Improv Tips #75 - It's Okay To Be Lost (w/ guest tipper Lauren Morris) (2016)
Episode 75 of the Improv Tips series from Paul Vaillancourt's PVImprov channel, featuring guest tipper Lauren Morris. Morris addresses the common experience of feeling lost during a scene, framing it as a normal part of improvisation rather than a failure, and discusses strategies for using that uncertainty productively.
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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.
4:09Controversial Take: Improv Should Never Be Taken Seriously
Mick Napier delivers a guest tip on the PVImprov channel arguing that treating improvisation as low-stakes frees performers to take bigger risks. The segment explores how releasing the pressure of significance can paradoxically improve the quality and boldness of scene work. Hosted by Paul Vaillancourt with Jennifer Estlin.
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.
2:51Improv Tips #95 - Keep Growing (w/ Armando Diaz) (2017)
Armando Diaz, founder of the Magnet Theater in New York, offers advice on the importance of continuous growth throughout an improviser's career. Part of the PVImprov educational tip series hosted by Paul Vaillancourt.
3:05Improv Tips #87 - Commitment To Reality (w/ Bob Kulhan) (2017)
Bob Kulhan discusses commitment to reality as a foundational improv skill. The tip centers on the idea that improvisers can sustain scenes of any scope or intensity as long as they fully commit to the internal logic of the world they have established.
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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.