Improv Coaching - A Guide for Beginners
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 listing the characteristics you admire in good improvisers and the skills that great players display. Think about great teams and shows you love watching, and note 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, but this list is an important starting place. Being able to talk about why you value these skills is essential. If you are unsure of or unable to articulate what you think makes good improv, you will have difficulty 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.
