Andy welcomes all questions and will answer whatever he can thoughtfully and respectfully.  Write him at improvandy@improvreview.com.

Read Past Andy's!

#1 - Andy tells you what to do with that guy who uses stock characters and how to make bad suggestions work.

#2 - Andy tells you where to study in NYC, and why warm-up exercises shouldn't be in your performances.

#3 - Andy explains how to deal with that perfectionist in your troupe and explores the validity of one person formats.

#4 - Andy tells you how to do musical improv and how to get someone other than improvisors to come to your show.

#5 - Andy weighs the pros and cons of pimping and weighs in on the value of performing in improv jams.

#6 - Andy tells a fat guy how to avoid the Chris Farley syndrome and gets in his licks on blue suggestions.

#7 - Andy opines on festivals and gives the skinny on how to combat improv burnout.

#8 - Andy shows his fascist side when it comes to mixing democracy and improv, and tells improvisors to call out suggestions at each others' shows.

#9 - Andy finds the reason in the Rhyming game, and shows you can't get around paying a musician.

#10 - Andy tells both those who want to work in styles and those who take their improv seriously the same thing: go find others who feel the same way, don't try to change other people.

#11 - Andy helps a successful troupe split the dough, and tells another how to get to Carnegie Hall.

Dear Andy,

I belong to a shortform group that performs a lot of the classic games. For some reason we can't get a handle (heh-heh) on a simple round of "Rhyming Scenes." Help!

- Screwed Dude, Indiana

Dear Dude-

Since you haven't specified what problems you've been having, I'll try to be as general as I can with what I see as the potential pitfalls of "Rhyming Scene." First, a very brief outline of the game itself: usually involving two people (possibly more), the scene can begin with an audience suggestion (occupation, location, favorite band, whatever) and then proceed with the characters trading lines making sure that each two form a rhyming couplet. (There are, of course, infinite variations possible, but this is the nuts and bolts of it.)

Possible Pitfall #1: Making it impossible. Pimping each other difficult words to rhyme is fun if used sparingly, and each player is allowed to come up with a way to still make the game successful. (For instance, a sequence such as "I have a dog that is purple," "The kibble I give her makes her full," can bring an audience to spontaneous applause.) However, if these "impossible" rhymes are being used to sabotage your scene partner, whether in fun or not, they can only sabotage the scene.

Possible Pitfall #2: Losing the scene. Remember that a rhyming scene is a strong-focus scene, but it is still a scene. If you spend too much time worrying about making perfect rhymes, or crafting rhymes as plot points, the scene most likely becomes muddy or incomprehensible. And then you have failed.

Possible Pitfall #3: Forgetting your meter. As Queen Elizabeth once said to Shakespeare, "Remember, Willie. Scansion, scansion, scansion!" The easiest way to allow the rhymes to pour out of you while you remain in tune with the scenic content is to find an easy meter for everyone to adopt. I've always found Dr. Suess to be a great inspiration. Think, "I do not like green eggs and ham/I do not like them Sam I am."

Now take these tips and try them out
(You can do it, have no doubt).
Just make sure you're all on one page,
A lesson from your improv sage.

Dear Andy,

Our piano player gets paid for every show, she's guaranteed this regardless of whether or not we make any money on the show, to the point where troupe members have to chip in if we're short. The business manager says this is normal, we'd have to pay any piano player. Is this true?

- Empty Pockets, New York, NY

Short answer: Yes.

Long Answer: Improvisational piano playing to accompany a troupe or show is such a specialized skill that very few who are capable would not ask for a fee. Improv performers would like to be paid as well, but in truth, there are so many of them that if any troupe member began demanding payment, they would be replaced within seconds.

If one is willing to forgo a modicum of quality, often an exchange can be worked out with an accompanist. For instance, a musician just out of school may be seeking resume fodder or just the opportunity to meet other potential employers. A musician still in school might see theatrical improvisation as a learning opportunity, and work simply for the new chops he/she is developing.

One might also be able to work out a deal by making the musician in question an "official" member of the troupe. If the pianist can consider the project their own, they might be willing to take less money. A very skillful improv pianist told me that playing for a good company factors in as well. "If I can believe in the work it makes all the difference," he said specifically. Also, if your troupe is often scouted by agents, producers or the press, your accompanist might work for the exposure.

In other words, you will rarely find a person willing to work for nothing, but the something doesn't always have to be money.