Rick Horner

Where I’m coming from as an improviser and what I’m hoping to get out of coaching: I’ve been doing improv for about 30 years, including training at Second City Chicago, and I’ve had the good fortune to spend a lot of that time performing, teaching, coaching, and being part of improv communities. I’ve taught everything from fundamentals to long-form and duo work, and I’m always looking for new ways to think about the art form. At this point, I’m less interested in teaching someone the “right” way to do improv and much more interested in challenging someone in the way they think and play. I want to get folks uncomfortable in the good way—to find the habits they don’t see themselves, push choices, and help them discover things they might not necessarily find on their own. As a player, I tend to be pretty generous and relationship-focused. I love listening, finding the unusual thing in a scene, and seeing where a simple idea can take us. I also have a tendency to think a LOT about improv—which is both a strength and, occasionally, something I need to get out of the way of. Yeesh I think what makes me a little unique is that I’ve spent so much time on both sides of the room—as a performer and as a teacher. I’m fascinated by why things work, but I also want to get back to the feeling of simply being surprised onstage. Im not afraid to say, “Yeah, but what if you tried THIS?” Mostly, I want to keep growing and have some fun.