April’s Featured Teacher – Russ Armstrong

Russ started improvising during high school in Ann Arbor Michigan.  There, he and his friends formed a group that they believed to be very "high brow," but looking back, they are now pretty sure they mostly just made up fart jokes and mocked their principle.  Since then, Russ has come a long way, honing his craft at iO and Second City in Chicago before making The Magnet Theater his improv home base.

As a teacher of long-form, Russ tries to keep it positive.  He emphasizes physical and emotional focus.  His objective is to get everyone on board and be okay with playing together. Russ also likes to incorporate tons of metaphors into his teaching.  For instance rather than just tell you to "follow the fear," as most improv teachers might, Russ, a native of Indianapolis, might quote racecar driver Mario Andretti. "If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough."

Russ is currently teaching Level 2: Intro to Longform improv.  Check out a listing of our available classes on the Magnet Theater website.