The 'YES AND' Technique

Series Summary

Some would say that improvisational comedy is the purest form of comedy. It is the art of feeding off of other comedians and making up jokes on the fly as a performance progresses. There are many different games and techniques that are associated with improv comedy and when these are applied in a performance setting they allow for not only character interaction but also audience interaction. A very good example of this is the show “Who’s Line Is It Anyway.” In this show the actors/ comedians are given assignments and must make up content as the game goes on. They use props, each other and even people in the crowd as proponents for laughs.

For any comedian, aspiring or professional, this video series is a must see. Actually for anyone at all, the value of these clips to help with social interaction is also astounding. There is more to improv than just games. We improvise on a daily basis in every situation. Improv is only a reaction to something. This series will teach you how to feed off of your surroundings and react in a positive and spontaneous way. You will also learn how to make better choices in your everyday experiences. So whether you are a comedian or not take a look at these videos. They may help you more than you think!

Video Transcript

"On behalf of Expert Village, this is Paul Zuckerman with the cast of Chicago City Limits here in New York City, and today we're going to show you some techniques for improvisational comedy. Yes and is like and monture for improvisers. You get an offer from your scene partner and you add to it building upon that idea. Let's see how it looks. It's Tuesday. Yep. The big game. You win this one, pal. You are going to big state. I'm just so nervous because you know the last time I was in a pressure situation last year. I really choked on the mound, coach. Yeah, but look, you had a lot of pressure on you at that point. You had your girlfriend. Now, you're focused, now you're single. Your whole goal is big state. She broke up with me when I choked, coach. That's a good thing, Stephen. That's a good thing. You lost the girl, now you're focused. Now you can do what's important in life. You're right, coach. Coach, you're not going to leave me right? Eventually, I'll have to. You mean if I choke coach? No, no, no, you'll leave me."