The SoCap Improv Comedy Podcast
Hosted by Ralph MacLeod. Owner and Artistic Director of SoCap Comedy Theatre in Toronto. A bite-sized, 5-20 minute show on improv. This show is less about improv as performance (though that will be in here) but more about how improv can improve every aspect of your life.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 16 minutes
- Episodes
- 36
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
The First Improv Rule for Life - Control What You Can Control Ep 4 Repost
In this week's episode Ralph talks about one reason everyone should take improv even if they never plan to get on a stage. In improv, you can roleplay different scenarios from your real/imagined life…
00:12:53 |
Tue 12 Aug 2025
Letting Go of Self-Consciousness
Falling in love. Hanging with good friends. Being in a moment. These are all times when we tend to lose ourselves, get over our self-consciousness, and forget about our selfish needs and serve an ex…
00:15:22 |
Mon 09 Oct 2023
Avoid Gaslighting Others
Whether on stage or in life real, try not to gaslights others. In improv, it often leads into the argument trap. In life, it escalates tension, shows others you're not listening, and more. Instead,…
00:20:41 |
Mon 02 Oct 2023
Playing Strangers
Scenes in which the characters are strangers to each other come with an extra added level of difficulty. For that reason, I encourage improvisers to stay away from them. But, when they do happen to…
00:18:23 |
Mon 25 Sep 2023
The Process Scene
Having a process in a scene will help in a multitude of ways, however, there are also a couple major pitfalls with which to be aware.
00:24:38 |
Mon 18 Sep 2023
I Am A....
A discussion of the third exercise I use when starting almost every class I teach. I Am A... is a game of patterns in which three people are elements within a certain pattern, category, etc. The mor…
00:19:17 |
Mon 11 Sep 2023
Improv Rule For Life #4 - Be Process Oriented
Being process oriented, or systems based, allows one to make modifications if their goals aren't being realized. Conversely, relying on magical thinking to achieve a desired outcome can leave one at …
00:20:42 |
Mon 04 Sep 2023
Is Mocking Some People Okay or Not Okay - REPEAT Episode 8
Improv has changed a lot in the 35 years since I started. One thing is that we are much more sensitive to people different than us and no longer mock people based on generalities about them. However,…
00:11:19 |
Mon 28 Aug 2023
Dissonance in Comedy
Dissonance is a powerful tool that can grab your audiences attention and make them laugh whether that's on stage or at a dinner party.
00:20:13 |
Mon 21 Aug 2023
The Actor/Character Duality
When in scenes, there is the actor and the character the actor/improviser is portraying. Sometimes, their goals are aligned but often they are not.
00:18:25 |
Mon 14 Aug 2023
Why Is This So Boring?
There are many reasons a scene, or interaction, may be boring. Here are the top two reasons why scenes can be boring and make you want to gouge out your eyes.
00:21:29 |
Mon 07 Aug 2023
Don't Stop The Action
Stopping the action, or business of the scene, is generally destructive for a number of reasons. Even if your character doesn't like what they're doing or being asked to do, finding a justification …
00:16:01 |
Mon 31 Jul 2023
Try the Opposite
If 'A' is true, the opposite is also, likely, true. Improv allows one an opportunity to role play different options to stimuli thus giving you a chance to 'try the opposite'. Maybe you'll like it be…
00:15:25 |
Mon 24 Jul 2023
Call People Out on Their ^&$%
If someone, or another character, says or does something that doesn't make sense to you - ask them to clarify it.
00:14:26 |
Mon 17 Jul 2023
Why Do We Laugh?
Laughter, especially laughter in your gut, is much more about bonding than appreciating the humour, or cleverness, of a line or situation.
00:15:26 |
Mon 10 Jul 2023
Yes, And...: A Deeper Dive
What does it mean to 'Yes, and...'? It goes with what we're trying to actually DO when we improvise on stage and in real life.
00:19:26 |
Mon 03 Jul 2023
Be a Benevolent God
As improvisers/storytellers, we get to create tertiary characters - people, animals, etc - and you will be judged based on how you treat your creations.
00:14:25 |
Mon 26 Jun 2023
Improv Rule for Life #3 - Serve the Relationship
Playing with other human beings requires us to get out of our heads - give up our selfish needs - and serve the interaction/moment/relationship developing between and among us.
00:16:00 |
Mon 19 Jun 2023
Creative Process - Part One
There are two general ways to create content whether in the format of the improv scene or 'out in the world'. There is a more solo act of invention or writing and the collaborative act of discovery …
00:20:54 |
Mon 12 Jun 2023
Initiation - How to Begin
It's a good practice to start scenes - or interactions - with something already going on. One way, is to think up a line of dialogue or part of a context however these practices have certain pitfall…
00:19:06 |
Mon 05 Jun 2023
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