Show overview
Improv, Beat by Beat has been publishing since 2017, and across the 3 years since has built a catalogue of 27 episodes. That works out to roughly 25 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a roughly quarterly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 44 min and 1h 13m — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. The publisher flags most episodes as explicit, so expect adult themes or strong language throughout. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Comedy show.
The catalogue appears to be on hiatus or wound down — the most recent episode landed 6.1 years ago, with no new episodes in over a year. The busiest year was 2017, with 14 episodes published. Published by Curtis Retherford.
From the publisher
A podcast about improv, explored one piece at a time.
Latest Episodes
View all 27 episodes27 – Goodbye, UCB NY
UCB has recently shut down its last permanent theater and training center. I asked people to share what UCB NY meant to […]
26 – Advice
EI asked many of the people I interviewed the same question: what advice would you give an improvisor in their first year […]
25 – The Movie
EThis episode focuses on a fun, but often difficult form, the Movie. One of the original forms developed by Del Close, the […]
24 – The Spokane aka the Pretty Flower
EThis episode focuses on the form of many names, the Spokane / Pretty Flower / Delicate Little Flower / Gadget / Family […]
23 – Coaching, Part 2
EHow should a coach structure a practice session? What are some exercises to use? How is coaching a house team different from […]
22 – Coaching, Part 1
EWhat makes a great coach? How do you become a great coach? How do you give helpful notes? None of those questions […]
21 – Best Notes, Part 2
EOnce again, each improvisor recounts the notes that shaped their understanding of improv or their understanding of themselves as improvisors. Featuring John […]
20 – Why Do You Do Improv?
EI asked a bunch of improvisors a simple question: “Why do you do improv?” Featuring answers from Nicole Drespel, Kevin Hines, Devin Ritchie, Achilles Stamatelaky, David […]
19 – Cliches and Gaps
E19 different improvisors discuss the cliches they are tired of seeing and the gaps between the improvised worlds we create and the […]
18 – Jams
EAn improv jam is basically an open mic for improv: anyone who goes can throw their name in a bucket to do […]
17 – Musical Improv
EMusical improv is exactly what it sounds like: an improvised musical. A bit of dialogue, and then a lot of singing and […]
16 – House Teams
EA house team is a team that is created to perform regularly at a particular theater. At UCB NY, there are 3 […]
15 – Forms
EYour first several years of learning long form improv will likely focus on scenework, the Harold, montages, and perhaps another form or […]
14 – The Monoscene
EThe Monoscene is a form in which the location never changes: there are no edits. In this episode, we talk about how […]
13 – Acting
EImprov scenes should be more than just reciting lines. In this episode, we talk about how acting influences improv, and how to […]
12 – The Harold: 2nd and 3rd Beats
EIn a Harold, after the first beats and the first group game, the team returns to the first 3 games for second […]
11 – Auditioning
EMost theaters hold auditions to add people to their house teams. Every year around 600 people audition for UCBNY house teams. Molly […]
10 – The Harold: Group Games
EIn a Harold, in between each set of beats is a group scene. These scenes can be tough if the entire team […]
09 – Best Notes
EEach improvisor recounts the notes that shaped their understanding of improv or their understanding of themselves as improvisors. Featuring Jessica Morgan, Lydia Hensler, Jesse Lee, Jenny […]
08 – The Harold: 1st Beats
EThe 1st beats of the Harold are the most important part of the Harold. In each 1st beat, the ideas from the […]