Harold (improvisation)

Harold (improvisation)

Harold is a structure used in longform theatrical improvisation. Developed by Del Close and brought to fruition through Close's collaboration with Charna Halpern, the Harold has become the signature form of Chicago's iO and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York and Los Angeles. It is now performed by improvisational theatre troupes and teams across the world.

The Committee, a San Francisco improv group, performed the first Harold in Concord, California in 1967. They were invited to a high school and decided to do their improvisations on the war in Vietnam. On the way home in a Volkswagen Bus they were discussing the performance when one of them asked what they should call it. Allaudin (Bill) Mathieu called out "Harold." It was a joking reference to a line from A Hard Days Night where a reporter asked George Harrison what he called his haircut; he answered "Arthur." Close later remarked that he wished he had chosen a better name.

When The Committee disbanded in 1972, improv company “Improvisation, Inc.” was the only company in America continuing to perform Del’s “Original” Harold: A 45-minute free-form piece that would seamlessly move from one “Harold technique” to another. In 1976, two former I-Inc performers, Michael Bossier and John Elk, formed "Spaghetti Jam", performing in San Francisco's famous Old Spaghetti Factory through 1983. Spaghetti Jam performed Harolds while also turning Spolin games and Harold techniques into stand-alone performance pieces... i.e. Short-Form Improv. Early performers of The Harold also included Betty Thomas, Jose Simon, Terry McGovern, Buzz Belmondo, Robin Williams, Barry Sobel, Gil Christner, Joyce Imbesi, Taylor Negron and Paul Willson.

Close's book, Truth in Comedy, which was co-written by Charna Halpern, is the definitive text on the form. It describes a "training wheels Harold" as three acts (or "beats"), each with three scenes and a group segment. With each beat, the three scenes return. By the end of the piece, the three scenes have converged.