A lot of great information was provided by a lot of people. Enough info, in fact, that it will be broken up into three parts to make it digestible. I want to thank everyone who submitted, but since I have the opportunity, here are some folks who did not submit anonymously. Anonymous or not, all the comments were valuable.

-          Nate Smith

-          Katie

-          Zach Moore

-          Nick McEnery

-          Donny

-          John Langen

-          Dustin Reppell

-          Zach...

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Let's get real. There are two reasons you don't care about the "Proactive Approach." 1) You're a human living in USA 2014 so you don't have time. 2) You're an improviser, so planning is for lames.

Okay, point taken. (Please don't get mad if I don't entirely agree with you, but what is important is that I have felt the way you do right now.) Regardless whether you do or don't take a proactive approach, the following might be useful to you.

Here are CORE's nuggets for getting rid of the creeping ...
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Do you trust yourself onstage yet?

I hope the answer is yes, but let's get real. It's not always going to be that way. Some days are better than others and there's no explanation for it. Self doubt comes like a thief in the night.

I was sitting in a meeting today, peering down at the agenda, and realized - gadzooks - I might be expected to present something here. My mind clouded and I started fumbling around on my laptop, rapidly gathering information I might need to sound like a coherent pers...
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A student once told me that the most valuable phrase they heard me tell them was "Trust Yourself." Don't get me wrong, I'm not bragging about inventing a"Just Do It" phrase. Trust Yourself isn't exactly bold new territory. In fact, I was a little fed up at the time because the performer - who is very talented - was worrying over the details of a new game he was learning. When he committed to trusting himself, he rocked the scene. It was a breakthrough for him. 

That "Trust youself" moment reso...
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I am very glad a few more members of the local STL improv community had the chance to be exposed to the phenomenon that is the Missouri Thespian Conference this year. If there is anywhere in the world where the interest level on the improvometer gets further into the red zone than at MST, I am not sure I want to go there. MST is about as much as I ever want to handle. Anything more would be riotous. 

The key is that high school students have this time set aside for them to delve into something...
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162 games in the regular season. The game ends either after nine innings, or after a tie ends, whichever comes first. And what do the innings consist of? 90% of the game is an interaction between a batter, a pitcher, and a catcher that goes like this: Pitch. Catch.

Occasionally, there is a swing. Only about 1 out of 4 at bats result in a batter getting on base. According to the ERA or the average starting pitcher, each team will probably score 4 runs or fewer, per game.

People call this a bori...
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August is approaching and with it, new improvisors. Would you please comment here with some advice for the beginning improvisor?

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A friend of mine, Matt, is a fan of all things interesting. He brought this to my attention. It's a theory adopted by military fighter pilots.

OODA Loop

O = Observe
O = Orient
D = Decide
A = Act

The loop goes in that order, but always repeats for the person engaged in conflict. Here's the massive quote: "An entity (whether an individual or an organization) that can process this cycle quickly, observing and reacting to unfolding events more rapidly than an opponent, can thereby "get inside" the op...
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Missouri Thespian Conference was, as always, very rewarding. One of the perks of being an improv coach is getting to "Prov It Up" with hundreds of excited students. It's a privilege.

Steven Vance and I ran Improv Bootcamp, which uses pace as a tool for getting instincts and heart (or, as Steven likes to call it, Micro and Meta) to think in sync. So scenes were done a hyper-speed and in awkward, slow, pensive speed.

What did we learn?

1. Slow scenes are better when the relationships are about rel...
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Over time, the mind of an improviser goes through a change that  in many ways it mirrors the development of a child moving into adulthood. It also mirrors spiritual development so closely, improv studies could be a powerful tool for churches and youth groups.

It's probably a lot more complex than this, but growth as an improviser seems dependent on how one handles a conversation between three points: 1) the outside world 2) instincts, and 3) the heart. Take the word "heart" how you will, but ...
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"Imagine you are a child standing on a sidewalk, watching your parents in a parade. They are walking along, handing out treats. You are very excited to see your heroes come closer and your heart pounds as you anticipate the chance to nab one of the candies that comes from them. But withing a few feet, you are shocked to see they only give candy to specific people. In fact, they are ignore many of the parade watchers, and they only give candy to specific adults - people who trade knowing winks...
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Hello Doctor. I submit for you today Exhibit A, B and C.
 
Exhibit A
Most of us have had anxiety dreams. Ever had dream where you walk into class to take an exam and you realize you did not study? Or better yet, show up to perform the lead role in a play and realize you do not know your lines?

Exhibit B
If you improvise, you probably have had a conversation that goes something like this:

    OTHER PERSON: So where are you going?
    YOU: Improv rehearsal.
    OP: Improv rehearsal?
    Y: Yes
    OP: I...
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This past weekend was the Quad Show at Parkway North. All of the four schools came together and battled for the title of, well, winner. (There's not really an incentive for winning. It's more about making the audience happy.) One scene in particular stood out to me for reasons that wouldn't stand out to the audience.

Hunh? Let me lay it out for you.

Here's the scene: Shortform. Blind Line. Four students on stage at the same time. The plot is three children want to buy a nuclear submarine and a ...
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In general, you are confident. You always choose your words wisely and delivery them eloquently. When people describe you, they use words like classy, composed, and posed. When you walk into the room, other people smile your way because - gosh darn it - you make them feel better about themselves, just by proximity.

What is above describes no one I know.

I have known people who come close to this description in one way or another, but when you get down to it, we're all broken people. It's part ...
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