Free Intermediate Improv Lessons
By David Koff | Founder, Change Through Play | Updated May 2026
Here are six free video lessons for improvisers who know the basics and are ready to go deeper.
You've learned "yes, and." You understand that planning kills scenes. Now it's time to refine your instincts, sharpen your technique, and develop the habits that separate competent improvisers from genuinely compelling ones.
Change Through Play's Founder, David Koff, addresses the specific challenges that surface once you've left the beginner stage — the subtler skills that most people don't develop until they've been improvising for years.
What This Series Covers
When to enter a scene — and when to wait
How to recognize when a scene is over and exit cleanly
The mechanics of labeling in improv, and how to use it well
Why emotional vulnerability is the most powerful tool you have on stage
How specificity works at an intermediate level — beyond just naming things
What it means to truly stay present, and why it gets harder as you advance
The Lessons
Lesson 1: When Do We Enter Scenes?
Knowing when to step into a scene is one of the most underrated skills in improv. Enter too early and you disrupt what's being built. Wait too long and you miss the moment entirely. David breaks down how to read the scene and time your entry with intention.
Lesson 2: When Do We End an Improv Scene?
Strong edits make shows. Weak edits deflate them. David explains how to recognize when a scene has reached its natural peak — and how to end it cleanly rather than letting it drag past the point of interest.
Lesson 3: All the Ways We Use Labeling in Improvisation
Labels appear everywhere in improv — names, relationships, locations, emotions, backstory. In this lesson, David maps out all the ways labeling is used in scenes, when it helps, when it becomes a crutch, and how to use it as a deliberate creative tool.
Lesson 4: The Power of Emotional Vulnerability
The scenes that stay with audiences — and with the people performing them — are the ones where the improvisers allowed themselves to be genuinely vulnerable. David makes the case for emotional openness as a technical skill, not just a personality trait.
Lesson 5: The Power of Being Specific When Improvising
You've heard "be specific" before. At the intermediate level, specificity means more than naming things — it's about making choices that create texture, context, and meaning in a scene. David expands on the concept for improvisers ready to use it with more intention.
Lesson 6: Stay Present When Improvising
Presence is the foundation of everything in improv — and one of the hardest things to maintain as you advance. David explains what genuine presence looks and feels like in a scene, what pulls us out of it, and how to return when you've lost the thread.
Ready to Put This Into Practice?
Video lessons sharpen your thinking. Live scene work sharpens your instincts.
Change Through Play offers in-person improv classes in Portland, Oregon for intermediate-level students — structured around exactly the skills David teaches in this series. Our classes are small, focused, and designed for improvisers who already know the basics and want to go further.
Learn more about classes or, if you’re ready to join us, view our full class calendar, and choose our intermediate/advanced class series!
New to improv? Start with our free beginner improv video series before working through these lessons.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I'm ready for the intermediate series? If you've taken at least one improv class or workshop — or worked through our free beginner video series — you're ready. These lessons assume you understand the basics: "yes, and," active listening, and not blocking your scene partner.
How is this different from the beginner series? The beginner series covers foundational concepts from scratch. This series assumes you have those foundations and focuses on the subtler, more refined skills that intermediate improvisers need to develop.
How long are the videos? Each lesson is short and focused — most run just a few minutes, designed to be specific and immediately applicable.
Do I need to watch them in order? They work well in sequence, but each video is self-contained. If a particular topic is most relevant to where you are right now, start there.
What's the best next step after these lessons? Live scene work with other people is the fastest way to develop beyond what video lessons can teach. Our in-person classes in Portland are the natural next step — see what's currently available on our calendar.
David Koff is the founder of Change Through Play Improv & Training Center in Portland, Oregon. He has led improv training for Nike, Intel, PwC, and Nestlé, and has been performing and teaching improvisation professionally since 1993. He trained at The Groundlings in Los Angeles and holds membership in SAG/AFTRA.