--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's different kinds of improv…" description: "\"There's different kinds of improv. There's Second City improv where you try to slowly build a nice sketch. There's stuff you do in college coffee house..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/fred-willard-4425_character_there-s-different-kinds-of-improv-there_1989304.jpg" --- # There's different kinds of improv. There's Second City… ![“There's different kinds of improv. There's Second City improv where you try to slowly build a nice sketch. There's stuff you do in college coffee houses where you just go joke, joke, joke. Bring another funny character with a funny hat on his head. Christopher Guest is more the line of trying to…” quote by Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/fred-willard-4425_character_there-s-different-kinds-of-improv-there_1989304.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/fred-willard-4425_character_there-s-different-kinds-of-improv-there_1989304.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7af/fred-willard-4425_character_there-s-different-kinds-of-improv-there_1989304.jpg) > “There's different kinds of improv. There's Second City improv where you try to slowly build a nice sketch. There's stuff you do in college coffee houses where you just go joke, joke, joke. Bring another funny character with a funny hat on his head. Christopher Guest is more the line of trying to get a story out.” [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Improvisation varies from structured sketch building to free‑form joke streams, each serving different creative goals. **In simple terms:** Different improv styles serve different purposes. Key Takeaway Choose improv style that fits your goal. Themes creativity performance humor collaboration Mood playful inquisitive Type advice observational When to use this quote - theater workshops - college comedy nights - online sketch groups Key Concepts improvisation techniques storytelling audience engagement Questions to Reflect On - Which improv style best enhances your storytelling? - How can you balance structure and spontaneity? A Different Perspective Over‑structuring can stifle spontaneity; too much chaos can lack coherence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bring Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bring-funny-3439482/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [City Improv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-improv-1720443/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Improv Second](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improv-second-663354/) [Joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joke/) [Kinds Improv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kinds-improv-3439481/) [Sketch Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sketch-stuff-2618988/) [Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try/) ## Related quotes > [My first improv was Second City in Chicago. Before that, I worked at - with a partner, doing comedy sketches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/my-first-improv-was-second-city-in-chicago-before-that-i-worked-at/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [I was just trying to blend the standup that I do almost with like the visual sketch stuff that I did on "Saturday Night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mulaney/i-was-just-trying-to-blend-the-standup-that-i-do-almost-with-like-the/) [John Mulaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mulaney/) > [I turned down 'Some Like It Hot.' See how smart I am? I felt I couldn't bring anything funny to it. The outfit was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lewis/i-turned-down-some-like-it-hot-see-how-smart-i-am-i-felt-i-couldn-t/) [Jerry Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lewis/) > [I was the cocktail waitress, and Sandra Bullock was the host, and this guy came in and persuaded me to try improv with Gotham…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-coolidge/i-was-the-cocktail-waitress-and-sandra-bullock-was-the-host-and-this/) [Jennifer Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-coolidge/) > [After college, I knew I wanted to work in comedy, so the first thing I did was go to where the comedy was. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/after-college-i-knew-i-wanted-to-work-in-comedy-so-the-first-thing-i/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [There were guys in 'The State' who would take one script and rewrite it and rewrite it and rewrite it and fight for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ben-garant/there-were-guys-in-the-state-who-would-take-one-script-and-rewrite-it/) [Robert Ben Garant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ben-garant/) > [Tell me that I misunderstood a joke, but don't tell me that my choice of cravat is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-niven/tell-me-that-i-misunderstood-a-joke-but-don-t-tell-me-that-my-choice/) [David Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-niven/) > [If there's something tender going on like that, I can't make up a joke and put it on Twitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-beaumont/if-there-s-something-tender-going-on-like-that-i-can-t-make-up-a-joke/) [Lucy Beaumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-beaumont/) > [Westminster is no joke. I took some tough classes there. It prepared me for a tough career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-baldwin/westminster-is-no-joke-i-took-some-tough-classes-there-it-prepared-me/) [Brooke Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-baldwin/) > [I don't like it when I see a racist comedian go up and say, 'What are we gonna do about all these immigrants?' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-don-t-like-it-when-i-see-a-racist-comedian-go-up-and-say-what-are/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [We're all basically decent human beings so if 3,000 people are laughing at a joke then it's worth telling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-mack/we-re-all-basically-decent-human-beings-so-if-3-000-people-are/) [Lee Mack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-mack/) > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [I'm always looking at new ways to tell a joke so that it doesn't get stale while working on new jokes every night or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burr/i-m-always-looking-at-new-ways-to-tell-a-joke-so-that-it-doesn-t-get/) [Bill Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burr/) > [Nobody calls me a racist when I do redneck jokes. Jeff Foxworthy can do as many 'You might be a redneck jokes' as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mencia/nobody-calls-me-a-racist-when-i-do-redneck-jokes-jeff-foxworthy-can/) [Carlos Mencia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mencia/) > [“You know where you can shove your joke. Just get me a new drink and try not to include and of your STD-laced body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrington/you-know-where-you-can-shove-your-joke-just-get-me-a-new-drink-and/) [Kim Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrington/) ## More by Fred Willard > [I remember Johnny Carson laughing effusively when I made my 'Tonight' show debut in the early 1970's as part of a sketch comedy group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/i-remember-johnny-carson-laughing-effusively-when-i-made-my-tonight/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [My daughter thinks I'm a little more on the straight and narrow than I actually am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/my-daughter-thinks-i-m-a-little-more-on-the-straight-and-narrow-than/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [I wish sex could last as long as love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/i-wish-sex-could-last-as-long-as-love/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [I'll talk your ear off if you recognize me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/i-ll-talk-your-ear-off-if-you-recognize-me/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [I once was in a project. They were going to do a remake. Somebody started a rumor I wanted more money. I said, 'This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/i-once-was-in-a-project-they-were-going-to-do-a-remake-somebody/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [I love working with Ty Burrell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/i-love-working-with-ty-burrell/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [Some of the Christopher Guest movies, when I'm not really like myself, when I have my hair dyed blonde or had a faux-hawk haircut.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/some-of-the-christopher-guest-movies-when-i-m-not-really-like-myself/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [After working with Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie, and Jonathan Mangum, I said, 'I am never going to talk about improv again.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/after-working-with-wayne-brady-colin-mochrie-and-jonathan-mangum-i/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [Someone I've always admired is Catherine O'Hara... I think she's one of the best actresses in the country, not only comedy. I just think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/someone-i-ve-always-admired-is-catherine-o-hara-i-think-she-s-one-of/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [I never got any advice in acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/i-never-got-any-advice-in-acting/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [I've found over the years that for some reason, people either are big fans and have to use me, or they don't quite understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/i-ve-found-over-the-years-that-for-some-reason-people-either-are-big/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [Suddenly you're like a pirate, you're 65 years old and you've got an earring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/suddenly-you-re-like-a-pirate-you-re-65-years-old-and-you-ve-got-an/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [If you're going to take a risk as a comic, make sure it's surrounded by other things that you're certain are funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/if-you-re-going-to-take-a-risk-as-a-comic-make-sure-it-s-surrounded/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [It's not a bad typecast: the goofy guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/it-s-not-a-bad-typecast-the-goofy-guy/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) > [You think you want to be famous. Then you see twenty or thirty people with cameras running after somebody coming out of a restaurant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-willard/you-think-you-want-to-be-famous-then-you-see-twenty-or-thirty-people/) [Fred Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) [Explore all 111 Fred Willard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-willard/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's different kinds of improv. 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