Hi! I’m Will Hines and I am not that good at improv. At least not naturally. I’m very naturally good at computer programming, memorizing lists and being fussy about things like fonts. But in the very basic improv skills of being comfortable on stage and staying present and being charismatic and doing fun characters: I am very much not natural at those things.

Yet, here I am, one of the best goddamn improvisers in the world. How the fuck did I do it? This is how:

be brave

never be freaked out/preoccupied by any base reality



always do the scary thing (accents, dancing, stepping out, or NOT stepping out, being emotional, being honest)

be authentic

react, a bit more, in a fun way

let things in the scene change you

play with difficult people



bad people



people who are funny but seem to do it wrong



(the trick: you assume they mean well)



be funny



keep patterns going, until they’re used up





be unnecessarily specific



make the surprising choice, then explain yourself





pick the wrong side of every argument



That is my current guess.