Improv Comedy Connection

We're back with Patti Stiles in our first episode of Season 5.  Listeners know Patti from episode 2 of Season Three as well as panelist in the first, fourth, fifth and last sessions of the COVID-19 Summit. Our focus in this episode, though, is her wonderful book - Improvise Freely.  It's a timely book, as well as an encouragement and challenge to improvisers - no matter how seasoned.

Patti has an infectious enthusiasm for improvisation that comes through in everything she does. You'll no doubt be encouraged to pick up a copy of the book after this interview, but you'll also likely want to find out more and follow Patti.  You can do so at pattistiles.com and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

In this, our 50th episode!, Whit has a conversation with Rachael Mason.  Rachael has been a mainstay of the Chicago improv scene for many years.  She has been a central figure in the Second City’s curriculum and performance and has moved to iO which is set to re-launch under new ownership in Fall of 2022.  There, she is the Director of Education and is involved in both the design of the theater’s improv curriculum and performance structures – and as you might guess, we spend some time discussing what is to come at iO.

Rachael’s teaching also extends to coursework at DePaul University and Columbia Chicago, as well as her own workshops that she has delivered all around the world.  Her performance credits are many, with many credits at Secondy City, iO, Annoyance, Baby Wants Candy, as well as regularly performing with her good friend and improv beshert, Susan Messing.

You can get access to drop in classes and more through ioimprov.com, which certainly will develop more fully in the months and years following the release of this episode.

Our guest on this episode of the Improv Comedy Connection is David Escobedo. David has been coaching and performing improv since 1994. In fact, he coached his first improv team, as there weren't any improv schools around! Later he took classes at iOwest, Second City and other improv schools around Los Angeles. He is quick to acknowledge the impact of his improv teachers during this time, including Jay Sukow (Jay was part of the COVID-19 Improv Summit and was interviewed as part of Season 4), Paul Vaillancourt (Paul was interviewed in Season 1), Liz Allen, Steve Green, Duncan Cameron, Vanessa Anton, and more that he would view as particularly inspirational.

One of the philosophies he firmly believes in is that the improv ecosystem is much more flat than we're led to believe. He rejects the notion that there is a dynamic hierarchy of "good improvisers" or teachers, and firmly wants to see people and institutions being put on pedestals. His goal as a teacher is to make you a peer, not a constant student (cash cow). That way there are more people to do good improv with!

David is pursuing his PhD in Chester, UK. He lives there with his super talented and creative partner Monica Escobedo and their adorable new child, Q.

You can find David and one of his most important projects at: www.facebook.com/BoostImprov.

Our guest for this episode is Hellena Jang.  Hellena is an improviser, instructor and agile coach in Seoul, Korea, as well as the founder of Imfrog - likely the first Korean language improv troupe on the Korean peninsula.  She was introduced to improv through Seoul City Improv, an English language troupe established by ex-pats in the city.  That experience led to perhaps one of the most intense deep dives into improv - a couple of extended, immersive journeys that Hellena took to learn about a great many of the North American improv schools, traditions and communities - that helped shape the force of improv that is Hellena Jang.

In this episode, we talk about that journey, a bit about the European and Asian festival scene, leading in improv, her pioneering work, and the Korean language and culture and improv.  And Hellena is just fun to talk with!

You may recall Hellena from her contributions to the Covid-19 Improv Summit in the following two episodes:

   COVID-19 Improv Summit — The Globalization of Improv Part 1

   COVID-19 Improv Summit — The Globalization of Improv Part 2

You can connect with Hellena in a number of ways:

   hellenajang.com

   Facebook

   Instagram

Our guest for this episode is Tanine Dunais.  Tanine grew up in Iran, but discovered improv in the United Arab Emirates.  She later moved to Europe, and now resides in the Netherlands, where she pursues improv, bouffon, clowning, and more.  This episode features an interesting discussion on the theater traditions of  Tanine's homeland, and as well as an fascinating consideration of performing in a context of difference backgrounds and intersectionalities in an ensemble.

You can connect with Tanine in a number of ways:

Tanine Dunais is her website with many links to her varied work.

@tanindunais • Instagram

@tannin | Facebook

Episode webpage: https://wp.me/paJcZS-Eg

In this episode, we talk with Patrick Rowland.  Patrick is a writer, comedian, and actor from Chicago, now residing in Los Angeles. He’s studied and taught at The Second City and iO Theater. His solo character work was featured in Alone, Chicago’s Best Solo Comedy at The TBS Just For Laughs Festival in 2013. Austin Comedy Short Film Festival nominated Patrick as Best Supporting Actor for his work in Mr. Mainframe.

He is the creator of The Patrick Rowland Sketch Show, a web series he writes produces, directs, and films himself on an iPhone. He is also a founding member of 3Peat, a critically acclaimed, award-winning sketch/improv troupe, who has several sketches with Comedy Central's Digital platform, their most successful, The Blackening, garnered over 15 million views, and is currently being made into a feature.

