Dear Avid and Casual Readers of Comedic Pursuits,
I am writing to you to announce a very exciting regular column called “Dear Edna.” If you have ever had a burning question and you were not sure who to turn to for advice, you may submit your questions to me, and I will post responses on a regular basis!
Who should ask for improv advice?
Anyone at all can (and should!) ask for advice from time to time. Are you completely new to improv and want to see what it is all about? Have you been improvising for 30 years and have published multiple books on the subject? Or do you fall somewhere in between?
Whatever your experience, this column is for you! That’s right, anyone can submit a question for advice, because there is no such thing as a bad question for Dear Edna.
What if I’m shy or my question is sensitive?
For those embarrassed or afraid to ask tough questions, I promise to post all questions under pseudonyms so you can be sure to stay anonymous. Send me your questions about specific improv techniques, styles of play, improv-life balance, improv dating advice, improv gossip—basically all things improv or improv adjacent.
If you send non-improv questions, I can try to answer those too, but the art of improvisation is my area of expertise.
Who is Edna von Improv?
You may be asking yourself, who is this Edna who will be answering my most burning questions and helping me find a solution to my deepest internal struggles? Fear not, you’re in good hands, for I am Edna von Improv! Many know me as the grandmother of improvisational theater, but that’s just preposterous. I consider myself more akin to the gregarious, vivacious, and gorgeous aunt of improv.
For those younger students who may not yet be familiar with Auntie Edna, I will give you a quick snapshot of my influence on the art of improv you know and love today. You see, everyone credits my protégé Viola Spolin with the invention of modern improv. Rest her soul. But behind every great woman is another great woman giving her excellent advice.
Viola came to me for advice for years before, during, and after she wrote her book Improvisation for the Theater. While a true lady does not brag about her accomplishments, if it wasn’t for me, she never would have come up with a short, succinct improv catchphrase you may have heard of: yes, and…
She and I were grabbing martinis after one of her student workshops in Chicago, and she said to me, “Eddie,” (that’s what my closest friends call me) “Eddie, baby, I need to find a quick way to get them agree to each other and add to the scene”
And I said “Yes! You need to get them to agree… AND add to the scene!”
As we chewed on our gin-soaked olives we both started chanting, “Yes…AND! YES! AND!”
It was a true eureka moment.
After my third husband passed and left me with a wonderful inheritance, I turned my Chicago mansion into a salon for all the burgeoning improv stars. I hosted regular soirees during the ‘70s and ‘80s. At one of my regular gatherings, Delhew—you may know him as Del Close— asks of me “Eddie, how can we share the love that is improv with the broader world?”
Well, I was a little tipsy you see because some of our students, Gilda, Chevy, and Bill (Murray) made a particularly strong spiked punch that night. I said to Del, “Delhew. Darling. Throw a big festival or marathon or something. That could certainly get everyone’s attention.”
Now, of course, the Del Close Marathon is a huge hit for the improv community!
While I credit all my students with their own creative genius for their successes, they consider me like their wiser, older sister. Or aunt. I pride myself on giving great advice. Over the years, people like Amy Sedaris, Horatio Sanz, Matt Walsh, Amy Poehler, Keegan Michael-Key, Harold Ramis, Jason Mantzoukas, and Donald Glover have all come to me for advice at crucial moments in their improv careers, and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to, once again, answer the burning questions of improvisers.
How can such an important woman be so generous?
It has long been a desire of mine to share my wealth of wisdom with the broader community. When the team at Comedic Pursuits asked me to run an advice column for them, I did not hesitate. I immediately said YES…AND I would be happy to write this introductory letter for those younger improvisors who may not have heard of me, Edna von Improv.
I’ve certainly been something of a wizardess behind the curtain of many a great improv moment. Now I’m out from behind the curtain, so you can easily find answers to all of your toughest improv questions.
As you can see, I have a long history of giving great and influential advice to improvisers. But enough tooting my own horn, let’s get down to brass tacks.
My most important improv advice
My first piece of advice to all improvisers: be curious!
As I have seen time and time again, the best improvisers are curious improvisers. They want to learn more about their craft, their scene partners, their own universe. This desire to know shows in their own performances as it fuels their scenes and gifts them with odd specificities to place in their back pockets.
Curiosity is a contagious feeling for their audiences who want to know how things will turn out for their characters. No matter how experienced you are or how shy you may feel, let your curiosity spur you to ask questions, to research, to learn, to grow.
Start with a letter addressed to Dear Edna
When Catherine O’Hara was offered a role at Saturday Night Live, she came to me and said “Edna, I just don’t know. I don’t know if I have learned enough about improv yet, I’m not sure I want to stop.” My advice to continue to be curious actually helped her decide to turn down SNL and instead pursue an illustrious improv career. You might know her work from Christopher Guest movies, or perhaps her roles in Home Alone and Beetlejuice. While her path was certainly not conventional, if I hadn’t given her that advice to “be curious” she may have never had those fantastic roles.
No one improvisor is the same, and neither is their path. That is why it is so important for you to seek out the wisdom of Auntie Edna.
What are you waiting for my little cherry blossoms? Submit your question(s) using our form or by clicking on the button below! If you submit any identifying information, my assistant and I will make sure to post your question anonymously. Feel free to come up with your own creative (and anonymous) signature if you would like.
Remember to be curious and let Auntie Edna help you navigate your improv journey!
Happy asking,
