YouTube Channel
Chicago Improv Studio
The official channel for Bill Arnett and the Chicago Improv Studio. I've been improvising since 1995, primarily in Chicago, IL. Before starting the Chicago Improv Studio I was the training center director for the iO Theater.
Want to submit a video for my reaction? Please do. Sound quality is critical! Subtitles help a ton.
Videos
Standard-length performances, demonstrations, interviews, and instructional material.
13:35Improv Scene Breakdown: Gibys Bday Party
Bill Arnett breaks down an improv scene performed by Jane Brown and Caroline Easom at Logan Square Improv in Chicago. This shorter episode focuses on a single two-person scene, allowing for close analysis of the duo's initiation, discovery, and commitment within the work.
51:48Improv Scene Breakdown: Viewer Submission Kinkade
A viewer-submitted episode in which Bill Arnett breaks down a performance by Kinkade, a team based in Austin, Texas. The show was recorded from an online improv performance, and Arnett applies his standard analytical framework to the ensemble's scene work and structural choices.
59:55Improv Scene Breakdown: Perfect Harold
Bill Arnett dissects a Harold performed by The Reckoning at iO Chicago, circa 2006. The episode interrogates the notion of a "perfect" Harold, using the performance as a case study for how the form's structural beats, group games, and scenic connections operate when executed at a high level. At nearly an hour, this is one of the more detailed entries in the Improv Scene Breakdown series, offering sustained analysis of iO's signature longform structure.
43:54Improv Scene Breakdown: House of Lies
Bill Arnett analyzes a longform improv performance at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre featuring the cast of the television series House of Lies. The performers include Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Eugene Cordero, Ryan Gaul, and Lauren Lapkus. The breakdown examines how actors known primarily for scripted work approach unscripted longform, with Arnett commenting on their scene choices and ensemble dynamics throughout the set.
56:12Improv Scene Breakdown: The Deconstruction
An in-depth breakdown of the Deconstruction, a longform improv structure in which an opening monologue or scene is revisited and reframed through subsequent scenes that pull apart its themes, characters, and details. Bill Arnett walks through a full Deconstruction performance, analyzing how the ensemble identifies and develops threads from the source material. At nearly an hour, this episode serves as both a practical guide to the form and a case study in how a skilled team executes its structural demands.
9:02Improv Scene Breakdown: Vin Diesel Sax
Bill Arnett breaks down a scene from The Late 90's, performed at LSI Theater. The analysis follows the Chicago Improv Studio reaction format, examining the scene work in this short-form educational segment.
30:47Improv Scene Breakdown: UCB pt4
Part four of Bill Arnett's extended analysis of a 2005 UCB ASSSSSCAT show. This installment continues the scene-by-scene breakdown format, offering detailed commentary on the performers' choices throughout the longform set.
14:44Improv Scene Breakdown: UCB pt3
Part three of Bill Arnett's scene-by-scene breakdown of a 2005 ASSSSSCAT performance at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. Arnett analyzes the longform set through the lens of his Chicago Improv Studio teaching methodology, identifying choices and patterns in the work.
15:57Improv Scene Breakdown: UCB pt2
Bill Arnett of Chicago Improv Studio continues his analysis of a 2005 ASSSCAT performance from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in this second part of the breakdown. Note: the source performance includes discussion of sexual assault.
17:34Improv Scene Breakdown: UCB pt1
Bill Arnett of Chicago Improv Studio reacts to and breaks down a 2005 ASSSCAT performance from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. This is the first of a two-part analysis of the show.
10:51Improv Scene Breakdown: Boys Need Gossip
Bill Arnett of Chicago Improv Studio analyzes a longform scene performed by Joelle Mendoza and Rudy Mendoza at Logan Square Improv. The breakdown examines the two-person scene as part of the ongoing series reacting to improv performances.
10:19Improv scene Breakdown: Waves look sick
Bill Arnett of Chicago Improv Studio breaks down a longform scene titled "Waves Look Sick," performed by Daniela Aguilar, Alex Prichodko, and Andrew Lemna at Logan Square Improv. The episode is the first in a series analyzing recorded improv scenes.