Mike Eserkaln

I’ve been performing live on stage for 25 + years. Literally thousands of shows for thousands upon thousands of people. But, there are only a few videos of me performing. And those are rarely, if ever, watched. When I have watched them I’m always disappointed. There’s something basically wrong about capturing a temporary moment this … Read more

I was teaching improv to college age performers with some theatre and improv training. At some point they were stuck about what to do or say next. The performer in question said that the advice they’d previously received was to “Say something truthful.” Sounded like good advice to me. But then they just stood there. … Read more

As a performer, or artist of any kind you’ve no doubt be asked to work for free, or for a really low price, or just for “exposure.” What you’re doing, if you’re doing it well, looks like a lot of fun. And, let’s face it, it is fun! But, it’s also a lot of work. … Read more

A friend of mine said he couldn’t dance. Nonsense. Everyone can dance. Qualifying it he said “I’m a bad dancer.” The optimist in me gets annoyed when someone says they’re “bad” at something. Why not say, “I’m not very good at that thing.”? Or better, “I’m not good at that, yet.” If there’s a scale … Read more

Improv 250:  1980’s Video Game Life Lessons   I was born in 1971, so when video arcades hit in the 1980s I was a prime demographic. There was a short window of time before home consoles hit where the video arcade was a social place to go. The benefits of going to a place and … Read more

There are a couple of phrases that I’ve heard people say when working on improv. Variations on the theme of not being good enough. Phrases like; “I don’t know how.” “I can’t think of anything.” “I’m so dumb when it comes to…” “I can’t do that.” etc. etc.   Certainly these phrases have a place … Read more

In improv the game rock paper scissors is not funny. That’s a bold statement, and I stand by it. I’ve seen it many times in performances. Heck, I’ve done it myself in performances. I’ve even written it into a play or two. And, it’s never gotten a laugh. So why does it seem like such … Read more

I’ve heard this advice multiple times; Play to the top of your intelligence. Why? Because you’re doing Improv with a fellow performer, not Make-em-Ups by yourself. When you play “dumb you don’t add anything to the scene. You get laughs, but your scene partner does all the work. But, what happens if you don’t play … Read more

Jeff is a tall lanky fella, he says 6’3”, but I believe he’s 6’7” He’s physically awkward. Knocking a hole in stage drywall, breaking our mailing-list box, and injuring himself on our new stage brick wall. I asked Jeff how many things he’s broken. The list was shorter than I thought it would be. However, … Read more