Improv vs. Stand-Up

By Sonnjea Blackwell

First, let me just assure you all, I love them both. Comedy is comedy, and I'm a big fan of anything that makes me laugh. So I'm not setting out to dis stand-up or anything.

It's just that we frequently get questions from:

1. people who want to know if improv is the same as stand-up
2. people who want to know if taking Held2gether improv classes in Long Beach will help them with stand-up
3. people who say they've taken stand-up and want to know if that background allows them to skip H2G's Intro to Improv class

The short answers to these questions are no, maybe and no.

The long answers go something like this:

1. No. Improv and stand-up are both hilarious forms of comedic entertainment, but they are the same only in the sense that pizza and filet mignon are both delicious forms of dinner. Improv, most famous as a result of Whose Line Is It Anyway, is a team sport that is completely unscripted and created entirely in the moment. Stand-up consists of an individual performing pre-written and rehearsed material. Neither is better or worse, easier or harder. At H2G, we teach improv exclusively. Cuz it's better. Duh.
   
   Okay, okay. I'm just kidding. Moving on.


2. Maybe. The rules of improv - mainly agreement, adding information and commitment - obviously apply in every life situation, so technically they will help with stand-up. But there's nothing we do in improv classes that applies directly to doing stand-up per se. I did have an up-and-coming, almost-getting-successful stand-up comic in a Groundlings class; she was there because NBC sent her to improv to improve her bantering ability for a show they were considering doing that required her to interact with the audience and other comics and guests. So improv was helping her with her career, though not specifically with her stand-up.


3. No. Doing stand-up helps you become comfortable performing in front of an audience. But the whole stand-up concept of going for one-liners and delivering a punchline are sort of the opposite of improv, where you want to avoid being jokey and instead play the reality of a made-up situation. And since stand-up is flying solo while improv is flying in formation, it's important to learn the rules of improv that help everyone avoid crashing into each other or smashing into the ground in a spectacular fireball of destruction. Or, you know, something like that.

I hope this has cleared everything up for you. We have an easy way for you to get your feet wet if you think you want to try improv but aren't sure it's what you're looking for: the H2G 1/2-day Intro to Improv Workshop. Four hours with us, and you'll see - improv's definitely better.