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Performers are August Butler, Becky Coppa, Shannon Rodriguez, Jason Stamm, and Jenny Stout [wpvideo iSS39pEG]

MY THREE RULES – Everyone in a circle.  Here are my three rules. Rule #1: To pass to your right or left, you turn to that person and say their name. Rule #2: To return the pass right back to the person who just spoke to you, say YOUR name. Rule #3: To pass to […]

Want to see a Pivot in action?  Watch this Organic Group Game from the Johnsons. [wpvideo EnKQwX75]

Watch the Johnsons heighten the mechanics of an emotionally active first beat into a fun found-joke. [wpvideo gq7ZwXcT]

Watch as the Johnsons' pattern recognition skills bring down the house and the lights. [wpvideo zYVtL4UX]

There are no mistakes in patterns. If a progression builds A, B, C and Z, "Z" is not a mistake, it's just something to be acknowledged and made part of the pattern. If A, B, C, and Z, then D, E, F and Y. There are no mistakes in patterns. The clearer and cleaner a pattern […]

"Do we have to stick the sequence in Hey Everybody games?" students ask. No. Of course not. Play organically. Follow the game where it goes. Don't ever feel constrained by the pattern. But. There's power in the pattern. Watch the following Hey Everybody game from a Johnsons' show. It ain't pretty, but it's illustrative. Watch […]

Pasted and attached below are Best Practices for Improv Teachers.  From "making the curriculum your own" to "take your class out for drinks the first night," this document has tips for managing your classes better. Got any to add?  Hit up that Comments space.

I'm enamored by memories of the Chicago teams "People of Earth" and "American Dream." Often an audience member remembers a show by the handful of great scenes it produced. These groups of talented improvisers created memorable shows because the scenes built on each other to create a singular experience. This post aims to provide some […]

Watch this scene, starring Scott Beckett as "Mr. Johnson" and Jonathan Nelson as "Jeeves."