Have you ever woken up in the morning and said to yourself, “Man, I want to be a great improv show host! That person who is on stage for 45 seconds and no one remembers? That’s gonna be me!”
This has never happened to anyone ever. And given the reality of hosting, it’s no wonder why.
Hosting is probably the most underrated part of any improv show. Hosts are hard to find—let alone good hosts. So whenever someone volunteers, people are so grateful they’ll rarely think about helping you prepare or offer constructive feedback.
Despite the miniscule amount of attention it receives, hosting is important. Hosts shouldn’t be an afterthought or taken for granted. Good hosts set the table for a great show. Bad hosts set a weird tone and confuse the audience. I have witnessed (and been) both, and I want to offer some advice so we step up our collective hosting game.
6 tips on how to host an improv show
While every host will have their own style, these tips are pretty universal. Follow this advice to make sure your hosting experience goes smoothly and your audience has a good time.
1. Breathe
Take your time. Even though the audience may not be there to see you, they do want to hear what you have to say. It’s kinda like being a wedding emcee or an offensive lineman in football: people won’t talk about you unless you do something wrong. And messing up means someone is probably getting hurt.
Don’t run on stage and say “You’regonnaseeagreatimprovgroupheretheycome!” and then run off. And don’t spend 20 minutes telling drawn out origin stories for each team participating in the show. But do spend time prepping the audience for the show, introducing groups, and even interacting with audience members if you’re comfortable enough.
2. Be confident
Like most things in improv, lots of styles can work. But no matter your approach, if you appear unsure, it sets a weird vibe. Improv audiences are already nervous anyway because there’s always the possibility the show will be painful. We’ve all been there…
Your job as a host is to appear confident the show will be fun. The audience wants to know you and the performers are going to take care of them.
3. Be concise
Don’t take forever. ‘Nuff said.
4. Explain what the audience is going to see
Improv shows shouldn’t be aimed at other improvisers. If we want to grow our community, we need to be welcoming to people who have no idea what’s going on.
(Don’t agree? You’re wrong. Mick Napier wrote a whole book on this very topic, so you can take it up with him.)
To get the audience on board, do the following:
- Be really clear. (“You’re going to see three different groups…”)
- Let the audience know what’s expected of them. (“They’re going to ask YOU for suggestions!”)
- Make it clear why they came to see this show rather than the Capitol Steps or some stand-up. (“This show will never happen again!” “Probably fewer puns!”)
5. Remind the audience that improv is difficult (and cool)
Most people in the audience don’t know what improv is (and that it’s really damn hard). To us improvisors, the act of taking the stage and creating scenes is old hat. But to uninitiated audiences, that alone is magic.
Make a big deal of just how amazing that is. Too many hosts take the whole “improvise” thing for granted. Emphasize the fact that there are no scripts and no preparation and that the performers are making you laugh with weird stuff that just popped into their minds.
6. Audiences need a moment to adjust to the setting
Think back to the first improv show you ever saw. You were probably in a makeshift “theater.” You either got lost on the metro or had trouble parking. You were too warm and/or cold. And you were wondering if your date was really into you or just leading you on. (Sorry that didn’t work out, by the way…)
After you’d wandered in from outside and taken your seat with all that on your mind, what you were not ready to do was to put all that aside, relax, and focus on plaid-wearing millennials trying to be funny.
Part of a host’s job is to give the audience a moment to adjust and relax. You are essentially their warm-up exercise. Keep that in mind when you kick off the show.
Some optional suggestions
Be funny.
I don’t think it’s necessary for a host to get laughs. If you are welcoming, clear, and concise, that is what matters.
If you can get a laugh, that’s great. The hardest laugh to get in any show is the first one, and if you can get it before the first group, that’s a bonus. But I don’t think it’s essential.
Warm up the crowd.
Some hosts like to get the crowd to clap, stomp their feet, or yell sample suggestions. This stuff can be helpful if you commit to it. But I also don’t think it’s necessary.
Using your supreme hosting powers, ban the next improviser who asks for a “non-geographical location” from performing forever.
Okay, so this isn’t about hosting a show as much as it is about getting an improv suggestion. But it’s a pet peeve of mine, and this is my post.
To all the improvisers out there: don’t ask for a “non-geographical location.” Don’t do it. To a non-improvisor, this phrase has no meaning. It’s like solving a puzzle. (“You want me to give you a non-thing? That’s not a non-location? What?”) You will have more luck asking the audience to solve a math problem.
What should you do instead?
You’re an improviser, damn it. Get more creative. Ask for “the type of place you go on vacation” or “a place the size of this stage” or anything else. Just don’t ask the audience for a thing that is not another thing.
I am Paul Hitlin, and this has been my TED talk.
Be the host with the most (competency at hosting)
Follow these rules and you will be a good—maybe even a great—improv host.
But keep in mind that no matter how well you do, YOU WILL NOT GET CREDIT FOR IT. People will not realize you did a good job, nor will they offer compliments. This is probably the number one reason people don’t jump out of bed in morning with the goal of hosting the crap out of an improv show.
But if the goal of an improviser is to make the other improvisers look good, you will have performed a valuable role.
Can’t get enough improv tips?
- Find out how to run an entire comedy show, hosting and all.
- Want to get through another thankless job? Try organizing your improv group.
- Looking for another way to get some solo time behind a microphone? Try stand-up for the first time.