Patrick hosted a late-night talk show as former President Barack Obama called Barack All Night. Most recently, he participated in a virtual roundtable for Sony Pictures, which was led by Girls Trip producer and writer Tracy Oliver. Patrick currently writes for The Amber Ruffin Show.

Links:

PatrickRowland.net

The Patrick Rowland Sketch Show

Instagram

Twitter

The Amber Ruffin Show - YouTube

For this episode, Whit has a conversation with Jay Sukow — a US improviser based in LA, but in New Zealand traveling for this recording.  After catching up a bit, we jumped into an amazing conversation about his favorite (by far) of over 300 10-minute scenes that he’s been doing since early on in the pandemic.  This is all the more impressive given that his online series “10 Minutes with…” where he improvises a 10 minute scene with someone from anywhere on the planet, has over 100,000 views.

Jay is very much about positivity towards improv and saying yes within your improv. This has led to a continued desire and enthusiasm for improv and improv community online – something that we also spend some time talking about in this episode.

As far as Jay’s background, he’s been improvising for nearly 30 years.  A few of those he has trained with include Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, David Razowsky, Keith Johnstone, Del Close, Charna Halpern, Jeff Michalski and Mick Napier. He is a graduate of training centers of The Second City, The Second City NW, iO Chicago, and ComedySportz Chicago and the founder of Today Improv.  He also served as the Artistic Director/Head of Training at the Improv Comedy Copenhagen Theatre, where he taught improv and sketch comedy to expats from all around the world.

He previously taught for Second City Chicago, Second City Hollywood, Westside Comedy Theater, iO Chicago (where he was also head of its artistic committee), iO West and ComedySportz Chicago, and has taught at many improv festivals around the world, including the Oslo Impro Festival, the Copenhagen International Improv Festival, the Barcelona Improv Festival and the Chicago Improv Festival. He is the winner of The Golden Pineapple, awarded to the best visiting teacher at Improv Comedy Copenhagen.

At the Westside Comedy Theater, Jay is in the cast of Mission Improvable and Improv Famous, an Armando-style show featuring some of the best improvisors on the planet. He is also part of the duo Zer0 H0ur with Bill Chott and was an ensemble member of ComedySportz Chicago, several weekend “house” improv teams at iO Chicago and many other improv and sketch comedy groups. At least, that’s the in person stuff!  Also, Jay is the co-host of ImprovCast with Jay and Landon.

Follow Jay and Jay-related stuff at:

JaySukow.com

Today Improv

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Jay also appeared as a panelist on the first session of the Covid-19 Improv Summit and both sessions related to online improv in the Summit.

In this episode, we get the joy of talking with Stacey Hallal - founder of the Curious Comedy Theater in Portland, Oregon where she serves as Artistic Director as well as a regular performer, writer, director and teacher. We talk a bit about her leadership at Curious, but she's also known for her Ruby Rocket, Private Eye character and much, much more.  We discuss her affinity for "cross-training" - which dates back to her experience in Chicago in going through the training at iO, Annoyance, Second City along and others, along with experiencing a host of different approaches to improv from the scores of comedy festivals she's been a part of in one capacity or another.

Keep up with Stacey at:

Instagram: @thestaceyhallal

Curious Comedy Theater

Ruby Rocket, Private Eye

In this episode, we get to hear from Luana Proença - an improviser from Brazil, presently studying for a PhD in theater/improvisation in Lisbon, Portugal. Luana is a known quantity in much of the global improv world, but not nearly well-known enough in the English-speaking, North American improv community. Listening in will help change that if that's where you're based, and you'll thank me for the experience later.

Luana has some very interesting, and clear observations and understandings of the various roles an improviser plays within any performance. I recommend her book on that subject highly, and you can find a link to get your copy below - with very friendly pricing arrangements so that you can be as generous as you can be to Luana while taking advantage of her wonderful work.  We also consider the impact other voices can have on each of us -- first through the lens of the documentary she produced with contributions from 60 improvisers from all over the world -- to just each other's voices.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or go to the episode webpage at https://wp.me/paJcZS-AP.

Michelle Gilliam is a voice actor and improviser based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the founder of Improv MKE. She has been involved with improv since high school, and at various times has been immersed in the Milwaukee, Chicago, and Boston improv scenes.  With the pandemic, she adeptly stepped into the global, online improv community where her skills and thoughtfulness about the art and the community aspects of improv have garnered her world-wide respect.

Her emphasis on being human applies to both the art and community, and can be seen quite clearly in everything Michelle does. Her experiences are easily accessible and welcoming, and you can find many of them by going to www.improvmke.com or to the World's Greatest Improv School.  You can also find Michelle and Improv MKE around social media - including: Improv MKE | Facebook.