Harold (improvisation)

Harold is a structure used in long-form improvisational theatre that is performed by improv troupes and teams across the world.

In the Harold structure, characters and themes are introduced and then recur in a series of connected scenes.

The Committee, a San Francisco improv group, performed the first Harold in Concord, California, in 1967.

[3][1] The form was further developed by improv teachers Del Close and Charna Halpern, as well as the Upright Citizens Brigade.

The 1994 book Truth in Comedy[5] describes a "training wheels Harold" as three acts (or "beats"), each with three scenes and a group segment.