“It was a complete failure to begin with.” The story of the Improv Chronicle begins there.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Lloydie James Lloyd regarding the origins of the Improv Chronicle. The Improv Chronicle’ journey and evolution mirrors the formation of iO and Second City. The initiation is more important than consistency.

With Lloydie’s experience in radio, he looked at Radio Today and asked himself why there wasn’t an improv version of that. In 2019, the Improv Chronicle began as a website resource. He asked improv organisations to send him press releases. This idea is the “failure” he refers to in the opening. He pivoted by asking himself:

“What do I know? What’s in my bones?”

He did a podcast, which was meant to supplement the website. Over time, the Improv Chronicle podcast took the spotlight. Each episode is a conversation with influential improv practitioners. Topics are a jumping-off point for discussion; sometimes, interviews go in different directions.

The first podcast episode about improv festivals was published in July 2019. It ended up being a magical episode because just the week before, the first spark of the Robin Hood Improv Festival had sparked. Since then, Lloydie has produced 63 episodes of the Improv Chronicle with guests like Patti Stiles and Dave Pasquesi.

The development of the Improv Chronicle is a significant lesson for us all. How we view “failure” may have a distinct relationship to our success. Some things we pour our efforts into need to be developed, not quit entirely.

Lloydie shared a couple of his favourite things when producing the podcast. One is when he gets to create soundscapes. Lloydie mentioned interviewing Robby Appleton on the train as one of his favourite moments. It felt immersive and interactive. He also identifies that this podcast combines two things that he loves: radio and improv. Lloydie says he has never had a bad interview. 

When I asked Lloydie for his advice for others considering starting their own improv projects, he did not hesitate to say, “Get the best advice you can before you can make it. Then make it.” He touches on how often we wait for everything to be perfect before we do it – and it will never be perfect. It will never be the ideal place or the perfect time. Lloydie says he empathises with the instinct for perfectionism, “but make sure you begin.”

He laughs to himself before saying, “At some point, you just got to jump.”

Trailblazers is a series focusing on people who are building and contributing to the improv artform today. It is meant to document that new ideas pop up in improv all the time. We have tendency to uphold historical things as the most significant, and overlook that we are making history all the time. 10 years from now someone may be talking about the people in this series and what amazing things they accomplished. It isn’t too late for you to start your own team or company.

DAVID ESCOBEDO is a post graduate student researching improv in England. He has been performing and coaching since 1994. He still loves seeing new students perform and watching imperfect improv. He runs the Improv Boost and has a couple of series where he interviews practitioners regardless of their experience or years in improv. You can check out his podcast David is Curious on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher.