Rance Rizzutto

Created by Del Close and Charna Halpern, The Harold begins with an audience suggestion. A team of improvisers fully explore the suggestion through scenes and games, creating disparate stories, characters and themes that eventually weave together seamlessly, like the instruments of a jazz band.

You can see Rance perform with the Harold team Chaos Theory.

The Deltones. Or its full name: The iO Musical featuring the Deltones. One of iO’s premiere ensembles performing a completely improvised musical. The cast includes members of other hit iO shows and teams including The Reckoning, Bullet Lounge, Improvised Shakespeare, Carl and the Passions and many more!

Created by Del Close and Charna Halpern, The Harold begins with an audience suggestion. A team of improvisers fully explore the suggestion through scenes and games, creating disparate stories, characters and themes that eventually weave together seamlessly, like the instruments of a jazz band.

You can see Rance perform with the Harold team Chaos Theory.

The Deltones. Or its full name: The iO Musical featuring the Deltones. One of iO’s premiere ensembles performing a completely improvised musical. The cast includes members of other hit iO shows and teams including The Reckoning, Bullet Lounge, Improvised Shakespeare, Carl and the Passions and many more!

Looking to improve your improv? Hopefully, if you’re an improvisor the answer is “yes.”

Most improvisors go through ebbs and flows of improv awesomeness. What helps me go through these almost biorhythmic phases? Coaching.

This may not be an easy option for everyone, but in Chicago there are plenty of “green” (as in “new” not “eco-friendly”), independent groups. And every group can use a coach.

Now, for the good and bad.

The good thing about coaching is you get an opportunity to see mistakes, weak moves, lack of commitment, whatever…as it happens. You also get the opportunity to solve those problems as they occur. Having that outside eye is what the team needs, but it also increases your awareness as an improvisor.

The bad thing is almost the same as the good. With that awareness comes, well, awareness…while you’re improvising. I find myself needing to shut off “coach-mode” during shows I’m performing in. BUT, shutting off coach-mode is a lot easier than getting out of a rut.

So, if you get the opportunity to coach, take it. Even if it is just a one time thing.

Created by Del Close and Charna Halpern, The Harold begins with an audience suggestion. A team of improvisers fully explore the suggestion through scenes and games, creating disparate stories, characters and themes that eventually weave together seamlessly, like the instruments of a jazz band.

You can see Rance perform with the Harold team Chaos Theory.

The Deltones. Or its full name: The iO Musical featuring the Deltones. One of iO’s premiere ensembles performing a completely improvised musical. The cast includes members of other hit iO shows and teams including The Reckoning, Bullet Lounge, Improvised Shakespeare, Carl and the Passions and many more!