Top of Intelligence
The principle that improvised characters should behave with the same awareness and intelligence that real people would have in equivalent situations. Characters played at the top of their intelligence recognize what is happening around them and respond with appropriate concern, confusion, or alarm rather than remaining oblivious for the sake of a joke.
Mentioned In
Further Reading
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The Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual
Matt Besser; Ian Roberts; Matt Walsh
Pirate Robot Ninja
An Improv Fable
Billy Merritt; Will Hines
The Improv Illusionist
Using Object Work, Environment, and Physicality in Performance
David Raitt
The Actor's Book of Improvisation
Sandra Caruso; Paul Clemens
Something from Nothing
The Technique of Improvisation
Richard Goteri
Truth in Comedy
The Manual of Improvisation
Charna Halpern; Del Close; Kim Howard Johnson
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Top of Intelligence. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/top-of-intelligence
The Improv Archive. "Top of Intelligence." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/top-of-intelligence.
The Improv Archive. "Top of Intelligence." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/learn-improv/concepts/top-of-intelligence. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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