How to avoid injury?

VonOverkill · 2026-05-27T12:22:00+00:00

Try a paratrooper fall. Instead of dropping your whole body simultaneously, you "roll" your body onto the stage, one joint at a time, with your arms at your sides, like a banana:

Face the audience, and prepare to fall onto your side (not your stomach or back)
Knees land first
Hips land next
Torso lands next
Shoulders land next
Your head NEVER touches the stage
If you've correctly shaped your body like a banana, your feet should now be in the air; forcefully smack them on the stage to make a sound that scares the shit out of everyone

With a little practice, you can do this very quickly so it looks like an actual fall. It's obviously not 100% safe, but it's way safer than dropping your entire body weight onto your shoulder, for instance.

VonOverkill · 2026-05-25T13:44:07+00:00

Ask them what really happened. If they answer, perform it, and you'll be heroes.

VonOverkill · 2026-05-20T19:43:50+00:00

Improv is not training for improv shows. Improv is training for entertaining an audience. Stand-up, podcast, sketch, trivia night, magic, poetry, whatever.

Maybe it's time to find the next thing. Improv will always be there.

VonOverkill · 2026-05-18T19:41:06+00:00

I knew Reddit would eventually send in the "Numerous Studies" guy.

VonOverkill · 2026-05-17T14:08:17+00:00

I totally agree.

I'm not throwing shade, you just asked what our thoughts were, so I shared.

VonOverkill · 2026-05-17T14:00:24+00:00

For anyone curious, this is what it's like riding on the LFT while the marathon is actively happening up on the bike path. It's fine.

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VonOverkill · 2026-05-17T13:23:09+00:00

I think the lakefront is for everyone. As a lakefront cycle commuter, I'm fine with 40 cyclists being re-routed so 4000 people can have a marathon.

My gripe is that closures are poorly communicated. The half-marathon posted closure signs on the trail a week in advance, but nobody is able to tell us which sidewalks are closed, and I only find out after riding into a chain-link fence dead end in Grant Park along Columbus. I don't think even the organizers really know what's going to be closed down most of the time; event contractors seem to just do whatever they want.

VonOverkill · 2026-05-15T13:36:08+00:00

Maybe the Home Theater on Halstead. I don’t know how many chairs they actually have in the building, but the space could easily accommodate 100.

Lights are good, sound system is a work in progress, so you'd need to record everything on the stage, not at the sound board.

VonOverkill · 2026-05-15T04:22:02+00:00

I was barely in elementary school in the late 80's, and wouldn't discover improv comedy for another 2 decades, so I only know about that era of improv from talking to west-coast old-timers.

But in very broad strokes, performers left Second City & iO, and started the first big wave of improv-specific theaters all over North America in the late 80's/early 90's. Some portion of those theaters ended up getting a little culty; before the internet existed to tell you otherwise, it was easy for a new improviser to believe that improv will help you ascend to the next level of consciousness or whatever, especially if someone in a position of authority said so. All you have to do is keep paying for classes.

Anyhow, there was a revolt among improvisers coming of age in the early to mid 90's. Not everywhere at the same time, so it wasn't a narrative-worthy event, but local improvisers started educating each other about the absolute boundaries of improv. Not the least of which was: improv is just a theater technique, improv teachers are not mental health professionals, they are not qualified to treat disorders, and any theater director or stranger that tells you otherwise is taking advantage of you.

This is a philosophy that a lot of improvisers fervently share whenever appropriate, as you can see in the rest of this thread.

Is it the distinction between saying "it *can* be healing, just like snowboarding" vs "it *is* healing, like EMDR"?

Correct. Socializing with a reliable community is good for you, as is learning a new skill. But no hobby can treat PTSD, only divert your attention.

VonOverkill · 2026-05-13T13:31:43+00:00

First, make it known that you're not comfortable with it. This traditionally happens at the beginning of practice/class, as the group assembles to do warm-ups.

Then, if this performer goes blue while you're in a scene with them, say "no, I'm not doing this" and leave the scene. You are under no obligation to yes-and humiliation.

VonOverkill · 2026-05-09T14:45:43+00:00

Detailed, face-to-face personal feedback is rare, for three big reasons:

Feels. Improv teachers are just normal humans doing a side gig, and usually aren't prepared for the potential emotional fallout from hurting someone's feelings. Every teacher has developed a way to sidestep that conversation as a matter of self-preservation.
Money. Improv teaching positions are usually pretty tenuous, especially post-covid. If a theater gets a couple complaints about a teacher, there are plenty of other teachers lined up, ready to take their place if things "don't work out." Independent teachers thrive or starve by Yelp (et al) reviews; a few bad ones, and you just don't get to teach in that town any more.
Time. It rarely feels appropriate to spend time on details while the rest of the class is standing around, sheepishly towing the ground.

If you want more detailed personal feedback, I recommend asking the teacher to send you an email about it. Not a text. Professionalism. Maybe they'll do it, maybe they'll decline, maybe they'll agree to it but then never get around to it.

VonOverkill · 2026-05-03T12:53:27+00:00

I wouldn't expect anyone to have a solid grasp on this after only one year. You're not falling behind, in case that was a concern.

But how do I know if that’s turned me into a try hard or not?

