Improv Tips #128 - Be Seen (w/Doreen Calderon) (2019)
Guest contributor Doreen Calderon presents a tip on the theme of "Be Seen," connecting several threads around the principle that improvisers are actors. The episode synthesizes ideas the PVImprov channel had been exploring in preceding installments about presence and commitment on stage.
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6:34Improv Tip #164 Know and Honor Your Audience (w/Stephanie Rae) (2021)
Stephanie Rae discusses the importance of identifying and honoring one's audience as an improviser. The tip addresses how awareness of who performers are playing for can shape creative choices, touching on the relationship between performer intent and audience experience.
6:46Improv Tip #156 The Four Horsemen of the Scenic Apocalypse (w/Rob Reese) (2020)
A PVImprov guest tip from veteran improviser and teacher Rob Reese, who identifies four common scene traps he calls "The Four Horsemen of the Scenic Apocalypse." Reese offers diagnostic framing and practical strategies for recognizing and escaping these recurring pitfalls during performance.
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.
4:09Improv Tip #139 - Know What's Happening (w/ Kevin Reome) (2020)
Guest tipper Kevin Reome offers a short lesson on the importance of knowing what is happening in a scene, even when the circumstances are ambiguous. The tip, part of the long-running PVImprov tip series hosted by Paul Vaillancourt, addresses a fundamental scene work skill: maintaining awareness and clarity about the reality of the scene as it unfolds.
7:09Improv Tips #100 - What's The Point Of Improv? (2017)
Paul Vaillancourt responds to a viewer question about building trust within an improv ensemble, offering three strategies grounded in improv technique. The episode closes with archival footage of Del Close performing an improvised monologue on the subject of himself at The Chicago Hysterical Society in 1984, drawn from the documentary "Thank You, Del."
2:26Improv Tips #99 - Using The Monologue (w/Charna Halpern) (2017)
Charna Halpern, co-founder of the iO Theater, discusses how improvisers should use information drawn from monologue openings. The tip distinguishes between how performers typically mine opening material and how that material can be used more effectively in subsequent scenes.
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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.