Master Improv: Ben Schwartz’s 7 Essential Rules
Paul Vaillancourt of PVImprov examines seven principles for long-form improvisation drawn from a Washington Post feature on Ben Schwartz. The video covers topics including ensemble composition, risk-taking, audience interaction, and finding a distinct performance voice.
Schwartz is known in the improv world for his long-form work, including the Netflix special series Middleditch and Schwartz with Thomas Middleditch.
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13:50GENIUS Improv Advice for 14 minutes straight
A compilation of improv advice drawn from interviews with established performers and teachers. Paul Vaillancourt curates clips featuring Tina Fey, Colin Mochrie, Matt Walsh, Amy Poehler, Ben Schwartz, Jason Mantzoukas, Pete Holmes, Dave Koechner, Michaela Watkins, and others, each offering perspective on scene work, performance mindset, and the craft of improvisation.
8:24Ben Schwartz and Friends- Dungeons and Dragons
Ben Schwartz performs a fully improvised set built around a Dungeons and Dragons framework with Jess McKenna, Colton Dunn, and Drew Tarver. The scenes are generated from a random audience interview, with all material created on the spot. Filmed as part of the Rejected Jokes live show series.
0:46Ben Schwartz, shares his 7 essential rules for mastering long-form improv. Full vid link in my bio
A short-form clip from PVImprov highlighting Ben Schwartz's seven rules for long-form improv, serving as a teaser for the channel's extended video on the subject.
0:26Master Improv: Ben Schwartz’s 7 Essential Rules
A short-form excerpt from PVImprov summarizing Ben Schwartz's seven principles for long-form improvisation. A condensed companion to the channel's full-length breakdown of the same material.
28:38House of Lies Improv | Live with Kristen Bell, Don Cheadle, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson | SHOWTIME
The cast of the Showtime series House of Lies performs long-form improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles. The lineup includes Don Cheadle, Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson, Eugene Cordero, Ryan Gaul, and Lauren Lapkus, several of whom have extensive backgrounds in improv and sketch comedy. The roughly half-hour set showcases the cast performing unscripted together outside the context of their television roles, offering a look at the improvisational skills that inform their on-screen ensemble work.
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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.