Exploring the Harold: A Long-Form Improv Journey

This is something we’ve been dreaming about since day one: introducing The Harold. Join us on May 8, 2026 at 7:30 PM to see it live.

The Harold is one of the most iconic and widely practiced long-form improvisation formats in modern theater. Developed by Del Close and Charna Halpern at The Second City and later refined at ImprovOlympic, it has become the foundation for improv groups looking to build rich, interconnected scenes from a single audience suggestion.

This format is especially meaningful to me—it’s where my own improv journey began. I first studied at ImprovOlympic (now known as I.O.) and later trained at The Second City. Bringing the Harold to our stage feels like coming full circle.

At its core, the Harold is about discovery, pattern, and connection. Instead of quick punchlines or short-form games, it focuses on developing ideas, characters, and themes over time. The show begins with an opening—anything from word association to a monologue or physical exploration—based on an audience suggestion. That opening becomes the inspiration for everything that follows.

From there, the performance unfolds in three beats, with recurring scenes that evolve and deepen. Between these beats, the ensemble performs “group games”—dynamic, often abstract pieces that reset the stage while reinforcing themes.

What makes the Harold so powerful is its use of patterns and callbacks. Moments that seem small early on can return in surprising and meaningful ways, weaving the entire performance together.

For our group, this process has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding. Many of our performers had never even seen a Harold before learning it here at the Lil’ Brick Theater. They trusted the process, committed fully, and have grown in remarkable ways. Watching them reach this level has been genuinely moving.

The Harold gives us a structure—but within it, anything can happen. And that unpredictability is what makes improv so alive.

Tickets are pay-what-you-can, available online or at the door.We can’t wait to share this with you!