Improv Tips #113 - Surrender (w/ David Razowsky) (2019)
David Razowsky joins Paul Vaillancourt's Improv Tips series to discuss the concept of surrender in improvisation. Razowsky distinguishes surrender from abandonment and offers practical guidance on recognizing when to release an idea during scene work, a skill applicable across long form, short form, and other performance contexts.
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4:57Most Destructive Thing Every Improviser Must STOP Doing
Joe Bill discusses a common habit that undermines improvisers' work, offering perspective on the internal struggles artists face in performance and practice. The episode is part of PVImprov's tip series hosted by Paul Vaillancourt and features commentary from David Razowsky, Jill Bernard, Mark Sutton, Mick Napier, Patti Stiles, Stacey Hallal, and Susan Messing.
5:30Improv TIp #146 - How To Unstick Your Improv (w/Jay Sukow) (2020)
Guest tipper Jay Sukow offers advice on breaking through plateaus and sticking points in improvisation. The tip centers on returning to foundational principles when scene work stalls, a theme common across multiple pedagogical traditions referenced in the episode.
4:02Improv Tip #138 - Silence (w/ Kat Kenny) (2020)
Guest instructor Kat Kenny joins Paul Vaillancourt's ongoing tip series to discuss silence as a performance tool in improvisation. Kenny examines multiple dimensions of how deliberate pauses and quiet moments function within scenes, drawing on ideas associated with several prominent improvisers and teachers including Charna Halpern, David Razowsky, Joe Bill, and Susan Messing.
34:37Improv Tips: What Were You Thinking (w/ Paul Vaillancourt and David Razowsky) (2019)
Paul Vaillancourt and David Razowsky perform a two-person improv scene, then deconstruct it beat by beat in this installment of the "What Were You Thinking" series. The format pairs a standalone scene with a detailed post-scene breakdown in which both improvisers walk through their in-the-moment choices, offering a window into the real-time decision-making behind longform scene work.
3:14The Secret to Better Point of View in Improv Comedy w/ David Razowsky
David Razowsky joins Paul Vaillancourt to discuss point of view in improv comedy. The conversation explores how performers can strengthen their scenic perspective, a core skill in long-form and short-form work alike.
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0:39One Rule That Makes Improv Actually Funny #ImprovTips #ComedyTips #LevelUp
A PVImprov short on the principle of playing at the top of one's intelligence. The clip advocates for giving characters the performer's own vocabulary and reasoning ability rather than defaulting to ignorance for easy laughs, arguing that grounded, intelligent characters produce more organic comedy.
1:22Stuck on a character? Look in your kitchen!
A PVImprov educational clip exploring a character-building technique rooted in object work and observation. The approach uses everyday objects as archetypes to inform physicality, vocal quality, and behavioral choices, offering performers a concrete starting point for character creation.
1:28Chris Gethard just gave us the ultimate cheat sheet to save your improv scenes from "vague-land.
Chris Gethard outlines a three-question framework for grounding improv scenes: why these specific characters, why this particular location, and why this moment in time. The clip, shared by PVImprov, focuses on the principle of specificity and present-tense scene work as tools for avoiding vague, unfocused improvisation.
1:08Keegan-Michael Key just dropped the ultimate perspective shift: Improv is like walking backward.
Keegan-Michael Key offers a reframing of how improvisers should approach scene work, comparing the process to walking backward: rather than trying to steer toward a predetermined outcome, performers benefit from observing what has already been established and building from those offers. The clip, shared by PVImprov, underscores the principle of using what has been given over planning ahead.
0:48Amy Poehler just dropped the truth bomb every new improviser needs to hear.
Amy Poehler discusses the importance of full commitment in improv performance. The clip, shared by PVImprov, emphasizes that hesitation undermines scene work regardless of the premise, and that leaning into a choice with conviction is what makes characters believable and scenes succeed.
1:13Stop talking about the scene and just SHOOT THE DEER!
Performer and improviser Michaela Watkins discusses the principle of committing to action rather than planning within a scene. Using the metaphor of "shooting the deer," Watkins emphasizes the value of decisive choice-making over deliberation, a foundational concept in longform improvisation. Presented by PVImprov.