Improv Directors' Lab

[improvdirectorslab]

Auditions/Auditor; Spoilers from the Other Side of the Table

In my life, I have been lucky enough to cross over from the auditioning side of things to the auditor side of things at three places. Auditions are so tough, especially if the nature of the beast i…

[improvdirectorslab]

Be. Great.

The Illusion of Busy a.k.a The Moth Syndrome.

Giant headshot w/ good advice!

[improvdirectorslab]

Why I’m Quitting UCB, And Its Problem With Diversity

Enough.

[improvdirectorslab]

Recently I was a part of a panel of teachers and theater administrators at an improv camp. One of the questions was about how we can make our improv shows and teams more diverse. Many of the responses were about how to get people interested and involved, how to reach out to communities that are…

[improvdirectorslab]

[improvdirectorslab]

Teach in your own style. No style is wrong as long as the students learn something of value and don’t leave feeling like shit.

Jill Bernard

[andycrockercasting-blog]

The Master Chef

James Thomas Bailey - Forever Grateful series

[improvdirectorslab]

[andycrocker-blog]

“I got burnt out on everything- theater included, and the thing that saved me was theater. Imagine that!

Actor Hugo Armstrong at the 2014 Ovation awards (via andycrocker)

[improvdirectorslab]

A Japanese word game to generate new ideas - we could do this with shows/ games!

[improvdirectorslab]

Here's what happened when we asked audiences to set their own ticket prices

The results of ARC Stockton’s six-month experiment have been impressive – it’s about all involved taking a risk

[improvdirectorslab]

“Many theatres have embraced Say Day. We do too. Tomorrow will likely be a busy day for many of us, but I hope you all take the time to reach out to your cast mates, your teachers, your students, the people doing the business ends of your festivals and venues, your coaches, your families and everyone else who has influenced your life for the better and given you the wonderful gift of growing in improv. Time to say ‘Thank you’.”

- Bill Binder, National Improv Network

[improvdirectorslab]

If I produce a fantastic production of 'Peer Gynt,'...before the lights ever come up, there's a lack of parity. Because that guy down there did his doctorate on Ibsen, and that guy actually saw that fantastic production at the National, and this person at the theatre for the very first time doesn't know what 'Peer Gynt' means. "And so before the play ever starts, there is this disparity. Whereas when we do world premieres particularly, everybody's meeting it for the first time together. So there's a leveling and the only thing that gets privileged is the life experience of each person in the audience."

Susan Booth, artistic director of the Alliance Theatre, on why she prefers doing new plays.

[improvdirectorslab]

Can We Just, Like, Get Over the Way Women Talk?

The problem with policing vocal tics.

And.... an interesting response to the “just” email. I think the truth lies somewhere in between the two articles, and both are very illuminating in the context of directing and producing. 

[improvdirectorslab]

Great for those of us who keep hand-written notes!  Since improv is such a fluid experience, this system makes a lot of sense. You might be teaching a class Monday, taking a class Wednesday and directing a show Friday- and the notes from each might help the next.  You could tag class notes, multiple shows, life lessons and other inspiration all in one book AND be able to find them later. Looking forward to implementing  this system in my next improv notebook!

[improvdirectorslab]

Elaine May's Rules of Improvisation

Along with Ted Flicker and Nancy Ponder, Elaine May came up with three rules for improvisation while performing with The Compass in St. Louis and trying to figure out why some scenes worked and others didn't: 1) Whatever verbal or pantomimed reality that is brought to the stage by one player may not be negated or denied by the other. 2) It is better to take an active rather than a passive choice. 3) All characterization or "acting" comes from an exaggerated or intensified rendition of yourself called by another name. I love the idea of the improv pioneers sitting in kitchens and cars, trying to figure out the secrets of improv. This was over fifty years ago, but in some ways, we're still doing that now. Searching for those elusive secrets. (via The Compass by Janet Coleman)

[improvdirectorslab]

Google Exec: Women, Stop Saying 'Just' So Much, You Sound Like Children

Just when you finally got a handle on saying “sorry” so much, turns out there’s another detrimental phrase in your lexicon keeping you from being taken seriously as a woman: “Just.” As in, “Just checking in,” and “Just following up,” and “Just wondering if you’d decided.” A former Google exec says this “permission” word is undermining your authority, and you need to cut down on your “J Count” pronto.

HEY LADY DIRECTORS! Read this please. Very important for notes, organizational emails  and LIFE.