An Improv Blog!

A common question I get asked from my clients is, “Where should I hold my improv team building workshop?” The question normally comes up early in the event planning process.

I have a storied history of working in branded content casting from 2014-2016, when branded content seemed ascendant.

I was recently having a conversation with one of RA’s instructors, Murphy McHugh. We were talking about how to learn improv comedy.

These Thanksgiving team building activities (or games) are designed to be useful as a plug and play exercise in a larger corporate workshop led by a professional improv facilitator or as one time ice breaker or warm up exercises that anyone could lead at a workplace event.

When I was a young improviser, in 2007, I found that I was fascinated by where improv scenes might take place. So I started making a list of places for my scenes.

I recently had two new clients reach out about improv workshops designed to hone sales skills.

There’s reason to wonder if improv offers lessons that could help you build an AI proof career.  

Murphy McHugh, the accomplished DC based improviser, headed all eight of the workshops. What follows is a free ranging conversation between Radical Agreement (RA) founder Terry Withers and Murphy McHugh which was intended to be centered on the workshops’ effectiveness, challenges and takeaways, but instead became a more general exploration of the magic that unfolds unexpectedly when doing improv.

This is a blog about improv. It is about life. It is about GOING FOR IT.

Two separate clients inquired about an improv workshop chock full of improv games for collaboration.

...not pay attention to the position of the  bottles.  They toppled over creating quite a scene. I did not let fear take over me. I quickly put the bottles upright while repositioning one as if I had done that on purpose.

When studying improv, or doing anything really, we should always keep the wonderful quotes of Martin de Maat in mind. A nurturing improv instructor who played counterpoint to Del Close’s more chaotic and unapologetic approach to improv comedy instruction, Mr. de Maat’s most famous quote is prominently positioned at the entrance of his old workplace, Second City: “YOU ARE PURE POTENTIAL”.

People are curious, they want to know and I want to tell them, is improv for people who can't act?  The answer is yes (as is fitting in an improv blog). 

I thought it would be fun to approach learning improvisation by examining some first lines of dialogue and asking ourselves how we would respond.

A great source of games to play with your kids comes from the tradition of improv comedy.

Sometimes I think about improv classes as (weirdly) playing with reality classes.

I’m going to start publishing weekly highlights from PIP performances, this being the first of those.

I recently decided to do improv again and the experience has been completely different from what I remember as a child improviser.

A list of the very many subjects appropriate for a comedic dispute within an off-the-cuff bit of improv. The Comedic Conflict Improv List.

It is with great pleasure that The Radical Agreement Project Announces the cast list for new Practice Improv Program (or PIP) teams. The...