So you’re out of class, in class or a vet looking to start a new team. It’s exciting! You have the opportunity to do something new, maybe a new form, the Harold or who knows. I’ve been on a ton of teams…a ton. And I think I can safely say what works in making a successful improv troupe. This blog is a guideline to help lead you to making a successful troupe.
1. Have a plan: That’s right have a plan. You don’t need to know what you’re going to do form-wise yet, but have an idea on who you want on the team, why you want to do this, where you’d like to perform and what your goals might be.
2.Make a team of people you like: You can hold auditions that’s fine, but I recommend putting people on your team that you like. People you respect and like to be around that know how to improvise. An improv team becomes a family unit whether you like it or not. If you deny that aspect of it, your team will fail. Also, have people you’d like to hang out with outside of improv. Hang out! Get to know each other. It’s more than just rehearsal it’s a bonding experience.
3. Get an experienced coach: I can’t express this enough. If you don’t get a coach your chances of failure are huge. I don’t care if you’re a student or a vet you need a coach. For Vets this might not mean every week, but at least a tune up here and there. Having your teammates coach each other is a slippery slope and not recommended. You need to grow as a team and you’re going to need that outside eye. “But we can’t afford a coach.” I hear this so much and it’s annoying. You can if you care about what you’re doing and want to get better. Coaching fees range from $40-$80 for two hours depending on the experience of the coach. I can understand for a two-person show that can be steep but for most teams it comes out to about $10 a rehearsal. That’s a STEAL!!! Get a coach or you won’t get better.
4. Get committed: Make sure you get people that are committed performers and artists. Don’t put flakes on your team, even if they are talented. “Eh but she/he is so funny we can let that slide.” NO! It will take your team down. Don’t bend over backwards for a vet or talented person that is not committed. A true professional is committed.
5. Choose a decent team name: Fart Brigade, Laughy Taffy…NO! Stop it. Look to the successful improv teams for help on this: Beer Shark Mice, Cook County Social Club, USS Rock N’ Roll. Simple, clear and it means something to them. Your name says a lot about you as a team. The last thing a theatre or festival wants to list on their site is Fart Brigade. It’s the gateway to your team. Tacky or pun driven names are a recipe for disaster and makes your work look cheap and underappreciated from the get go. Treat your audience and yourself like poets and scholars.
6. Rehearse regularly: I’m not talking everyday. I always recommend to my teams that they rehearse at least three to four times a month and hang out one day a month together. I think the hanging out is just as important as rehearsal.
I’m sure there are a ton more, but these tips are essential in guiding you in the right direction to make a successful team. Now it’s not perfect, such is improv, but it will help you. You can have a team of the most talented people on it and it may not work. Why? Who the hell knows it’s improv. Improv is like a rose, it is beautiful when it wants to be but can sometimes prick you with its thorn. Remember to come from a place of fun and love. If you at least start with this attitude you’re already well on your way!
Nick Armstrong
Onstage Nick has trained at The Groundlings and iO West. You can catch him performing regularly at the world-famous iO West in Hollywood, CA on the famed genre-based group Kind Strangers and LA’s Longest and Critically Acclaimed Harold Team King Ten. Nick is also the Camp Director and Founder of Improv Utopia. And if that wasn’t enough, he is also one of the founding members of the National Improv Network.
