Often, when I mention to someone that I have to go to an improv rehearsal, because it sounds like an oxymoron, I get the half-joking question, "How do you rehearse improv?"

I usually answer with something along the lines of it being like basketball practice. You run drills and exercises, workout key muscles and try to focus your teamwork. My Dad's a college basketball coach, so that's probably why I use that simile.

The simpler answer to the question of how you rehearse improv, in Chicago anyway, is "Once a week. Usually at a park district building. For about two hours, minus a short break in the middle and a certain amount of bullshitting time up front."

My iO Harold team, Diplomat Motel (one of two groups I perform with regularly), does Mondays at Gill Park.