All Episodes
The Backline - An Improv Podcast — 270 episodes
Run Towards the Danger
Low Energy
Improv Across North America
The Back Row
Longform Loves Openers
Bubble Letters
Pulling Premises
The Competitive Spark
The Undisputed Longform Champion of the World
Paying the Tax
Rehearsal Vibes
PATREON EXCLUSIVE: Going Solo with Monika Smith
The Day of All Days
Underwhelmed
Lost
Learning but Bored
PATREON EXCLUSIVE: What Makes a Scene with Mick Napier
Awareness VS. Agency
Is it a Scam?
A Surprising Way to Teach Improv
Is this the End of the Second City e.t.c?
Shame, Scene Hogs, and Everything Else
To Care or Not Care
Fresh Start
The Backline Holiday Special 2025
Bulldozer
Touch the Lamassu!
PATREON EXCLUSIVE: The Origins of Impro with Patti Stiles
From Classroom to the Stage
Spark-less
Intelligence VS. Integrity
Offensive
PATREON EXCLUSIVE: Under Pressure with Colin Mochrie
Who, What, Where - but When?
Platforms, Tilts, and Improvising Action
PATREON EXCLUSIVE: Making Your Own Work with Shreya Parashar
Technique
Tethering
Questions Only - September 2025
PATREON EXCLUSIVE: Completely Justified with Will Hines
Competition is the Thief of Joy
Game Revisited
Get Connected
Form Follows Function
There's Nothing More Boring Than Creativity
PATREON EXCLUSIVE: Characters Everywhere with Inessa Frantowksi
Do You Like Me?
Classroom to the Stage
How Do I Know If I'm Getting Better?
Active Choice VS. Action Choice
PATREON EXCLUSIVE: Starting Scenes with Susan Messing
The Anaesthetic of Yes And
Find the End
Scene Paint Me (Like One of Your French Girls)
Patreon Exclusive - Tips for a New Coach #1
Narrative Longform
Too Big
Patreon Exclusive - Genuine Emotions
Body Movin'
Hot Pockets
Patreon Exclusive - Quality Notes
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
Barprov
Questions Only - The Mystery of Season Nine
Starting It Off Right
Three Improv Ghosts
Too Many Teachers
Defensive
Playing the Verb
A Comprehensive Guide to All Shortform Games - Part Two
Disappointment and Auditions
Control
Teaching Your First Workshop
The Problem with Strong Characters
The Unteachables
Sex, Lies, and Improv Videotape
Learn to Forget
Questions Only
A Comprehensive Guide to Short Games - Part One
This is Hard
Let's Get Negative
Teacher Fails
Chemistry
Between the Schools
Your Partner is Cooking
Five Sweet Spots
Crazytown
SOS (Save Our Scene)
Inventing the Who What Where
350 - What Makes a Festival Fun?
To Beatprov or Not to Beatprov
First Time Format
348 - The Christmas Special
347 - The Right Mistakes
346 - How to Launch a Show
Let's Go to the Bar
344 - Empty Calories
343 - Deconstructing the Deconstruction
342 - The Power of Object Work
341- How to Support (and Agitate) Your Partner
340 - Starting Something New
339 - End of the Scene
338 - Down With Warm-Ups
337 - The Bullet
336 - Creativity
335 - Imposter Syndrome
334 - The Mantra
332 - Direct Energy
Finding Your Partner
331 - Translation
330 - Burns
229 - So We Bought an Improv School
228 - The Cape Boys
227 - What is My type?
226 - Live from the Dallas Comedy Club
223 - Mindset
222 - Rules
225 - Is Improv American?
221 - Threesome
224 - Hacks
220 - Marketable
219 - Justification
218 - Grounding the Surreal
217- RIP Marijuna Man
216 - Getting Good
215 - I Hate My Scene Partner
213 - Timing
214 -To Coach or Not To Coach
212 - Write (and then Forget) the Script
211 - Is Online Improv Here to Stay?
210 - Is the Harold Dead?
209 - Chorus/Verse (and How It Changes the Way We Play)
208 - Is Support a Double-Edged Sword?
207 - What is Improv?
206 - The Lightning Round
201 - A Brief History of Improv
199 -Sustaining Scenes
197 - Deals
195 - Ambition
193 - Making It Worth It
187 - Monologues
186 - Relationship
185 - Genre
185 - Satire
184 - Stakes
183 - Structure
182 - Premise
181 - Welcome to Sketchtown
180 - Back in Action
179 - Year End Review
178 - Top of Your Intelligence
177 - Bulldozing
173 - Five Tips For Producers
172 - Relaxation
171 - Break the Scene
170 - Old Team, New Player
169 - Beatprov
168 - Making It Natural
167 - Social Media
165 - Tour Essentials
164 - Small Town
163 - Connecting With Your Partner
162 - Buzzed Out
161 - Whose Line Is It Anyways?
159 - The Johnstonian Dictionary
158 - Agenda
157 - How to Remember
156 - The Fifty Dollar Ticket
155 - Small Crowd
154 - Improv as Ritual
153 - The 30 Second Clock
152 - Coming Back to Improv
151 - A Year in Review
150 - Mapping
149 - Preparation
148 - Be Affected
147 - Improv on TV
146 - Frustrated
145 - Playing Yourself
144 - Reading The Room
143 - Casting
142 - Loud, Proud, and Wrong
141 - Bombed
140 - Advanced GOTS
139 - Questions Only
138 - Disappointment
137 - So We Bought a Zoo
136 - Blocking
135 - $300
134 - Therapy
133 - Effort
132 - The Maker
131 - Trust
130 - When to Leave
129 - The First 30 Seconds
128 - The Harold Experience
127 - A Year in Review
125 - Judgment
123 - The Improv Sherpa
32 - What's Missing? (R)
122 - How to Frankenstein a Character
121 - R.I.P Who, What, Where
119 - The Golfer's Clubs
118 - Framing
113 - Vulnerability
112 - Greedy (In a Nice Way)
111 - Coachless
110 - Mentorship
109 - Our Favourite Shortform Games
108 - Showmanship
106 - A Week in the Life of an Improv Show
105 - Jokes
103 - Silence
102 - Connections
100 - Musical Improv (LIVE)
99 - Gifts
From the Archives: Time Travel (17)
98 - The Armando
97 - Grounded
96 - Group Scenes
95 - Expectations
94 - Mirroring
92 - Hecklers
89 - Reputation
88 - Babies, Animals and Bigots
87 - How To Tour
86 - Steph's First Improv show
85 - Listening
84 - Debrief
83 - Pressure
82 - Left Behind
81 - Push/Pull
80 - How to Waste Time in Rehearsal
79 - Staying Sharp
77 - Called Out
75 - More Physical, More Fun
74 - Teachers
73 - Can Improv Fix You?
71 - Duos
69 - What is a Suggestion?
68 - The Power of No
66 - Improv Is Not a Formula
61 - Genre
60 - Should I Quit?
56 - Persona
55 - Five Ways to Make Object Work Fun
54 - Characters, Consistency, and Change
50 - Dynamic
49 - Group Mind
45 - Warm-Ups
43 - Hosting
41 - R.I.P French Guy with a Cigarette
40 - Premise
38 - Editing
34 - Back to Basics
29 - The Harold or Not the Harold?
28 - Self-Evaluation
27 - Story
25 - Survival
23 - Ego and Ensemble
22 - Shame
21 - Shortform
20 - ROADTRIP!
19 - Auditions
16 - Troupes
14 - Game of the Scene
12 - Stuck (In Your Head)
8 - Notes
2 - Fear
1 - Getting Started