Improv Media
Television, podcasts, and films with direct roots in improv performers, institutions, or improvisational process.
Very Important People
A Dropout interview format where a heavily costumed guest improviser discovers their character live while the host treats the conversation as a serious profile.
Make Some Noise
A Dropout improv panel show built around prompts, character work, sound effects, and challenge rounds that reward fast comedic invention.
Improv & Magic
Explores the intersection of improvisational performance and magic, featuring performers who work in both forms.
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
Tim Robinson, a veteran of iO Chicago's Harold Night and a former Saturday Night Live writer and cast member, created this sketch comedy series with Zach Kanin. The show employs a commitment-based improvisational logic — characters escalate their positions to absurd extremes rather than backing down — that draws directly from long-form improv principles. I Think You Should Leave has developed a devoted following and spawned significant internet culture.
The Back Line
Conversations about improv coaching, education, and the business of running an improv theatre or program.
The Big Sick
Kumail Nanjiani, a graduate of iO Chicago's Harold Night, co-wrote this semi-autobiographical romantic comedy with Emily V. Gordon. Nanjiani and director Michael Showalter drew on the improvisational comedy tradition at iO Chicago for the film's naturalistic performance style. The Big Sick received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and became one of the most critically praised comedies of 2017.
Off Book: The Improvised Musical Podcast
Jess McKenna and Zach Reino perform fully improvised musicals, including all songs and lyrics, with musical accompaniment. Off Book demonstrates how improv principles extend into musical performance and has developed a devoted audience within both improv and musical theatre communities.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone — The Lonely Island — wrote, directed, and starred in this mockumentary about a pop superstar's disastrous solo tour. Samberg's background in UCB comedy and Saturday Night Live character work is evident in the precision of his performance. The film combines the mockumentary format with original pop songs performed in character.
Documentary Now!
Fred Armisen and Bill Hader, both veterans of Saturday Night Live, created this IFC mockumentary anthology series that parodies specific documentary films. Each episode involves detailed character work and improvisation within strict formal constraints. The show is produced by Seth Meyers and Lorne Michaels and has been praised for the specificity of its performances, which draw on the performers' extensive backgrounds in character-based improv.
Hello from the Magic Tavern
An improvised fantasy comedy podcast in which Arnie Niekamp, Matt Young, and Adal Rifai build an ongoing world through interviews with characters from the magical land of Foon.
Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins
Paul F. Tompkins hosts long-form improvised audio drama with rotating guest casts, drawing on his background in UCB and Los Angeles improv. Each episode begins with a real location suggested by a guest, which becomes the setting for a fully improvised story.
With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus
Lauren Lapkus inverts the typical podcast format: each episode, a guest hosts the show and Lapkus plays the guest. The result is a pure improv format where the rules and game of each episode are determined by the guest's concept, demonstrating UCB-style character and game work.
Broad City
Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer developed Broad City as a web series growing out of their UCB New York work before Amy Poehler brought it to Comedy Central. The show drew on their improv backgrounds to create an improvisational, character-driven portrait of young women navigating New York City. Broad City ran five seasons and earned praise for both its comedic writing and its willingness to portray female friendship with specificity and absurdism.
Review
Andy Daly stars as Forrest MacNeil, a critic who reviews life experiences for a fictional television program. The show's improvisational approach to character — Daly stays in the heightened reality of the premise even as the consequences become extreme — reflects long-form improv principles about commitment and 'yes, and.' Review ran three seasons on Comedy Central.
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (US)
The CW revival of the American Whose Line format, centered on short-form improv games performed by a rotating panel of veteran improvisers.
Bridesmaids
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo wrote the script, but director Paul Feig and the cast — which includes Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Ellie Kemper, and Wendi McLendon-Covey — relied heavily on improvisation throughout production. Wiig's background in UCB and Second City shaped the film's comedic sensibility. Bridesmaids became one of the highest-grossing female-led comedies in history and demonstrated the box-office potential of improv-driven ensemble film.
Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza
A studio improv showcase hosted by Drew Carey and built around stage games, audience participation, and performers drawn from the Whose Line performance tradition.
Improv Nerd
Jimmy Carrane interviews improv legends, directors, and performers about the craft and business of improvisation. One of the longest-running improv-focused interview podcasts.
improv4humans
Matt Besser’s long-running improv podcast, originally launched through Earwolf, built around interviews, scene work, and audio-first experimentation with top improvisers.
Comedy Bang Bang: The Podcast
Scott Aukerman hosts an influential improv and character comedy podcast on the Earwolf network he co-founded. Guests appear as themselves and as original characters, engaging in long-form improv games and narrative scenes. Comedy Bang Bang helped establish the podcast medium as a venue for serious long-form improvisation, drawing on Aukerman's background performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles.
Superego
Character-based improv audio comedy featuring Matt Gourley, Mark McConville, Jeremy Carter, and Jeff Crocker. Superego pioneered a densely layered, studio-produced approach to improv podcast audio, creating recurring characters and interconnected narrative universes.
For Your Consideration
Christopher Guest's improvised mockumentary satirizes the awards season culture surrounding independent film. The film follows the cast and crew of a low-budget period drama as internet buzz about Oscar consideration begins to affect the production. The ensemble includes Harry Shearer, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Eugene Levy, and Fred Willard.
Thank God You're Here
An Australian improvised scene format in which each guest performer is dropped into a scenario with no script, no rehearsal, and only the line "Thank God you're here!" to start the scene.
Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out
A long-running improv and battle-rap television format built around competitive short-form games, freestyle challenges, and rotating comedy teams.
A Mighty Wind
Christopher Guest's improvised mockumentary chronicles three folk music acts reuniting for a memorial concert. The film features original folk songs co-written by Guest, Eugene Levy, and Michael McKean, performed in character. The integration of improvised dialogue with original music composition represents a significant formal achievement in the history of the improvised film.
The Delmonic Interviews
A documentary film by Cesar Jaime and Jeff Pacocha built from interviews with Del Close’s students, collaborators, and friends as a tribute to his influence on modern improv.
Best in Show
Christopher Guest's improvised mockumentary follows five dog owners competing at the Mayflower Dog Show in Philadelphia. The ensemble includes Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, and Fred Willard. Best in Show was widely praised for the precision and specificity of its improvisational character work and remains one of the most commercially successful improvised feature films.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Larry David's HBO series is produced almost entirely without a written script. Actors receive an outline of each scene's events and emotional beats, then improvise the dialogue in character. The show's long run — twelve seasons and counting — demonstrates the viability of improvisation-driven production at the highest level of American television. The approach was influenced by David's work on Seinfeld and his deep familiarity with the stand-up and improv comedy community.
Upright Citizens Brigade
The television series created by the Upright Citizens Brigade — Amy Poehler, Matt Besser, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh — transferred their anarchic, anti-establishment improv sensibility to sketch television. The show ran three seasons on Comedy Central and helped cement the UCB's reputation before the troupe shifted focus to their expanding theatre and training program.
Waiting for Guffman
Christopher Guest directed and starred in this improvised mockumentary about a small-town Missouri community mounting an original musical for its sesquicentennial celebration. The cast, including Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard, Parker Posey, and Bob Balaban, worked entirely from an outline. Waiting for Guffman was the first in Guest's series of feature-length improvised ensemble comedies.
The Kids in the Hall
Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson formed The Kids in the Hall in Toronto, trained in the Second City tradition, and developed their absurdist sketch comedy style before being discovered by Lorne Michaels. The original series ran five seasons and established the troupe as a defining voice in Canadian comedy. A revival season aired on Amazon Prime Video in 2022.
Whose Line Is It Anyway? (UK)
The original British panel format created by Dan Patterson and Mark Leveson, establishing the televised short-form game structure later adapted internationally.
This Is Spinal Tap
Rob Reiner directed this foundational mockumentary about a fictional British heavy metal band, with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer improvising the majority of the dialogue and their characters' interactions. This Is Spinal Tap established the template for the mockumentary format in American cinema and demonstrated that full-length improvised narrative film was commercially viable.
SCTV
Second City Television launched the careers of John Candy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, Harold Ramis, Andrea Martin, and Dave Thomas. The sketch-driven series emerged directly from the Second City Toronto company and its improvisational training tradition. SCTV became one of the most influential sketch comedy programs in North American television, and its alumni shaped film and television comedy through the 1980s, 1990s, and beyond.
(Improvised Scatting) with Mary Jane French & Friends
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(Improvised) Intelligence from Noah Vargas
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20 Sides & Improvised
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5 Guys Improvised
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87.9 KWHO: 100% improvised talk radio. 0% fact-checked.
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A Situationally Improvised Podcast
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A2Z: An Improvised Podcast
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Acción Impro
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Ad Hoc: Why Improvisation Matters
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Adulto Improvisado
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Agents Of F.L.A.I.L - Improvised Marvel Podcast
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Alas! The Improvised Works of William Shakespeare
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Algo724 Market Improvisation
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Ani-Prov: The Improvised Anime Series
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Anna and Isabella Do Improv
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Applied Improvisation
The web content provided does not contain information about a podcast called Applied Improvisation or its host Paul Z Jackson; a factual description cannot be written from the available source material.
As Ink - Improvised Radio Plays
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Baking It Up As We Go Along: a podcast about baking and improvised comedy
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Blivet - An Improvised 1900's Radio Show
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Break the Dice: The Improvised Campaign
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Bridges Impro
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Canciones de Jazz - Aprende a tocar jazz e improvisar con tu instrumento
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Charcoal Podcast: An Improvised Improv Podcast
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Charlas improvisadas
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Charm Scene: Improvised Musicals
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Chiacchiere IMPROVvisate
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City of Town: An Improvised DND Adventure!
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Composition and improvisation in cross-cultural perspective - for iBooks
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Cristina Yang, Please Return Our Calls: An Improvised Grey's Anatomy Podcast
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Darkroom ambient podcast - free music from ambient/avant-garde improvisers Darkroom
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Deliberately Better: How to Improve Any Skill Through Practice and Feedback
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Der Impro Code
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Designing Your Improvised Life
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Die anundpfirsich Impro Lounge
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EOD Gear IMPROVISED
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Eddie Shorts: Improvised Micro Stories
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Eden Grove: An Improvised Podcast
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El Impro Podcast
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El Show de los Improvisa2
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Es Todo Improvisado
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Failure, Improvised
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Fair Deal: An Improvised Mediation
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Faith Improvised
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Firsst Draft: The Improvised Audiobook
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Frecuencia Improvisada
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Free Yorkshire Radio (An Improvised Comedy)
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Fundstücke: Impro-Storys
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Ground Control: Improvised Pilots
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Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement
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Gute Arbeit Impro
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Harmony&Improvisation
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Heightening Headlines: Improvising The News
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Hex Girlfriends: an Improvised Fantasy Podcast
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Hoopla Improv Podcast
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Hors d'œuvre - Podcast sur l'impro théâtrale
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IGLU Impro Podcast
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IMDp: Improvised Movie Director Podcast
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IMPRO : Les CONTES farfelus
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IMPRO Amsterdam
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IMPROPHECY - An Improvised Prophecy
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IMPROVISE-TOI
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Iglu impro
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Impro 9000
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Impro Bajki i Gitara
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Impro Blabla
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Impro Grand Public
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Impro Podcast Archives - Claudia Hoppe
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Impro På 27 Minuter
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Impro et Vie Pro
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Impro for Business
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Impro ja inimesed
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Impro w domu i w szkole.
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Impro-nyfiken
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Impro4Business
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ImproCast
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ImproGamers
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ImproPodcast
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ImproQuo: Bare Bones
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ImproZensation
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Impromptunes - The Completely Improvised Musical Podcast
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Improsnack
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Improv Nerd With Jimmy Carrane
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Improv Obsession - Conversations About Improvising Better
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Improv Tabletop
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Improv Tips
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Improv for Business Podcast
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Improv is Dead
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Improvisando de Fútbol
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Improvisation Nouveau-Brunswick presente Categorie Libre
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Improvisations (le podcast)
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Improvisations on The Ledge
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Improvise Daily
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Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.
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Improvised Apocalypse
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Improvised Entertainment Dudes
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Improvised Golden Age Radio
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Improvised Music in Kingston
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Improvised Mysteries
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Improvised Parenting
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Improvised Radio Theatre - With Dice: Latest posts
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Improvised Star Trek
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Improvised Title Podcast with Truman Barnes
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Improvised Weapons - A D&D Podcast
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Improvised Wikipedia
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Improvised stupidity
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In a World of...Improvised Movie Homages
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Infinite Improvisation Podcast
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Jazzpath podcasts: Lessons on exploring jazz improvisation
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Kammerflimmern - Filme, Games, Bücher, Impro
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Krimpro
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L'Edito Impro
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L'Extraordinaire Impro Show
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La Impro Llama
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Le Flash Impro de Vincent Posé - improvisation théâtrale quotidienne - théâtre et humour
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Le Podcast à Impros
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LiveandImprovised
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Ma Voix Vous Manque 🎤 COCO de ImproCoLive
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Mike Leigh Movies
A reference entry for the body of Mike Leigh films developed through his improvisation-driven rehearsal and character-building process before shooting.
Monster Baby: A Curious Romp Through the Worlds of Mindfulness and Improvisation
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Muh Grog Zoo - Improvised One-Act Stories
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My Journey of Self Improvisation( English Speaking Improvisation )
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Neighborhood News Radio- ACTION AUDIO THEATRE - ORIGINAL - CLEVER - EXPERIMENTAL - IMPROVISED SATIRE
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No Suggestion: An Improv Comedy Talk Show
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Odder Space - An Improvised Space Adventure
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Off Book: The Improvised Musical
Off Book: The Improvised Musical is a musical theatre podcast hosted by Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino, who met in 2011 at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles. Each episode, McKenna, Reino, and a guest improvise an entire narrative musical from scratch, with Scott Passarella accompanying on piano; the musical's direction is shaped by the guest's introduction, even when guests have no prior singing experience. First released on July 25, 2017 through Earwolf, the show moved to Art19 Media in 2021 and has been performed live at festivals including Bumbershoot, the SteelStacks Improv Comedy Festival, and the London Podcast Festival.
Pas d'Impro
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Paul Metzger Interviews Improvisers
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Permutations of 88: Piano Improvisations
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Playing Back an Improvised Life
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Podcast Improvisado
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Podcast Szkoły Impro
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Polymorphic netlabel podcast - freeform sounds [independent, techno, minimal, ambient, electronic, guitar based, improvised]
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Pstryk - podcast o impro
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Push The Roll with Ross Bryant | Call of Cthulhu Improv TTRPG Podcast
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RPG Major: Actual Play RPG Mystery & Improvised Musical Theater
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Radio Impro
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Reeta ja improihmiset
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SONDER | The Improvised Podcast
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Screen Play: The Improvised Movie
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Secret Improv Podcast: Honest, unscripted chats about the craft of improvisation.
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Self Improvement, Personal Growth & Entrepreneurship - Improve Your Life and Grow Your Business
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Space Cock - Unfiltered / Unscripted Improvisational Comedy & Mind Altering Brain Harassment
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Spotlight – Afterhour: Der Impro-Comedy-Podcast
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StopfCast - Food-Impro mit Felix und Corc
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Studio Impro
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TALES FROM THE CLOUD SEA | An Improvised Comedy Adventure for Kids
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Tabletop Tunes: The Improvised Musical RPG
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Talking Heads - Der Impro Podcast
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Talking and Improvising
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Tally Ho! The Improvised War Movie
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Tarakaia: improvised music by Kaia Fischer
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The Better Mindset Show - Improve Your Mind to Improve Your Life
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The Centralia Improvisational Podcast
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The Completely Improvised Sitcom Podcast
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The Confident Improviser™
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The Crazy Confidence Coach - improve communication, stop negative thinking, overcome imposter syndrome, & find purpose
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The Gifts of Improvising
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The Impro Cast
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The Improv Chronicle Podcast
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The Improv Teachers
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The Improvise Podcast
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The Improvised Life with Katie Goodman | How To Create A Courageous, Adventurous, Meaningful Life, Driven By Purpose
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The Improvised Powder Keg
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The Improvised Show
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The Improviser's Guide Podcast
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The Joy of Improv
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The Neuroscience of Improvisation
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The Quarry Improvised Music at Triskelion Arts
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The Rabbit Hole: An Improvised Podcast
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The Terra Mundi Chronicles: An Improvised History of the Universe Actual Play Podcast
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The Wrong People's Improvised Musical Theatre Adventure
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This Improvised Life with Susan Zheng
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This Is Not An Improvised Podcast.
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True Deception - An Improvised True Crime story
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Unbothered: Mastering Self-Improvement
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Upstaged: Parkinson's and the Never-Ending Improvisation
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Very Random Encounters: Chaotic Improv Actual Play
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WAX ON Podcast - Improvised Music Company
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World Improv Network (WIN) Improvised Comedy Radio Show
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Youmani ImproCiappBox
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electronic impro live-sets
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iMPROViSED SOLUTiONS
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imPro Podcast
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impro live! Podcast | Angewandte Improvisation in Business und Training
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improv4humans with Matt Besser
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la pause impro
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music4yourTrip :: Real-time improvised electronic music
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即興おしゃべり野郎・渡猛のラジオ「Impro Comedy LIFE」
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