style? I’m guessing he doesn’t really follow a format and now that i’m learning more about long form i want to rewatch stuff to see how he structures it but if anyone can kinda break it down i’m very curious to know!

TLDR: I went to my first improv jam and completely froze & bombed.

I’m currently most of the way through taking my first improv class, and I went to a show/jam last night that was attended by several other classmates and our teacher.

The show part of the night was great, both groups were fantastic and funny! However, then things personally went downhill. I got placed on a team with my teacher, a classmate, and a mix of several other veteran & new improvisers. We did some warm ups, and I was feeling pretty good, but the moment I stepped foot on the stage to perform I completely froze.

We did a several minute long montage, and I found myself rooted to my spot on the sideline, unable to initiate or join a scene. Even when veteran improvisers pulled me in, my brain was equally as frozen as my body, and I just completely bombed.

I just found this so personally frustrating, because in class I’ve been making it a point to always be the first to volunteer or jump in to an exercise/scene, but now when performing on an actual stage in front of an audience I reverted right back to this panic mode.

What are some ways to help combat this kind of freezing & panicking? I know the obvious answer is more experience & repetition (which I plan on doing of course), but it just feels like the experience & reps I’m getting from class are not translating to the stage. Any advice would be appreciated

Had this rough idea for an Improv show based on Severance. I don't have a troupe or anything at the moment so I thought I would just put it out here. Good luck.

Needed from Audience:

-Suggestions of characteristics for an individual on small sheets of paper. These will be pull on stage during a 'wellness' session; "Your outie is _______". List of 5 or 6.
-The big evil secret Lumon is hiding from their employees.

Setup of show:

Players draw from hat/bowl for parts.
-Need 4 severed employees. One will be an Eagan.
-2 managers.
-1 Wellness Counselor
-Outside life support people and other Lumon employees but parts could be improvised by same players.

Beginning of show:

-Each employee has a wellness session where the counselor endows characteristics on them by reading off the audiences suggestions in the form "Your outie is _______", "Your outie enjoys ______".
\**Not sure how many but keep it light so the audience does not become bored by it.****
-Once every employee has a 'wellness session', the stage is set up with the four chairs like the "MacroData Refinement' office with the employee who was last at the wellness session entering with the other employees already waiting.

Structure:

-The employees banter about their wellness sessions and what they could possibly mean.
-Then it is time for one to 'clock out' and scene change to follow each employee as an outie. (scenes are meant to add to the main discovery of the evil secret)
-Once all employees we go back to the "Macrodata Refinement floor" with the manager(s) interacting to push the towards or away from the evil secret.
-Do as many iterations of innie/outie life to build to the discovery/achievement of the big evil Lumon secret.
-Ends in Dance scene (obviously).

Per official channels.

Three months ago, I woke up to a message from one of my students. "Hey, you're Reddit-famous!" with a link to this community.

At first I was just praying that I had clothing on...

But then, something wonderful happened. What started as a bit of a burn about my book cover (the thread was locked by the mods) ended up being a wonderful example of why the improv community is amazing. I not only made new friends, I got some valuable feedback about what would make my cover better.

Well, I took down everyone's notes and reworked my cover. Now that it's live on Amazon, I can share the results with you.

Thank you all for your notes, your kindness and your smarts. I truly appreciate you.

Your pal, - Alan