The Backline - An Improv Podcast

This week on The Backline, Rob and Adam discuss: danger. Most training teaches us how to avoid confusion, conflict, and uncertainty onstage—but what if those uncomfortable moments are exactly where the best scenes come from? If you've ever wondered why some scenes feel thrilling while others feel perfectly competent (bad), then this episode is for you.

This week, Rob and Adam discuss "energy". What is energy onstage? What should you do if your show is low energy and is that always a problem? Whether you're trying to slow a scene down without losing momentum or wondering how to make silence, restraint, and authenticity exciting to watch, this episode offers practical advice for finding the right kind of energy—not just more of it.

What makes improv in Toronto feel different from Chicago? Why does Los Angeles produce a different kind of performer than New York? And where do cities like Vancouver, Montreal, and Mexico City fit into the larger improv landscape? In this episode, Rob and Adam answer a listener's question about the distinct styles of North America's major improv hubs.

This week Adam and Rob discuss competition, egalitarianism, and how the politics of the classroom affect improv teams, shows, and theatres. Should improv delineate between amateur and professional? What's the best way to transition students into shows with experienced vets? Also, Backrooms is like Obsession but for babies.

This week on Backline, Rob and Adam break down their favourite longform openers and put them to the test, ranking different approaches based on flexibility, inspiration, ease of execution, and how well they serve the show that follows. From monologues to monologs to organic openings, they discuss the strengths and pitfalls of each approach and why certain openers work better for certain ensembles

This week on Backline, Rob and Adam explore how improvisers can create characters with greater depth, vulnerability, and gravitas. Beyond funny voices and quirks, what makes a character feel like a real person? The hosts discuss techniques for building emotional weight, making meaningful choices, and finding humanity in even the most heightened scenes. They also break down "counterpoint" character moves—when and how to introduce contrasting perspectives, energies, and behaviours that strengthen a scene rather than derail it.

This week on Backline, Rob and Adam tackle one of the most fundamental skills in longform improv: pulling premises from a monologue and turning them into strong scene initiations. What information should you actually be listening for? Which details are useful, and which are likely to send you down a dead end? Rob and Adam break down the difference between jokes and playable premises, discuss common mistakes improvisers make when mining openings, and explore how to identify the ideas most likely to generate dynamic scenes

This week on Backline, Rob and Adam dig into the competitive spark inside improv — when it helps, when it hurts, and how great scene partners turn rivalry into fuel instead of friction. They talk about using your partner’s moves to elevate your own game, navigating ambition in ensemble work, and why the best improvisers push each other without trying to “win” the scene.

What's better? Harold or Armando? Spokane or Close Quarters? This week, Rob and Adam help a new team choose their signature longform format through a grueling bracket of 18 possible formats.

This week Rob and Adam, discuss the painful but necessary process of “Paying the Tax” , while trying to stay present, apply class lessons, and putting in the reps. Despite all of that, the laughs still aren’t coming. If you’ve ever felt stuck between learning and getting laughs, this episode is for you.

This week, Rob and Adam open up the Backline Mailbag and find, wouldn’t you know it, two questions about rehearsal.  In this episode they discuss the strange shift that happens when rehearsal turns into performance — why things that feel easy in practice suddenly feel impossible on stage. They talk about whether it’s okay to revisit ideas that worked before, and why a team that looks great in rehearsal might struggle in front of an audience.

In this episode, Monika Smith—actor, writer, and comedian—dives into the art of solo improv, sharing how she transforms a single suggestion into an entire world of characters, stories, and unexpected turns. Drawing from her years touring with The Second City and performing at UCB in iconic shows like ASSSSCAT and Harold Night, Monika unpacks what it takes to hold the stage alone with nothing but instinct, imagination, and a willingness to embrace the unknown.

This week, Rob and Adam turn their attention to the concept “Day of All Days.” It’s a phrase that suggests high stakes and life-changing moments, yet so many of the most memorable scenes revolve around the smallest, most ordinary situations. Why do mundane premises so often lead to the biggest laughs? And what does “importance” really look like in an improvised scene?

This week, Rob and Adam explore how to navigate scenes with a partner who brings a limited emotional range. Together they break down the difference between performing emotion and truly embodying it, and offer practical ways to create better scenes using radical acceptance.

In this episode of The Backline, Rob and Adam explore why performers lose their footing, from overthinking to disconnection, and share practical ways to stay present, reconnect, and move forward without spiraling into shame when you get lost in a scene.  Also, a question about basketball, bullying anyone about anything, and the special relationship between a man and his dragon.

Advanced improv can be tricky—students freeze, forget the game, or feel overwhelmed by structure. This week Rob and Adam discuss practical strategies to reduce overload, and motivate students who may never perform but just want to have fun. Also, "Missiles", door-Ohs, and your new favourite mantra "It's just a body".

Mick Napier is an acclaimed director, teacher, and author of Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out.  Mick founded Chicago’s Annoyance Theatre, served as the artistic consultant at The Second City, and worked with comedy icons like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Amy Sedaris. This week, Adam and Mick discuss directing in Toronto, what makes a strong scene, and why bold choices matter.

This week Rob and Adam discuss how to create interiority in a character, how focussing too much on heightening can create undesired outcomes, and how intentionally burning your own Game of the Scene can make for a more interesting, and psychologically complex character.

This week, Rob and Adam discuss shady improv classes, incompetent improv teachers, and what to do when you’re dissatisfied with your experience in the classroom.

This week Rob and Adam discuss different methods of teaching improv, what's the best way for a teacher to get their ideas across, and how context changes an improv teacher's lesson plan.

