Why Improv Can Make Your Storytelling Stronger

It’s 2015 and I’ve just become addicted to this thing called improvisational comedy. I’m consuming every bit of information I can find: taking classes, reading books, and Googling everything about it. I’m completely immersed.

Then I hear about an Improv performance just south of where I live. Obviously, I have to go and see it... and it is amazing! The characters, the music, the performers--they’re all mesmerizing! And I’m thinking, “There’s no way I’ll ever be as good as they are.”

After the show ends, the performers meet us outside the theater. I shake hands with one of them and say, “I’d love to be able to do what you do.” 

And he simply responds, “You can!”

Fast-forward seven years later, and not only is that performer my guest in this episode but he and I are starring in a play together! Tom Mueller has been a performer all his life. In fact, he has far-reaching family history with performance art.

If you’re curious to know:

What is competitive Improv and how does it work? How can powerful stories impact you (and the world around you) long after you first hear them?

Then enjoy the show as Tom and I talk about theater sports, the power of commitment to improvisational storytelling, and more!

• How to start a scene (or a speech) in a way that’ll engage your audience right away
• What makes a great story, from the theatrical Improv perspective
• What needs to be true for a character to be believable

Tom is the co-founder of the Ventura Improv Company (est. 1989) and comes from a theatrical family. He has had a storied career, including as a surgical orderly, radio announcer, tour guide in France, French and English teacher, technical writer, and instructional designer. In addition to his primary focus on Improv, Tom also enjoys performing scripted works, most recently at the Alcazar Theatre in Carpinteria, California. Like many improvisers, Tom sees the experience as enriching one’s life outside theater due to the close teamwork it requires.