I want to know stuff.

Here's an idea for any future improv theater company I take part in running. Knowing stuff.

It's great when an improviser gets a suggestion of a profession such as "doctor" and can rattle off actual medical terms and use them fairly accurately. Or the suggestion "Shakespeare" and be able to use "thee," "thou," "thy," and "thine" correctly. If you get suggestions like "spot welding" or "horseback riding," chances are that the person giving the suggestion already has some knowledge about the subject.

Granted, there will always be some subjects that an improviser knows absolutely nothing about. I know I had never heard the term "Octomom" before it was suggested to me in a show (I Googled it when I got home). I think we did something about an octopus during the scene.

Sure, it can be fun when an audience realizes "this improviser has no idea who [insert celebrity name] is." But it can be much more satisfying for an improviser who can play and have fun in a made-up world where you're firmly grounded with a few key phrases, terms, and concepts for the suggestion that's given. The audience member who gave the suggestion (and probably knew something about the subject) will be amazed that you know so much.

So here's my suggestion. Have various members of the cast each take a week where they will teach the rest of the cast something they know well. For example, I would teach classes on various things I learned in my days as a police officer -- how to do a traffic stop, how to give the field sobriety tasks, how to operate/fire a handgun, how to slim jim open a car door, how to search through a house, how to march/run in formation, etc. I'd love to have every cast member take what they know best and teach everyone something new every week. Not only would it be fun, but it would be a fun group bonding experience for the cast.

So, yeah... know-it-all training in Nashville. Coming in 2011.