This week, Rob and Adam unpack a major shake-up at The Second City. Starting January 22, 2026, the historic e.t.c. Stage shifts from scripted sketch to Improv Supernova, a fully improvised show—the first change in its 43-year history. They explore why the move makes sense now and what it means for the future of Second City, improv, and sketch comedy.

Rob and Adam answer three questions from a single listener.  This week they discuss shame, greedy scene partners, and how to strengthen your comedic muscles offstage.

This week Rob and Adam discuss the delicate balance between telling jokes and caring about the reality of the scene, when it makes sense to care in your scene, and how to start investing in the reality more.

We all make mistakes—but how do we recover when they happen onstage? Is there a magic phrase an improviser can use to win the audience back? This week, Rob and Adam discuss the best strategies for recovering after bombing a scene.

This week Rob and Adam reflect on the year and give spread thanks to improv communities across the world: Ann Arbor, Chris the Cameraman, mentorship from Greg Yates, and never giving up on the dream of a Magnet House team.

In this episode, Rob and Adam dive into the challenges of handling heavy offers, navigating information overload, and figuring out how to deal with unexpected “bulldozers” that can derail an improv scene. They break down practical strategies, share examples, and explore how to keep scenes playful, collaborative, and fun.

This week, Rob and Adam tackle a tricky question: does your improv teacher have secrets to share, or are they full of it? With countless improv styles—many of them contradicting each other—it can be tough to know what to believe. Rob and Adam explore how improv ideas get passed down, why some “rules” stick, and how performers can figure out what’s actually useful.

This week, Adam Cawley talks with renowned improviser, director, and author Patti Stiles, a longtime Keith Johnstone student and key figure at the Loose Moose Theatre. Patti shares insights from her decades of international teaching and performing, exploring how whimsy, curiosity, and emotional honesty shape great impro. She also reflects on the early origins of the art form and what makes Loose Moose such a vital, innovative home for improvisers around the world.

This week Rob and Adam discuss the transitioning your skills from the classroom to the stage. Why is it so hard to do what works in an exercise, onstage in front of an audience?

Rob and Adam talk about navigating your improv career, dealing with self-doubt, and having honest conversations with yourself about what's possible and what is probable.

This week, Rob and Adam dsicuss the time-honoured tradition of playing to the "Top of their Intelligence" by having a very dumb discussion about characters, point of view, and how much smart should you perform while improvising onstage.

Improv is not historically known for being offensive, but sometimes improvisers cross the line.  Why is comedy so frequently associated with offense?  Does comedy need to be provocative to be funny? What do you do if you offend your audience? All this and more.

Rob is no more. This week Adam welcomes Second City alumni, and star of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Colin Mochrie to the podcast.  Adam and Colin chat about pressure both onstage and offstage, and what it takes to find success in improv.

This week Rob and Adam chat about framing scenes prior, during, or after the action. Do scenes always need to start in the middle? What's the best way to execute a tag-in? If you mention an event, does it always have to happen onstage?

This week Rob and Adam, discuss platforms and tilts for improv scenes, how sketch influences scenes, and how to create action without blindsiding their scene partner.

Rob is no more.  In his stead,  far superior host Shreya Parashar takes over.  Adam and Shrea discuss making your own work, finding your voice, and figuring out what comes next.

The improv world is full of technique.  What techniques help individual improvisers? What techniques benefit the theatre you play at? Are there techniques you should embrace? Or some that you should avoid?

This week Rob and Adam discuss tethering: the act of linking your emotional state to what your partner is doing.  Also, some great questions about tethering from our friend Martin in Estonia.

The truth is out! After a tumultuous three weeks apart, Rob and Adam return to the podcast to air thier grievances, resolve differences, and answer your questions about improv.

In this Patreon exclusive, Will Hines, author of "How to be the Greatest Improviser on Earth" joins co-host Adam Cawley to discuss the subtle art of justification.

This week Rob sits down with one of the organizers of the Robin Hood Improv Festival in Nottingham, Lloydie, to discuss competition, inclusion, and finding community in the face of rejection.

This week Rob and Adam debate the merits of Game of the Scene, pulling premise, and how to create meaningful patterns that bolster your longform show.

This week Rob and Adam discuss connection, rapport, relationships onstage and offstage. Also, is it possible to have a meaningful conneciton with a stranger onstage?

This week Rob and Adam discuss improv forms!  What makes a good improv form? When does your improv format get in the way of your scenes? Also, the beloved format "Darwin's Christmas Tree" returns to the podcast!

This week, Rob and Adam dive into where improv ideas come from, how to wrestle with creative blocks, and why the supposedly “whimsical” act of creating can be surprisingly… boring.

Inessa Frantowski may literally be the only human on earth who has performed on The Second City Mainstage, The Upright Citizens Brigade's Maude Team, The Groundlings Sunday Company, as well as solo character work at The Just for Laughs Festival and America's Got Talent. This week she co-hosts the episode with Adam. Tips, Tools and insights into the different ways each theatre approaches the creation and building of comedic characters. 

There's nothing more unfair when an audience picks their collective favourite onstage.  How important is it to be likable onstage? What can you do to stay on the good side of a discerning crowd?  And most importantly, is there any path back towards the audience's good graces?

This week Rob and Adam discuss the careful art of taking lessons from the classroom and applying them to the stage. 

This week Rob and Adam discuss personal growth, improvement, and developing yourself throughout your improv career.

This week Rob and Adam discuss one of the foundational rules of improv, "Always make the active choice."  In the age of modern improv, what does an active choice look like? How does an "active choice" interact wtih Game of the Scene? What's the difference between "action" and an "active choice?"