Recently, Public Source let me write a first-person essay for their publication, which was a lot of fun. It’s all about how much I love the Pittsburgh improv scene, and how much it’s improved my life since I started taking improv classes at UCBurgh in August 2025. There are some things that I wasn’t able to put in that essay because I guess readers aren’t interested in 2000 words on independent comedy. Who knew?
So, while I can’t piece together the fragments I removed from my essay, I can speak to what I’ve learned so far—the fact that being engaged in a community has changed my life and that I’m very grateful I’ve met so many cool folks from the already established comedy community.
Having been interested in comedy for a long time, what finally made me take the leap was UCBurgh’s arrival in town. But it turns out that I’d been missing out on a really cool community that had been active long before UCB put up a training center. Though, I’m sure that story is best told by someone who was actually there.
The story I can tell is one of new beginnings. I started my improv journey at the same time a well known improv school started its journey here in Pittsburgh. And through that journey, I have learned a lot. Here are some of my favorite improv lessons that are truly applicable in any circumstance:
- Listen! Like, seriously, listen to people when they speak. Not only do they sometimes have interesting things to say, but it also makes it way easier to converse with them.
- Be honest! Reacting honestly is a big thing in improv, and also it’s helpful in conversations. Again—who knew?
- Follow the fun! Because people who take improv classes are likely to be funny already, a lot of class time is spent not being funny in order to be better performers. That said, following the fun (or moving in a direction that excites and interests you) is typically a good idea.
- Hang on tightly, let go lightly! This one is for committing to your own ideas while not so being closed off to others. In improv, that looks like coming in with strong ideas, but leaving room to pivot when something better comes up.
- Give gifts! Improv gift giving means that you kindly provide an attribute or detail to your scene partner to help in the act of doing an improv scene. But in real life, gift giving can be as easy as bringing up someone’s interests in conversation.
But the main thing to take away from improv is the silly little idea of being in the moment. In an improv scene, it’s generally frowned upon to start planning ahead and script your next move. It’s much better to go with the flow when things start flowing. I’m a notorious planner, overthinker, and general anxiety-haver. The “moment” does not come easily to me; however, the rewards of being in it are worth the time it takes to get there.
Rachel Bachy 