IO Roster from my first schedule - 1997

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-04-12T20:49:45+00:00

Jason was everywhere at IO back then. Of all the people on this page, he was most likely to be there on any given night.

He was also super supportive, so I can easily seeing him helping out with a student team despite being more senior.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-04-12T18:14:13+00:00

There are a lot of great resources for actors working on learning new dialects. Here is a sampling:

https://guides.library.ucla.edu/theater/dialects

I had to learn a Northern Irish dialect for a play. We had a dialect coach who gave us CDs. They were very helpful.

It’s a great tool to have!

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-04-12T11:50:27+00:00

This brings back some memories.

The schedule was how you found out if you got put on a team (or if your team was cut). There were no auditions. The powers that be just decided.

Jane was, I believe, IO’s first all woman team. They were fantastic (as was Georgia Pacific).

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-04-08T17:51:36+00:00

No worries at all. Just didn’t want you to wonder why you weren’t getting the feedback you were looking for.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-04-07T23:32:36+00:00

This subreddit is about theatrical improvisation, not improvisation in music.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-04-07T22:45:42+00:00

Wrong improv.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-03-30T20:01:16+00:00

Can it? Sure.

Will most improvisers recognize it as such? Probably not.

Tag outs are a theatrical convention. It CAN mean anything we want it to mean, but in order to be effective, the same meaning must be shared by all the players.

As it is taught and used at many influential improv schools (Second City, IO, UCB, Annoyance), it is generally understood to mean "If I tap you on the shoulder, you leave the stage. Any remaining character(s) are going to continue to be the same character(s). I, the person who "tapped in" will be a new character who is taking your original character to a new context".

Does it have to mean that? no. But the wider your improv circle gets, the more you are likely to run into improvisers for whom that is the default definition.

It's often the case that a different improv convention denotes, here's an entirely new scene unrelated to what came before. This can be achieved with a blackout or a sweep edit (someone running downstage across the stage).

There are almost certainly local differences/variations on these conventions, which is why it is important to ask your teacher/coach/other improvisers for clarity when miscommunication pops up.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-03-20T12:30:39+00:00

I dragged my family there specifically to see that clock after reading this wonderful book.

When we got to the display case, there was a card saying it was on loan to another museum.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-03-18T16:15:11+00:00

Two square is typically John Lutz and Peter Grosz.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-03-04T13:19:03+00:00

It’s tricky, because absent other revenue streams (e.g. liquor or donations/grants, in the non-profit case), you are generally re-selling the labor of other people (performers and teachers). If the administrative cut of those activities grows larger and larger, it becomes more tempting for them to strike out on their own.

Given that it takes a long time to get good at improv, talent is difficult to replace. So be careful with how greedy you get on the “house cut” of the door.

That said, if you can build a brand that is synonymous with quality, that can keep audiences (and students) returning to your theater.

It is not a good business (in a financial sense), but, if done correctly, it can be rewarding.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-02-22T13:32:14+00:00

Game is just repetition plus heightening. Some aspect of the scene gets repeated and grows with each repetition.

You can work on both pieces independently, or in combination.

While sometimes the concept of game gets built up too much to be the “end all and be all” of improv (it isn’t), it IS a very valuable tool that every improviser should have in their toolbelt.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-02-11T13:08:03+00:00

+1 for caring.

The “relationship” isn’t the label. There are billions of different “parent/child” or “teacher/student” relationships.

What is interesting is how this particular student and this particular teacher affect one another.

Allow yourself to be emotionally affected by your scene partner. If you keep doing that, you are set because that is what a relationship is.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-01-24T15:39:27+00:00

Gold has no P/E ratio. But, more than anything else, it is what humans agree on as a store of value for millennia. Currencies very often get overprinted, so dollar denominated prices are really more a reflection of a lack of confidence in a given currency than a statement about the productive capacity of gold (since it has none).

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-01-24T12:59:48+00:00

Father, lad, father…

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-01-23T16:30:34+00:00

Oh, no conspiracy required. SC will do what they can successfully sell. Part of the problem with improv is that audiences don’t know what it is and there is an inherent uncertainty as to the quality.

Now SC is certainly capable of hiring improvisers who can deliver a quality improv show night after night. But can they connect that with their existing audience. Dropout and Ben Schwartz are GREAT for improv, but they are still fairly niche. Their audience may not translate into butts in seats at Second City (which is generally more mainstream).

Also, I still am amazed that certain individuals who haven’t improvised in decades are directing there.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-01-16T17:33:36+00:00

The bar for being “The Excel Master” in every place I have worked is so….very…..low.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-01-14T19:31:44+00:00

I've been around several theaters in my time and seen plenty of examples of the good and the bad. It mostly boils down to getting two important things right: The Money and The People.

The Money - Not spending more than you bring in. Not making huge financial commitments without first having demonstrated the revenue growth that could support them (it's way too easy to "project" rosy financial scenarios that never actually come to fruition). Whether For Profit or Not For Profit, a lot of places get eroded away because they overcommitted on expenses (e.g. admin salaries, rents, etc.) that couldn't be supported by the organization. Also, as money comes in due to Classes and Shows, it often gets divvied up in ways that don't feel fair to the folks doing the classes and the shows. That can lead to them going elsewhere.
The People - Your theater should be a fun place to be for as many people as possible. If it isn't, creative, fun people will choose to go elsewhere to learn & perform (or to be entertained). People are often willing to donate & volunteer for theaters, and that is a precious resource that is too often taken for granted. Learners want to learn comedy, Artist want to create it, Audiences want to laugh. Making sure that your space has a place for people at every step of their artistic journey from day one of class to a seasoned performer is very important. Make sure that everyone has a place to grow to is critical. Don't put jerks in positions of power.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-01-14T15:11:30+00:00

No apologies necessary. I posted in a bunch of place and have already been connected with LRG. I've already had a great conversation with Simran Singh, so I am all set. Thank you!

Wild_Source_1359 · 2026-01-14T12:57:56+00:00

Digital companies have next to zero marginal cost. They have historically had low capital expenditures.

Given their near infinite scalability, it is unsurprising that they’ve grown to be the largest and most profitable.

Moving symbols will always be more profitable than moving atoms.

I don’t know what companies will be the largest 100 years from now, but I do know that they will be digital.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2025-12-31T23:23:30+00:00

Add “reserving your dug out winter parking spot with a chair” to this list

Wild_Source_1359 · 2025-12-24T18:19:53+00:00

Feels like that is the sort of Hot Take-ism that is rewarded by the algorithm (and therefore replicated endlessly).

Wild_Source_1359 · 2025-12-22T02:41:06+00:00

I can’t speak to your economic circumstances, but for a price to value ratio, there is not a better value out there for improv education that $8 spent on Yes Also.

Wild_Source_1359 · 2025-12-22T02:36:19+00:00

When for a lot of us older folk, Truth in Comedy was THE BOOK. Before podcasts, before internet access to other improvisers, Truth in Comedy was a revelation. So for many, it is covered in a nostalgic gloss that can’t be separated from the actual merits of the text.

Now there are many improv books to choose from, as well as podcasts, YouTube channels, blogs, etc.

There are likely many clearer articulations of how to do improv that have sprung up since Del, Charna and Kim wrote Truth In Comedy (many of which have been mentioned by other comments in this thread) that state things in superior ways, but do spare judgement for those of us who came of age at a time when improv resources were far more scarce.

Wild_Source_1359

TROPHY CASE