“Life is an improvisation, you have no idea what’s going to happen next, and you are mostly just making things up as you go along.”
Chicago improv alumni, Stephen Colbert (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert), said this at the 2011 commencement ceremony at his alma matter, Northwestern University.
While we go through life with some semblance of organization and an expectation of what our future may hold, be it tomorrow or years from now, the truth is we just don’t really know what is coming next. This is a perfect metaphor for what an improv show is like for both, the audience and performers. The anticipation of the unknown is the backbone of a truly entertaining improv performance.
Classes and workshops at The HOME Comedy Theater help us understand that things we find chaotic can be made more mild by adopting an improv mindset to our everyday life. This approach benefits our personal lives, professional lives, and especially our emotional and mental state of mind. Let’s explore this broader meaning of improvisation and its application in real-world situations, and have some fun doing it!
Improvisation Basics
The official definition of improvisation is to create and perform (music, drama, or verse) spontaneously or without preparation.
As improvisation relates to improv comedy performances, this definition is only partially true. To say improv is performed without preparation is disingenuous to the many improv theaters and performers around the world. No aspiring comedian or performer simply walks on stage and is automatically funny or interesting. A large amount of effort goes into crafting the skills it takes to perform, whether it’s writing, performing, or practicing with your improv troupe.
In everyday life, we improvise our way through social interactions, meetings, parenting, and many other things. There may be a routine in place to check boxes to remain productive people in a society, but the parts in between are where improv shows itself. Finding creativity or humor in these everyday situations is where seasoned comedians and improv performers thrive. Legendary Chicago improv innovator and instructor Del Close relates improv to life in this way:
“The truth is funny. Honest moments are funny. In life, just like in improv, being real and vulnerable is what connects us.”
Everyday Improv: How A Comedy Show Imitates Life
Before a typical improv show even begins, performers will often have a short intro to the show that works as a sort “warm-up session” with the audience to help to break the ice. At the top of a show, one person typically handles the hosting duties by introducing the group to the audience, much like what may be considered small talk with you first meet someone and take a brief period to convey your personality to a stranger.
Then the show is introduced with a brief description of what the audience can expect to experience. We might call this our “daily routine” where we have a plan for the day, be it errands, work meetings, or social engagements.
There are two main styles of Improv performances: “long-form” or “short-form”.
Short-form Improv
A Short Form improv is show comprised of several “games” with specific set of rules that are explained before each game that typically last about 3-5 minutes each. The best example of short form improv is the popular tv game show, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
If you’ve ever watched that show, you are already familiar with Short Form improv. Some examples of the games used in short form shows are:
Questions Only – This game can be played two different ways. It can be performed as a two-person scene where the players can only use questions as lines of dialogue while maintaining a coherent scene. It can also be played as a line game with two lines of people on each side of the stage. Two people face each other and take turns asking rapid-fire questions of each other. If one person fails to respond in the form of a question, they are “eliminated” from the game, and so on, until there is one ‘winner’.
Freeze Tag – Typically played with more than 6 people on stage, this game is played by having two people start a scene and the rest form a backline on stage. At any moment during the scene, a player from the back line can yell “Freeze!”, at which point both players will freeze in place, and the person that yelled “Freeze!” would tag one player out, taking their exact physical position, then start a brand new scene with a line of dialogue inspired by the physical position they just took.
Long-form Improv
Long Form improv is a show with several improvised scenes that are inspired by one single suggestion, taken from the audience at the beginning of the show). During the show, characters, plot lines, and themes are introduced and then recur in a series of interconnected scenes.
There are different styles of Long Forms, where the shows have a specific structure followed by the performers that are meant to be more artistic for both the performers and audience members. An example of a Long Form performance piece is the one called ‘The Harold’.
Widely credited to have been created by Del Close, The Harold is a performance structure that typically has four distinct sections and can last anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes.
In its most basic form, The Harold ‘structure’ could be described as having the entire group come together at the top of the show to explore a single audience suggestion in various ways in order to comes up with a general “theme” of the show in what is referred to as “The Opening”.
This is then followed by 3 improvised scenes that contain characters and storylines inspired by the overall theme of the show that was generated in the “Opening”. All three of these scenes together are one “performance segment” of the show, which in improv lingo are called “beats”. In this case, all three scenes are considered the “first beat” of the Harold.
After those three scenes (“first beat”), the group comes together again on stage to continue to explore the theme of the show in various ways, like a mini-performance within the show. Because this is always something fun to do as a group, like playing a game with your friends, it was aptly called a “Group Game” in the Harold.
