The absolute best way to get better at Improv is through taking classes, having coached rehearsals with a troupe, and getting on stage. But sometimes doing all three of those things is easier said than done.

Short form improv is typically improvisers’ first introduction to the art form. I know it was for me. 'Whose Line' blew my adolescent mind and I couldn’t get enough of it.

From ages 9-17 I was a part of a non profit dance and lip sync troupe called the Earth Angels. We performed mostly Motown and Oldies hits with a few modern numbers mixed in. We performed everywhere you could think of from the Woodward Dream Cruise, Retirement Homes, Disney World, and schools.

So you're going to audition for an improv troupe or show or theater and you're wondering how the hell it works. Take it or leave it, this is my advice:

Don't argue.

Along with "don't ask questions," this is one of the more common "rules" of improv. (I put rules in quotations because, as all improvisors eventually discover, these are more suggestions than directives -- rules of thumb that have proven successful in countless scenes and which newer improvisers are encouraged to master.)

There comes a time in the education of the improviser in which that once a week class just simply isn’t enough. That’s great! That time should come, and soon you’ll be on your way to selling your soul to some surly theater producer for 22 minutes of stage time. This is the dream. Embrace it.