This post is for people who are just beginning to coach improv. It is about the best way to start shaping your point of view as a coach and how to structure an effective rehearsal. My goal is to give you a starting place.

Before starting to coach improv rehearsals, it is imperative to think about the type of play you love to see on stage and the kind of improv you value. Start by making a list of the characteristics you admire in good improvisers and the skills that great players display. Think about great teams and shows you love watching, and make a note of the qualities they share.

Basically, articulate your point of view. Not everyone will share your point of view. That is ok. Your values may change over time, still this list is an important starting place.

Being able to talk about why you value these skills is important. If you are unsure of or unable to articulate what you think makes good improv, you will have a difficult time coaching people toward the kind of play you love.

Before you coach a team, meet with them and share your values and point of view. Let them know the type of improv you love seeing and the kind of coach you are. I also advise you to make a coaching agreement, but that is for another time. Reach out to me if you want to know more about that!

Once you have a list of improv principles and skills you admire, you can use it as a template for rehearsals.

Each rehearsal should be focused on developing one of the skills or principles you have listed. Be able to connect every warm-up or exercise you run to one of the values or skills on your list. Keep your feedback and notes about the scenes geared toward that singular focus during the rehearsal. Avoid trying to cover every skill at once. The only exception to this is if there is a big outside disruption in a scene or a truly fundamental error that you need to address to maintain the trust and safety of the group.

When coaching or directing, be direct. Keeping a focus should help with this. Speak clearly about what your expectations are and what you have observed in scene work or warm-ups. You should be able to defend your point of view at any time because you have already thought about WHY the exercises you are leading work the key skills are needed to create excellent improv.

Everyone is different, but I use the following to structure my rehearsals. Take what you love, leave what you don’t:

Check-In and Intro(5 -10min)

• Share names, pronouns, access needs, and boundaries. You can also have the group share any life updates from their week that they feel comfortable sharing.

• Starting with this helps people connect and get into rehearsal mode

• Anyone arriving late will know how to fold right in

• This is a great time to identify your focus, briefly

Warm-Up (20 min)

• Have a ritual warm-up the team does every week or for an extended time. It is an easy on-road for people coming in late or from a hard day.

• Revisit a previous warm-up that works an earlier rehearsal’s skill set to keep that skill fresh.

• Have a warm-up that focuses on the skill you are developing in the current rehearsal.

Longer Exercises (30 min)

• Having connected with the skill a little in warm-ups, now do one or more advanced or extended exercises that aim at that same focus.

• It is great to do a mix of the whole team up and scene work for this portion.

Scene Work (30 min)

• Two-person scenes is always an excellent use of rehearsal time.

• Give folks a chance to apply the skill focus to scene work.

• Discuss any side coaching you are going to do before the scene.

  • For example - If the team is working on being comfortable with silence, I might prep the following: “When I say You’re good, that means stop talking.” - OR - “When I say eye contact, I want you to look at one another.”

Running a Set (20- 25 min)

• Have the team run a set and remind them of the focus of the rehearsal

• Give notes mostly about your area of focus

Wrap Up (5 - 10 min)

• Go over any housekeeping particulars. Next rehearsal. Next show.

• Share favorite things or end on something positive.

  • Make sure the team leaves rehearsal on a positive note. Even if it was a tough rehearsal, share things people did well around the circle. This is a great way to get people to look forward to the next rehearsal and is vital for morale.

I hope this is a good starting place for you to discover or refine your point of view as an improv coach. I hope that it helps you structure effective rehearsals for the teams you work with.

Lastly, too many people do not see coaches who look like them, especially those from a strategically marginalized community. You can do this. You belong as a coach or a director! We need your voice. If you want any further help getting started, please get in touch with me. I would love to help you get started in any way I can

Below are some questions to ask when setting goals for yourself as an improviser or considering a new improv project. I think it is important to be intentional about your growth as an improviser and to think about what projects to add to your plate. These questions may help you choose which projects you focus on and which projects might need to wait.

What are the expectations?

Does the team want to practice, just perform, or both? How much or how little? Does the team want to go to festivals? What is the expectation of financial contribution, if any?

When these goals or expectations do not line up, it can be a source of frustration for everyone. It is best to understand the expectations from the get-go and check in with the group frequently along the way to be sure you are on the same page.

Ask for clarity around these things before giving your yes.

Are you prepared to commit?