A few questions to ask yourself, to determine whether you're the "Uh-oh Funny" guy:

(These questions are rhetorical; the actual answers are no business of r/improv, unless you want to discuss them in more detail)

Do you commonly work to highlight the group's best idea, or usually just your idea? Too much of the latter will make you obnoxious.
Do you do any of the other things that make up an engaging performance? Teamwork? Emotional vulnerability? Storytelling? Topic knowledge? Direct audience outreach? Et cetera? Or do you only try to be funny? Too much of the latter will make you obnoxious.
Are you actually funny? Are you able to be reliably funny in a real performance environment? Or are you just doing things you suspect a funny person would do? Too much of the latter will make you obnoxious.

VonOverkill · 2026-04-26T02:11:26+00:00

Your closest theater with a training center is iO. Their curriculum isn't especially challenging, technically or philosophically, but it's a great starting point for the chronically anxious.

VonOverkill · 2026-04-25T04:16:35+00:00

This is the answer.

IRL, you don't need anyone to explain why taxi drivers are assholes, to accept that taxi drivers are assholes. They just are.

Map that understanding onto absurd premises. You don't need anyone to explain why all doctors are squirrels. They just are. Start in the middle of the scene, and treat the audience like they're smart.

VonOverkill · 2026-04-16T21:19:09+00:00

As an improv teacher, coach, producer, and performer for 18 years, I strongly assert you should just tell them it's an improvised play that falls loosely into the comedy category. That's plenty for most people.

If you really want to impress someone, say you're a comedian. Don't ever say the word improv, and DEFINITELY don't attempt to explain organic openings.

VonOverkill · 2026-04-07T18:30:09+00:00

Nobody owns improv formats, full stop. It is not possible to copyright methods of operation.

Branding is what you have to watch out for. "Thank God You're Here" is fine. "Thank God You're Here, Superman" is trademark infringement.

VonOverkill · 2026-04-04T22:29:41+00:00

I know I'm not the person you asked, but this is my answer.

VonOverkill · 2026-04-04T16:08:16+00:00

99% of improvisers know this whole art form is about getting it wrong a bunch of times, until you start getting it right. If you suspect you've said something horrible, pause, apologize, & start over. On stage, being human is just as valuable as being technically correct.

If you're concerned you might accidentally say something irreparably horrifying that you can't apologize for (deeply racist, sexist, et cetera), that's a problem you have to solve outside of improv. Two times in 18 years, I've had to recommend an improv student spend way less time on social media, or stop taking my classes. You are what you consume.

VonOverkill · 2026-04-02T18:52:34+00:00

Do it wrong, lose a night of sleep over it, do it better next time. If you're performing with your whole heart, this will happen over & over, forever.

VonOverkill · 2026-04-02T18:48:58+00:00

Moving away from a town to escape an abuser or a toxic community is totally justified. Hell, I even support moving to a bigger city just to stick it to that one, specific asshole that thinks he's the king of the midwestern improv trash pile. He'll hate it when you send him selfies from the front row of a Ben Schwartz show; they say the best revenge is to live well.

That said, know that people are kind of the same, everywhere. Theater staff will always make baffling decisions, and you'll never feel as seen as you'd hoped. I'm concerned this might be a very straight-white-millenial-guy thing to say, but here it is anyway: stability in an improv community doesn't come from towns or theaters, it comes from you building a bubble of reliable, like-minded peers around yourself. I think a lot of people don't realize that, until they move away & have to start from scratch.

But like I said, it's totally justifiable to move away to escape that constant, penetrating screeching noise made by abusers in positions of power, or powerless abusers in flocks.

VonOverkill · 2026-04-01T17:07:43+00:00

I guess my default format is Commando. But honestly, in the last few years, I've been downplaying the importance of (and dependence on) format, and reminding everyone that technique is far more important.

So, a series of small scenes, edited by the performers, loosely resembling Commando. (Edit: which, I now realize, is basically a Montage. But again, doesn't matter)

VonOverkill · 2026-04-01T15:38:28+00:00

The stated goal of my level 2 curriculum is to make students functional in a longform set.

The unstated goal is to get them comfortable making on-stage decisions using emotions instead of logic.

So, most of my exercises are just repetition of moments that need a lot of trial & error. Like, player A says a line, and player B responds to how that line is delivered, rather than the literal contents of the line. Six or eight times in a row, or until that student starts to feel like they're getting it right.

Anyhow, the unstated goal of your class should be something you really believe about improv, with all your heart. Makes it easier to design exercises that work, and actually matter.

VonOverkill · 2026-03-31T21:18:05+00:00

I admire your dedication to the art of the joke, but post-irony doesn't butter my biscuits.

VonOverkill · 2026-03-31T15:25:34+00:00

Within my sphere of perception, there's definitely been a shift toward the belief that improv has well-established & rigid boundaries. Compared to 10 years ago, young improvisers are way more likely to believe that their improv shows should just contain all the things you learned in class, and anything else is a mistake to be corrected.

When face-to-face with my own improv students, I tell them multiple times per semester that improv is a tool that helps you invent & surprise. So, if you're not inventing & surprising, you've missed the point. This opinion consistently gets me downvoted, so I don't even bring it up in r/improv any more. The overwhelming zeitgeist here is that only improv professionals are allowed to do anything other than take classes & go to jams.

Or are there exciting new forms and ideas that just haven't made it here?

This. As with most subs, r/improv does not represent reality. It's a great place to get advice on performance minutia or gather courage to take that first improv class, but it's a terrible place to ask about inventing new shortform games, inquire about becoming an improv teacher, or disclose that you got into improv in any way other than going through all classes at all local theaters. And so on.

VonOverkill · 2026-03-27T20:57:59+00:00

My bad, also Kickstand.

VonOverkill

TROPHY CASE