AUSTIN, Texas – The Hideout Theatre in downtown Austin is one of the many theaters that had to close its doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, luckily, they’re experts at improvising.

Andy Crouch teaches improv classes at The Hideout, but despite doing improv for the last 20 years, he’s had to evolve his craft over the last few months.

“Yes, its non-stop improv all the time right now. Which, thank God, we’re equipped for. But I think we’re in an especially hard position because everything we do is live. Our entire business model as a theater, training center, and coffee shop— it’s about people coming to us to get experiences,” said Crouch.

A lot of the work is coming up with ways to create those experiences for people from their homes.  

“There are some things you can’t do in a virtual environment show-wise and class-wise, but then we’re finding all these you can do. All these new, interesting effects that you can create, or ways of trying to create intimacy, and pets—pets are playing a big role in everybody’s improv classes now,” said Crouch.

People who practice improv say it helps them stay in the moment without the pressure of having to control a situation or anticipate how to respond next.

A good thing about virtual improv classes is that you can do them from anywhere. Crouch says they’ve had people drop in from all over the world, especially smaller towns that may not have a local theater.