Hey there improvisers,

Your Improv Brain is back. I took a break for a while and I'm glad to be making episodes again.

If you've been around for earlier episodes, you know the show has always looked at improv through a neurodivergent lens when it made sense to. I'm keeping that going and leaning into it more (again). Every episode will include exercises you can practise with a partner and a solo modification, because I know a lot of you are working on this stuff on your own time, in your own space. That matters, and because I do a lot of solo improv and work, I want to support it.

I'm also going to start weaving in some nervous system regulation concepts as they connect to improv. I've been training in various approaches and there's a lot of overlap between what your body is doing and how you perform on stage. Will there maybe be some live meetups or something based on this? Perhaps! More on that soon.

This week's episode kicks off a short series on the top of the scene, initiations, and base reality. This one covers why backstory and exposition tend to stall your scenes and how starting in the middle of the action gives you momentum right away. I walk through two exercises: a partner drill where you identify and justify a physical action, and a solo version arbitrarily called Narrate This.

I've also included a few more episodes and resources below that you might want to check out if you're working on... improv stuff.

Thanks for (still) being here. More coming soon.

Jen

Watch, listen, or read

Here is the article for this week's episode, and the YouTube video and podcast are here:

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You don't need backstory: st... Feb 16 · Your Improv Brain 8:02   ​

More improv resources

Do you like improv exercises? Here are some ones to challenge yourself, or you/r class with some scene partners.

$5.00 Exercises to Ruin You Six exercises (for scene partners or solo practice) to practice your biggest challenges. These include examples,... Read more Get it now!

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Other fun episodes to check out

If you're working on voice work (acting, voice over, etc), this might be something you want to check out:

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