If the project rehearses or performs on the one night a week that you have free, what are the chances you will soon be calling out just to catch your breath? Saying no can sometimes be the best way to support a project in moving forward. You are not doing anybody any favors by being part of a project you do not have time for.

Improv trains us to say yes. Improv has a way of yes anding itself and before we know it we are taking 7 different classes, teaching 3 different classes, going to 5 different festivals over the span of the next 3 months, while doing 6 improv rehearsals a week, and 2 different shows on the same night.

If you keep needing to miss rehearsals or shows or don’t really enjoy being around the team that is ok, but it probably means you should reconsider if you should be on the team. If you need to walk away know that you are making space for other projects that are more worth your valuable time.

We need to be certain we are prepared to back our yes up with full-bodied commitment. We don’t make half-hearted choices on stage - don’t make half-hearted choices off stage either. Consider your yes carefully and do not give it lightly. You know this already. Now do it.

I recently re-read Hamlet. In so doing, I was struck by what the very first scene of the play revealed about the art of improvising. I think improvisers can learn a lot by looking closely at the opening of this masterful work.

Break The Rules

The very first line of Hamlet is a question.

BERNARDO

Who's there?

I venture to guess that you would be told that this is not a great initiation for a scene in a regular improv class. Generally, improvisers are cautioned to avoid questions. Following the rules will only get you so far - instead, pay attention to the moment and what it needs. Just remember, you have the power as a performer to make the things you want to make. Sometimes that involves breaking the rules.

Establish Mood

In the opening scene of Hamlet, there is such tension, trepidation, and fear evoked by the exchange between Bernardo and Francisco that we are immediately immersed into a world that has us on the edge of our seats.

Yes, the “who what where” can be essential tools for scene development; however, in Act 1 Scene 1 of Hamlet, the mood is what is made apparent first. I think this is even more important than establishing that you are at yet another laundromat. How we feel about where we are is just as vital.

Still, it is revealed relatively quickly where Bernardo and Francisco are and how they know one another. They talk about the king and the watch, the time of night, and - get this - they also name one another.

FRANCISCO

Bernardo?

BERNARDO

He.

FRANCISCO

You come most carefully upon your hour.

BERNARDO

'Tis now struck twelve; get thee to bed, Francisco.

Talk About How You Feel

It is clear how both Bernardo and Fransisco’s characters feel because of how they behave. Francisco also shares his feelings outright with his fellow guardsmen.

FRANCISCO

For this relief much thanks: 'tis bitter cold,

And I am sick at heart.

Saying how you feel in a scene can be a pathway to discovering your point of view. Naming your emotion can be a useful tool.

Remember when you were a child and you met up with friends in your neighborhood to play? Maybe your games were simple and silly, maybe they were complex and serious. Either way, play is an essential part of what it means to be human. Learning to create games and play is healthy. An improv class can feel a lot like playing with your friends - but it can also be soooo much more.

Improv is a valuable tool for building confidence, public speaking skills, empathy, communication, creative thinking, and teamwork. The general purpose of an introductory improv class is to familiarize a student with the foundational principles of improvisation through warm-ups, exercises, games, scenes, and discussion.

All kinds of folks take improv classes for different reasons: to connect with fun people, to have a creative outlet, to build professional skills, to hone their acting, comedy, or writing skills, or just to try something new. The long and short of it is you do not have to want to be a performer to take an improv class. There are many transferable skills improv can teach you that have useful applications across numerous professions (Teaching, Law, and Medicine to name just a few). Improv can also enrich your social and personal life by instilling confidence, helping you to practice deeper listening, and teaching positivity and support.

If your improv class is in person it will likely have anywhere from 6-14 people in it and may meet weekly for 6-8 weeks for anywhere from 1 hour and a half to 3 hours long (depending on the class). Many of the exercises you do will involve circling up as a group, working in pairs, or taking turns exploring scenes and exercises as the rest of the class watches and learns from your “mistakes” and your successes (there really are no mistakes in improv, more on that in another blog post).

If your improv class is online, as many are these days, you will all meet in a virtual room. It can take some getting used to interacting virtually but you will soon learn the mechanics. It is best to have a good wifi connection, a quiet space free from distraction, and ample lighting. It is also helpful if you have some space to move around. Even without all of these available to you, an improv class can be very enjoyable and successful - just check in with your improv instructor if you have any questions. I once had a student take a class from inside of their parked car! Though admittedly not ideal, it was fun! They did a lot of scenes about driving.

A few things to keep in mind: