Will Hines

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RolesWriter

Will Hines (born 1970) is an American improviser, teacher, writer, and actor who served as artistic director of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York and is one of the most influential improv teachers of his generation. He authored How to Be the Greatest Improviser on Earth (2016), one of the best-selling improv instructional books in print, and currently runs The World's Greatest Improv School with Jim Woods and Sarah Claspell. Ilana Glazer of Broad City credited Hines as her first improv teacher.

Hines came to performance later than many improvisers, working as a journalist and computer programmer until age thirty before pursuing comedy. He joined the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York as part of the troupe's second generation of performers, following founders Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh.

At UCB, Hines became one of the theater's most sought-after teachers, known for his precise articulation of the game-based improvisational approach that defines UCB's methodology. He eventually served as artistic director of the UCB Theatre in New York, overseeing the theater's programming and artistic direction during a period of significant growth. He lived in New York for seventeen years before relocating to Los Angeles.

Hines published How to Be the Greatest Improviser on Earth in 2016. The book skips basic introductory material and addresses advanced topics including genuine presence, authenticity, dealing with difficult performers, finding actual humor, and maintaining personal health as a performer. It has sold thousands of copies worldwide and is consistently among Amazon's best-selling titles in the acting and auditioning category. Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson of Broad City, Chris Gethard, and Rich Sommer have endorsed the book. Glazer specifically noted that Hines was her first improv teacher.

He co-authored Pirate Robot Ninja: An Improv Fable with Billy Merritt, and maintains an active presence as a blogger and podcaster on improvisation topics through his Substack and other platforms.

Hines currently runs The World's Greatest Improv School with Jim Woods and Sarah Claspell, offering classes online, in Los Angeles, and in New York. The school continues to teach the game-based approach he refined during his years at UCB while incorporating his own pedagogical innovations.

Historical Context

Hines's career at UCB spans the theater's transformation from a small downtown venue into one of the most influential improv institutions in the country. As artistic director, he helped shape the artistic standards and pedagogical approach that made UCB a defining force in American improvisation during the 2000s and 2010s.

His generation of UCB performers, including Billy Merritt, Chris Gethard, and Michael Delaney, represented the bridge between the theater's founding vision and its expansion into a nationwide training institution. Their work codified and refined the game-based improvisational approach that distinguished UCB from the Harold-focused methodology of iO and the sketch-oriented approach of Second City.

The success of How to Be the Greatest Improviser on Earth reflected a growing demand for published improv instruction that goes beyond introductory concepts. The book's focus on advanced skills and the personal challenges of sustained improvisational practice filled a gap in the literature, addressing the questions that experienced improvisers face rather than repeating the basics covered in other texts.

Teaching Philosophy

Hines's teaching emphasizes the game-based approach to improvisation that UCB developed, focusing on identifying and heightening the unusual thing in a scene. His approach combines technical precision with an accessible, encouraging manner that makes advanced concepts available to performers at all levels. His writing and teaching stress that great improvisation requires not just technique but also personal health, self-awareness, and the willingness to be genuinely present rather than performing the appearance of spontaneity. His Substack newsletter, Improv Nonsense, extends this teaching work into long-form writing, with essays analyzing specific aspects of scene construction, game identification, and the mental habits that distinguish strong improvisers from inconsistent ones.

A distinctive feature of Hines's pedagogy is his "Seven Ways" drill. After a short scene, he requires students to name the game of that scene in seven different formulations: as a who-what-where statement, as an if-then formulation, as a character behavior, and so on. The exercise builds not just game identification skill but the vocabulary to communicate about scenes precisely and collaboratively. Hines has served as Academic Director of the UCB Training Center in New York, overseeing curriculum across all levels and ensuring that the game-based methodology is transmitted consistently across instructors. His teaching has directly shaped the instructional culture at UCB for more than two decades, making him one of the central transmitters of the UCB method to the next generation of teachers and performers.

Legacy

Hines's significance lies in his dual role as one of UCB's defining teachers and as the author of one of the most widely read improv instructional books in print. How to Be the Greatest Improviser on Earth has reached improvisers worldwide who may never attend a UCB class in person, extending the theater's pedagogical influence far beyond its physical locations.

His transition from UCB artistic director to independent school operator through The World's Greatest Improv School reflects broader changes in the improv education landscape, as the art form's teaching has diversified beyond the handful of major institutions that dominated in the 2000s. His continued writing, podcasting, and teaching ensure that his approach to game-based improvisation remains accessible to new generations of performers.