Those reviews went beyond just saying if a show was funny or not - mainly because in improvised performance, it didn't matter because it changed from night to night. Instead there were some critiques of what the performers were doing (or not) that were interesting to watch. 2/ - ThreadSky

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travisstern.bsky.social • 37 days ago

Those reviews went beyond just saying if a show was funny or not - mainly because in improvised performance, it didn't matter because it changed from night to night. Instead there were some critiques of what the performers were doing (or not) that were interesting to watch. 2/

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travisstern.bsky.social•37 days ago

Those reviews treated improv performances with a sense of importance that helped audiences understand that there was craft to these make-'em-ups that wasn't just about how witty someone could be on one particular night or if there was a particularly ripe target in the audience that night. 3/

travisstern.bsky.social•37 days ago

I write this because one of those critics, Jack Helbig, passed away today. Without his reviews and interactions with the improv community, the comedy scene and improv in particular, develop differently in the 90s. He provoked criticism from some improvisers because of what he wrote, but furthered 4/

travisstern.bsky.social•37 days ago

the idea that improv was *worth* thinking about and considering it as something more than just a parlor trick for folks expecting to come get a few laughs on a too-cold or too-hot Chicago night. As improv scholarship is still somewhat in its early stages, it's important to recognize the 5/

travisstern.bsky.social•37 days ago

contributions of the early critics of the form and how they shaped the development of the artform.
Farewell, Mr. Helbig, and thank you for shaping improv in your own way.

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