Improv Tips #78 - Subtext: The Difference Between Good and Great Scenes w/ Ed Herbstman
Ed Herbstman discusses the role of subtext in improvised scenes, exploring how the gap between what characters say and what they actually mean separates competent work from memorable performance. The tip is part of the PVImprov educational series hosted by Paul Vaillancourt.
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Videos linked to the same person entity in the archive.
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.
5:24Improv 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.
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."
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