Quotes About Improv

I worked in Trenton, and then I got sidetracked into comedy and then onto 'SNL.' And then into being a live performer - what I do now; virtually that's what I am: I'm a live entertainer.

I'll do almost anything for a laugh.

For me, when I do my best acting, it's mainly imagination. Then I really have a lot of fun with it.

Gags die, humor doesn't

When I worked with Robin Williams, now there is improv! He is just as funny as you think he is. We did at least five or six takes of every scene, improvising every scene differently. He was a riot.

I think it's a lot richer than what we call fleshy improv, I think it's very funny, puppet improv and fleshy improv.

The improv stuff, that's always surprising so a lot of times that's really funny.

Being a fan of comedy, it's so unique, in their own voice. I was really stoked to be able to participate. They're so great at just coming up with stuff on the fly and making stuff funny.

You wouldn't know how to perform a sketch that you don't find funny. You just couldn't do it.

Almost every college playwright or sketch or improv comedian was sort of aware of Christopher Durang - even kids in high school. His short plays were so accessible to younger people and I think that was inspirational to me.

All actors are born comedians at heart.

There is no room for church mice in improv quilting. You have to own your ideas, your choices, and your determination.

The world of improv is a portal into mindfulness and magic.

Recall that improv is about accomplishing a shared goal. This requires flow, working together, and accepting what other people bring to the table regardless of what it is. That's the essence of "Yes, AND…" and the opposite of "Yes, BUT…

Rule of Improv Comedy: Be as present and observant as possible so you can see where an interaction is coming from, and where it wants to go. If you were to analyze really successful improv comedians like Jim Carrey, you will notice that he have a great knack for being in the moment.

Rule of Improv Comedy: React to everything put in front of you, because it was probably put there for a reason.

Rule of Improv Comedy: Don't force others to answer broad questions because it puts a conversational burden on them and interrupts banter.

was just unable to follow the very, simple rules of improv comedy because I was too self-conscious. It was the classic case of being too in your own head, which fuels the cycle of self-consciousness and impaired performance.

Improv comedy above all else teaches flow, and the ability to make something out of nothing – both of those things in pursuit of a common shared goal of a lasting interaction and deep connection with the people involved.

Rule of Improv Comedy: Provide specific details for people to relate to, react to, and run with.

Great storytelling and improv are all about setting the right framework with intimate details and telling the story that gets the right emotional payoffs from the crowd.

Rule of Improv Comedy: Never lead with "No." because it disregards the direction that someone wants to go and makes it more difficult to work towards a common, shared goal.

What I don't like is when I see stuff that I know has had a lot of improv done or is playing around where there's no purpose to the scene other than to just be funny. What you don't want is funny scene, funny scene, funny scene, and now here's the epiphany scene and then the movie's over.