(Improv) PodCLASS with Billy Merritt
(Improv) PodCLASS with Billy Merritt
Podcast Description
Improv icon Billy Merritt shares real-life longform classes. There are 1000 forms, and if you are (or want to be) an improviser, you will commit to learning all 1000.
You hear the origin story of the form, its iterations, the key elements, and then...
CAN WE HAVE A DRUM ROLL, PLEASE?
You will listen to Billy walk actual students through relevant exercises and then guide them through the form itself.
Billy thanks his students in advance for allowing listeners to learn from their mistakes. They also do some great work.
Of course, because Billy is a master instructor. That was NOT sarcasm. He really is.
I'm going to stop now.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show primarily focuses on longform improvisation techniques, with specific episodes highlighting different forms such as the Monoscene with its Scenic Paint Opening and variations like Road Trip and Pretty Flower. Each episode involves discussions about the origin and key elements of the forms, along with practical exercises led by Billy.
Improv icon Billy Merritt shares real-life longform classes. There are 1000 forms, and if you are (or want to be) an improviser, you will commit to learning all 1000.
You hear the origin story of the form, its iterations, the key elements, and then…
CAN WE HAVE A DRUM ROLL, PLEASE?
You will listen to Billy walk actual students through relevant exercises and then guide them through the form itself.
Billy thanks his students in advance for allowing listeners to learn from their mistakes. They also do some great work.
Of course, because Billy is a master instructor. That was NOT sarcasm. He really is.
I’m going to stop now.
Join Billy Merritt and his global gang of improvisers as he continues his delightfully chaotic journey through the many flavors of longform improv.
Today’s focus: PRETTY FLOWER — also known as Spokane, or “that thing that’s kind of like Lost meets Marty meets at a haunted pie shop.”
Billy starts by tracing the roots of this character-driven form, developed with the group Sentimental Lady and inspired by layered storytelling (think Lost, but with fewer smoke monsters and more apple jam).
The Pretty Flower starts with a single scenic mono scene—then “blooms” into supporting cutaways that explore character backstory, heighten stakes, or, sometimes, just celebrate a 74-pie menu.
🎭 In class, the students explore:
🧺 A struggling family-run apple orchard turned fall tourist trap
🥁 A post-championship hangover in a high school band room (with questionable closet storage decisions)
🥧 A pristine retro diner trying to re-create a 1950s vibe for a mysterious couple who might actually be… ghosts?
Cut tos, cut backs, musical montages, and a possible mob-connected cleaner all show up in this episode full of bold initiations and gentle chaos.
As always, Billy keeps it structured just enough to find the funny—and the heart.
Today’s students:
- Hill Kane – San Antonio, Texas
- Konrad Andrew – Saigon, Vietnam (today)
- Amber Bellsdale – Washington, D.C.
- Jason Luna – San Diego, CA (today)
- Adam S. – Philadelphia, PA (King of Prussia)
- Murphy McKew – Washington, D.C.
- Luke Bovard – Berlin, Germany
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