One of the beautiful things about improv is its abundance of folk wisdom — sayings and stories handed down over the years from group to group, teacher to teacher, polished and honed in the telling and retelling until they shine with the luster of truth. Periodically I’ll post a few of these priceless gems, and why I think anybody interested in getting deeper into the improvisation of business should take note.
The following list appears in my book, GameChangers. It was handed out at the beginning of a class I took at I. O. West in Los Angeles, by our teacher, Jason Pardo. The list came to Jason by way of improv legend Mick Napier, under whom Jason had studied in Chicago. (Napier is Artistic Director of the Annoyance Theater in Chicago and author of Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out. ) The GameChangers translation of each tip appears in italics .
TIPS FOR BEING A KICKASS STUDENT AND POWERFUL PERFORMER