A Harold typically includes three “beats” and two “group games”. In the second and third “beats”, scenes and elements from earlier should begin to connect and intersect and culminate in a series of callbacks to earlier characters or storylines. Believe us, it’s much more enjoyable to see it in a live show than to read about it here.
Cognitive & Social Growth
Let’s dig a bit deeper into how skills learned in improv classes and workshops translate to personal improvement both socially and mentally.
Improved Communication
From the first day you enter an improv class, you begin to cultivate a new era in your communication skills. You will be challenged to expand your listening skills and react in a different and meaningful way. The give and take of a worthwhile conversation is very much like what we see in improv, where the subject is elevated as it progresses. Improv helps us harness that natural give-and-take and makes us more patient and effective conversationalists.
Building Confidence and Resilience
When we’re gathering with friends, family, or those we’re familiar with, we’re typically at ease in conversation. In these situations if you find the topic waning, it feels more natural to conclude the chat. However, when we’re interacting in a more consequential conversation like a job interview or a first date, we can seize up a little bit at the gravity of the situation.
In improv, there is never any judgment. Interactions with the other performers consistently evolve the more you practice as you learn to embrace the fact you never really can know where a conversation or interaction may be heading. As your conversation skills become sharper and more meaningful, you’ll learn new and different ways to avoid panic and remain present and in the moment, which monumentally helpful in improv, but also in our daily interactions.
Find Community & Belonging
Aside from the new communication methods you learn in an improv class, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll make some new friends. In groups where people gather to practice or work towards a common goal like theater or sports, you are embedded with like minded people who often share your values. It’s only natural to want to hang out with these people outside of these settings and cultivate deeper relationships.
Improv & Business
Whether you work in a field where you regularly interact with people or clients, or you have a more sedentary position where you may only have a meeting here or there, learning improv skills can help create a natural bridge between work life and home life.
On stage, skills like active listening, adaptability and flexibility, and collaboration and teamwork are all necessary to help create an interesting and (hopefully) funny improv comedy show.
In business, those same skills can hugely improve how you interact and collaborate with your co-workers or clients and how you lead a team.
Want to know more about what can be learned from improv for your business? Check out our improv training for business professionals.
Careers Involving Improv
You don’t have to be a world-renowned actor to have a successful career with improv connections. While following in the footsteps of legendary performers like Bill Murray or Tina Fey, there are several other ways where improv can help be a financial benefit.
Improv Instructor & Teacher
Those who choose to teach improv are rewarded by seeing the fruit of their efforts come to life on stage. To become an improv teacher or coach, you need a good amount of performance experience as well as a solid instructional experience with great teachers and coaches whose valuable lessons you can help spread. The journey to teaching improv classes is not to be taken lightly, and it takes years of dedicated focus.
The improv instructors at The HOME Comedy Theater come with a vast history of experience, mentorship, and knowledge that has allowed them fall in love with this art. They also have the drive to share that love with anyone who enters our doors. Aside from a paycheck, the reward is watching their students blossom from newbies to full technicolor performance artists.
Writing & Producing
While true improv is spontaneous, there are still elements of structure that need to be crafted to make it flow. Learning to write for comedy performances is a skill many may think they would excel at, but it is not as easy as it may appear. Finding a comedic voice that resonates with audiences, no matter how niche, takes time to develop. Before you can ascend to the heights of Adam McKay and Tina Fey, we recommend taking improv classes and least one comedy writing class.
To rise to the level of successful producers like Judd Apatow or Mike Judge, takes an additional level of education. Producing comedy TV shows, movies, and live performance requires leveraging everything you’ve learned from any classes you’ve taken, comedy clubs you’ve frequented, and every ounce of intel you’ve pulled from your mentors. Once you’ve found that unique comedic voice, and spent enough time backstage and observing from directors chairs , it will be much easier to move into a production role and help mentor others.
Say Yes, And… To Improv In Your Life
Improv offers much more than just entertainment—it provides a powerful framework for navigating the unpredictability of life. As Stephen Colbert aptly put it, “Life is an improvisation,” and this mindset can help us embrace the unknown with curiosity, humor, and resilience. Improv teaches essential skills like active listening, adaptability, and collaboration, which translate into personal growth, stronger communication, and even professional success. Whether it’s building confidence, connecting with others, or becoming a better problem solver, the lessons of improv are truly applicable to every facet of life.
Embrace the improv mindset, and you’ll discover that life’s unexpected moments are often the most rewarding.
If you think you have it in you to one day be anointed an improv comedy legend, or you just want to break out of hibernation during a cold Chicago winter, take that first step and check out our upcoming class schedule and start your improv journey today!