Author: Jules Munns
When to ignore your instincts
Hands up if you have heard something like this in an improv class: ‘Say the first thing that comes into your head.’ ‘Go with your gut.’ ‘You know the answer.’ ‘Just see what happens.’ (The last one is even the subtitle of our level one syllabus.) How many hands are…
What’s in a game?
Game is a word that gets used a lot in improvisation. A lot. And being a wordy kind of guy, I am always cautious of words that get overused.; they get rough around the edges, lose their function. I like my words precise. Let’s start by defining the four most…
Too much of a good thing
A couple of weeks ago, perhaps unsurprisingly, I was teaching a Harold class. New-ish to it, the class had just worked their way through the form. It had been fun, but difficult. Memories were stretched, brains overloaded. And as we finished, haltingly, unsure if the question was allowed, a…
How to Speak to Humans – Part 1
After our announcement last week, I got quite a few emails. Some were requests, some ideas, some questions. And quite a few were asking me how I approach the slug problem. …
Slugs, change and what to expect in the next year
After our announcement last week, I got quite a few emails. Some were requests, some ideas, some questions. And quite a few were asking me how I approach the slug problem. …
An announcement about the future
Hello. This is an announcement from AndAlso and The Maydays. We are two companies with a lot of crossover, both in our aims and our personnel. We both love improv, both as an art form and as a form of self development. In fact, the founders of And Also met…
I am not your therapist
‘I love improv’, said a student, looking me intently in the eyes, ‘It’s so much cheaper than a shrink’. We are leaning on a bar after class (his third). He bottom-lips beer froth off a thick mustache and looks towards the dartboard, considering what he could buy with the money…
An Improviser’s Guide to Stoicism
Stoicism is one of those words that, through careless usage, has come adrift from its origins. Like ‘awesome’, or ‘literally’. With a small ‘s’, it just means enduring hardship without displaying emotions. But with its imperious capital letter, Stoiscism is a rich and immediate philosophy. It doesn’t deny or minimise…
The Three Least Sexy Words in Improv
Come to my improv class (we tell you) and be (we promise you) finally, truly free! Step into the void and discover that others will catch you. You may even catch yourself. You were worried about tripping, but instead you soar on liberated wings. Dream with me, little one. Improv…
Twelve Books that aren’t about Improv (but also kind of are)
I don’t read many improv books. I mean, I have read a few, but when I do, I find my mind wandering. Static verbal descriptions of a dynamic artform are not for me – I’d rather be doing it, or at least talking about it. Ideally both, back and forward.
Why Every Improviser in the World Should Study the Harold
Did I pique your interest with that provocative title? Are you primed to splutter indignantly? Have I sold out and written deliberate clickbait? Am I desperate? Or am I blindly, insensitively universalising my own tastes? (But then, don’t we all?) I expect all of the above are true, but so…