Personalities of Improv By City

An unfair summary, hastily compiled

Cities are people, dig?

Living here in Los Angeles, I’ve seen people move here for their dreams. As an improv teacher, I’ve especially seen lots of improvisers come here. That means I’ve gotten to know many people who used to be major players in their regional scene move here.

Which means I’ve gotten to know, indirectly, lots of improv cities.

So I thought it would be fun to describe my impression of each city’s improv personality.

Before I do this, please know that this list is my very incomplete impression, often based on, like, five people from the last 10 years. In other words, I know it’s wrong. I do really want to hear disagreements and corrections from people. But I’m from NYC, and we like to do unflattering impressions of people (see below).

I lived in NYC for 17 years and now LA for 10. The quality of my guesses drops from there! Ok here we go!

NOTE: When I wrote this, clowning classes and shows were a huge thing in LA so for every city, I addressed what I think their attitude toward clowning would be. So I end up with way too many references to clowning below.

New York City improvisers

• Are so over it they can’t even tell you.

• User their real selves as their characters. No wigs, music, object work or acting.

• Tell you every 10 seconds how stupid LA is, where they lived for 15 years and are moving back to in a month

• Are used to cool smart audiences. Their improv sets start uncommitted, end extremely surreal, and feature callbacks to previous shows.

• Cannot believe we are really doing this clowning thing now.

Los Angeles improvisers

• Are psyched to see you! Oh my God! Great show!

• Believe a good sketch idea is doing Jurassic Park beat for beat.

• Can stock a costume shop with what’s in their trunk.

• Are used to stoned audiences. Out of courtesy, their sets stay very literal and do not mention books.

• Have seen every movie and television show of the last 30 years.

• Are like “Hooray! Clowning!” about clowning

Chicago improvisers

• Actually studied with whoever it is you are quoting right now.

• Are ready to say how you’re doing the Harold wrong.

• Are used to the most improv tolerant audiences. Doesn’t require a laugh from the audience for the first 45 minutes of their set.

• Prefer object work to having an actual idea.

• Have one friend who is a millionaire in LA and are totally not weird or mad about it

• Have kind of done clowning and may have been in a group that actually sort of invented it

Philadelphia improvisers

• After the set, will be drunk at the bar reading a Pulitzer Prize winning novel from 1952

• Do Harolds, but prefer to keep them unstructured. Although they also drove to NY to take 4 levels of improv without telling anyone

• Are both passionately queer-friendly and will start a fist fight about football

• Are used to argumentative audiences. Sketch shows are mostly presentational scenes involving yelling.

• Are the surprise star of their clowning class

Washington D.C. improvisers

• All have competitive day jobs. They have an updated resume in their Google Drive right now. Are on LinkedIn.

• Actually read the codes of conduct before pressing “agree.”

• Are used to uncool audiences who like to be home by 7pm.

• Are smart, make confident eye contact, dress professionally

• Will happily do clowning if it expands their network

Seattle improvisers

• Are on teams where everyone is capable of streaming the show to Twitch

• Are used to overworked audiences with short attention spans. Shows have improv, music, sketch, jazz, poetry and dance.

• Used to tour with a band

• Learned about game of the scene from listening to podcasts

• Have never heard of clowning, too busy doing TikTok

Portland improvisers

• Have studied at 10 improv theaters, all within walking distance of their house.

• Biked here.

• Are used to issue-oriented audiences who’s most radical comedy experience is watching SNL past 12:30.

• Want shows that are queer-friendly, green, anti-capitalist, showcases for under-representative voices and also have short-form in the second half.

• Are either insanely rich or routinely ask the audience if they can crash on someone’s couch

• Love clowning, it’s so important.

New England improvisers

• Don’t think it’s weird to drive for 90 minutes to do a show

• Assume the audience loves stand-up and only heard of improv for the first time when your group is introduced. Does forms where the opening is explaining what improv is.

• Have taken 17 levels at UCB

• Don’t complain, even when punched in the face.

• Will drop out of clowning after two weeks, but are too proud to ask for a refund.

Okay I’m excited to hear suggestions of how to correct/improve this! Sound off in the comments.

Plugs, Fresh

• I’m doing a silent clown set with clown leader Chad Damiani TONIGHT (Sunday) at the Clubhouse 7:30pm. Come watch me have no idea.

Plugs, Ongoing

• Screw It, We’re Just Gonna Talk About Comics - Comic book podcast, hosted by my brother Kevin and I. We are preparing to do a series on legendary comics writer Keith Giffen!

• Clubhouse Fridays - WGIS’ weekly improv show. Fridays 7pm at The Clubhouse. Free!

• The World’s Greatest Improv School: The improv school I run with Jim Woods and Sarah Claspell. We’ve got classes online, in LA and even a few in NYC!

• How to Be The Greatest Improviser On Earth - My improv book, available at Amazon. Kindle or print. It’s a hodge-podge of advice I wrote in 2016 about doing improv. If you’re broke and want a free PDF version just email me and I’ll send it over.