Episodes

UCB has recently shut down its last permanent theater and training center. I asked people to share what UCB NY meant to them. Featuring Molly Gaebe, Ian Dyer, Ryan Barker, Rachel Taenzler, Pat Baer, Sonya Saepoff, Ray Cordova, Harsha Vardhan Dasarathy, Bert James, Elisa Ballou, Paris Adkins, Liz Noth, Alex French, Jon Marballi, Betsy Helmer, Dan LoPreto, Joe Leonardo, Jaime Lutz, Alejandro Cardona, Brett White, Aaron Kheifets, Johnna Scrabis, Mark Dowling, Maritza Montanez, Billy Galante, and Ni...

I asked many of the people I interviewed the same question: what advice would you give an improvisor in their first year doing improv? Featuring Maritza Montañez, Liz Noth, Chris Scott, Morgan Phillips, Will Hines, Bill DiPiero, Achilles Stamatelaky, Ashley Ward, Ray Cordova, Sebastian Conelli, Joey Price, Patrick Noth, Kevin Mullaney, Lily Du, Nicole Drespel, Lou Gonzalez, Kevin Hines, Kelsey Bailey, Beth Appel, Molly Thomas, Alex Dickson, Jessica Morgan, Jesse Lee, John Timothy, James Dwyer, a...

This episode focuses on a fun, but often difficult form, the Movie. One of the original forms developed by Del Close, the Movie is not performed as regularly as some other forms, but it can be rewarding to learn and get good at, and it’s easy for audiences to follow. Featuring David Bluvband, James Dwyer, John Timothy, Rudy Behrens, and Kevin Mullaney. Hosted by Liz Noth and Curtis Retherford.

This episode focuses on the form of many names, the Spokane / Pretty Flower / Delicate Little Flower / Gadget / Family Guy / so on and so on. We discuss how to do the form, and why it may be a great fit for your team or why it may not be. Featuring Sebastian Conelli, Jake Cornell, Patrick Noth, Maritza Montañez, Kelsey Bailey, Jesse Lee, and Lindsay Calleran. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

How should a coach structure a practice session? What are some exercises to use? How is coaching a house team different from coaching a practice group? These are all questions? Featuring Jenny St. Angelo, Sebastian Conelli, Lindsay Calleran, Johnna Scrabis, Liz Noth, and Will Hines. Co-produced by Alejandro Cardona, and hosted by Curtis Retherford.

What makes a great coach? How do you become a great coach? How do you give helpful notes? None of those questions get answered. Featuring Bill DiPiero, Achilles Stametalaky, Lily Du, Devin Ritchie, Chris Scott, Jenny St. Angelo, Liz Noth, Lou Gonzalez, Sebastian Conelli, Ray Cordova, Nicole Drespel, co-produced by Alejandro Cardona, and hosted by Curtis Retherford.

Once again, each improvisor recounts the notes that shaped their understanding of improv or their understanding of themselves as improvisors. Featuring John Timothy, Beth Appel, Ashley Ward, Jake Cornell, X Mayo, Terry Withers, Maritza Montañez, Kevin Mullaney, David Bluvband, Lindsay Calleran, Rudy Behrens, and Cathryn Mudon. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

I asked a bunch of improvisors a simple question: “Why do you do improv?” Featuring answers from Nicole Drespel, Kevin Hines, Devin Ritchie, Achilles Stamatelaky, David […]

19 different improvisors discuss the cliches they are tired of seeing and the gaps between the improvised worlds we create and the world we live in. What do they see too much of, and what do they not see enough of? Featuring Achilles Stamatelaky, Will Hines, Jenny St. Angelo, Kevin Mullaney, Kevin Hines, Bill DiPiero, Molly Thomas, Morgan Phillips, Jesse Lee, Kelsey Bailey, Jessica Morgan, Lydia Hensler, Liz Noth, Lou Gonzalez, Devin Ritchie, Lily Du, Johnna Scrabis, Lindsay Calleran, & Sebastia...

An improv jam is basically an open mic for improv: anyone who goes can throw their name in a bucket to do scenes with the jam hosts. They can be stressful and intimidating, but they’re also a great way to get over nervousness over being on stage, to learn how to play with people of many different skill levels, and to get to know more people in your improv community. Featuring Devin Ritchie, X Mayo, Lydia Hensler, Kelsey Bailey, and Cathryn Mudon. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

Musical improv is exactly what it sounds like: an improvised musical. A bit of dialogue, and then a lot of singing and […]

A house team is a team that is created to perform regularly at a particular theater. At UCB NY, there are 3 […]

Your first several years of learning long form improv will likely focus on scenework, the Harold, montages, and perhaps another form or […]

The Monoscene is a form in which the location never changes: there are no edits. In this episode, we talk about how […]

Improv scenes should be more than just reciting lines. In this episode, we talk about how acting influences improv, and how to […]

In a Harold, after the first beats and the first group game, the team returns to the first 3 games for second […]

Most theaters hold auditions to add people to their house teams. Every year around 600 people audition for UCBNY house teams. Molly […]

In a Harold, in between each set of beats is a group scene. These scenes can be tough if the entire team […]

Each improvisor recounts the notes that shaped their understanding of improv or their understanding of themselves as improvisors. Featuring Jessica Morgan, Lydia Hensler, Jesse Lee, Jenny […]

The 1st beats of the Harold are the most important part of the Harold. In each 1st beat, the ideas from the […]

The Pattern Game is one of the fundamental Harold openings. It can seem intimidating at first, but once mastered it can be […]

The Invocation is an opening developed by Del Close for the Harold. In this episode, Will Hines and Achilles Stamatelaky convince me […]

After a team gets a suggestion, they typically do an opening of some sort to generate the ideas they will explore within […]

The Harold is one of the fundamental longform improv structures, but it isn’t easy, at least at first. But once it’s mastered, […]