Category Archives: Improv Diary

The improv diary is a place to record ideas in classwork, practice, and performance. It is by no means a replacement for solid improv education. It is provided for discussion, not in leu of improv training.

Unsolicited Advice About Auditions

Tuesday, March 24, 2009 – 9:44 pm

Here in New York it’s UCB Harold audition time. It’s the time of year when students gather outside of the UCB training center, in the freezing cold, to sign up for a prized audition slot. So it’s been for thousands of years… As someone who has auditioned before I thought I would share some of [...]

By Ben Whitehouse | Tagged | Comments (9)

The Note That Sent Me Further On A Voyage of Discovery

Tuesday, January 20, 2009 – 6:55 pm

When I first started taking improv classes in April/May of 1996 with the UCB Walsh, Besser, Ian and Amy were the only people teaching long form in New York. Indeed they were the only people teaching long form formally in New York for the next three years or so until Armando and Kevin Mullaney and [...]

By mstillman | Tagged , , | Comments (8)

2 Years at UCB

Thursday, July 24, 2008 – 10:52 am

July 5th (when I started writing this) marked my second anniversary of taking classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade New York. It’s been a fast 2 years, but when I think back to even just a year ago, I am a amazed how far I have come. There have been plateaus, peaks, and a [...]

By Ben Whitehouse | Tagged | Comments (15)

Lessons Learned from Musical Improv

Monday, April 21, 2008 – 2:21 pm

My Musical Improv 101 class at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade, taught by the incredibly talented Eliza Skinner, ended the other week. It was undoubtedly the most fun I’ve had in an improv class to date. Learning to sing improvised songs was a liberating experience, not only because singing is so much fun, but because it’s [...]

By Ben Whitehouse | Tagged | Comments (2)

…Last Week on The Raw Harold

Tuesday, March 25, 2008 – 1:05 pm

So, I told you guys it was a worthwhile show, but now I’m going to lay it down. I have seen a lot of improv in my time at UCB and the Raw Harold continues to be the best thing I have seen in a long time. Last week’s show was exceptional and the improvisers, [...]

By Ben Whitehouse | Also posted in Events | Comments (0)

Pick an Emotion

Friday, February 29, 2008 – 2:08 pm

I kind of feel, in my own work, that when I start to focus on one part of my performance — another part falls apart. This seems most true when I focus on game. When I focus on game I find most of my scenes get less and less of it. This is in part [...]

By Ben Whitehouse | Comments (0)