Improv Interviews

David Raitt is an improviser, author and sketch comedian from Toronto. David shares his unique improv story starting in high school and having a troupe that was together for years!

He has been performing and teaching improv for over 25 years. After acquiring degrees in Cognitive Science and then Law, he started taking improv classes at The Second City, Toronto, in 1996. In 2000, he joined their Canadian National Touring Company. He performed with the Mainstage ensemble and was also on the Training Centre Education faculty for 17 years. He offers speciality workshops in object work, environment and physicality.

His book, Improv Illusionist, https://improvillusionist.com/improv-illusionist-book/ is a terrific guide to movement and physical work in improv. We had a fantastic chat and I know that you'll enjoy learning more about David.

Be sure to sign up for his newsletter at https://improvillusionist.com/subscribe/ with a focus on the improv skills of environment, object work, and physicality in character and performance.

I heartily recommend all of his work!

Listen to Part 2 of our interview with the fabulous BJ Lange. He has devoted his life to service of others.

When a cancer diagnosis forced BJ, a former Air Force Reserve medic, onto the Temporary Disability Retired List in 2016, comedy and improv helped pull him through. Now he’s using those same skills to help veterans overcome their disabilities.

During the interview BJ spoke about:

The Armed Services Arts Partnership for servicemembers and veterans to get involved at www.asapasap.org

The Ledge Theatre, Hollywood

https://ledgetheatre.org/bj-lange

BJ @ The Second City

https://oldwp.secondcity.com/people/hollywood/bj-lange/

The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1045695952707987

The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/make-em-laugh-helping-vets-through-improv/

BJ Lange is a very funny man who has survived many health and life issues but continues to find the bright side of life!

When a cancer diagnosis forced BJ, a former Air Force Reserve medic, onto the Temporary Disability Retired List in 2016, comedy and improv helped pull him through. Now he’s using those same skills to help veterans overcome their disabilities.

During the interview BJ spoke about:

The Armed Services Arts Partnership for servicemembers and veterans to get involved at www.asapasap.org

The Ledge Theatre, Hollywood

https://ledgetheatre.org/bj-lange

BJ @ The Second City

https://oldwp.secondcity.com/people/hollywood/bj-lange/

The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1045695952707987

The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/make-em-laugh-helping-vets-through-improv/

Listen to the amazing Larry Gifford, found of the PD Avengers - a patient-led organization, united in the purpose of ending Parkinson's disease. We raise awareness, engagement and hope. This site has an enormous collection of resources and hope for folks with PD. Larry has had an extraordinary life in sports radio broadcast in the US and Canada. When he was diagnosed his life stopped, but only momentarily. He started learning Improv at the TightRope theatre in Canada. He recently had DBS, Deep Brain Stimulation, which has helped him regain many of the abilities he lost with PD. He is truly an inspiration and a real hero!

What a great experience getting to chat with Chris Mead in the UK. He is an experienced improviser, teacher, director and author. He was part of the renowned Maydays for many years and an artistic director at the Nursery.

Chris authors a fabulous weekly newsletter, Improv Fables. His newsletter is chock full of great info for improvisers and other really interesting things, like music, film and media reviews. His faithful dog, Radio, is also featured every week.

In August he's be teaching a Mockumentary Class which I highly endorse - https://improvtheatre.co.uk/upcoming-show/mockumentary-now-with-chris-mead/

You can get In touch with Chris at:

https://buttondown.email/mrchrismead/

Or read his improv stories at:

https://chrismead.notion.site/Improv-Fables-794d77df30dc47d585b7db519c7d48b0

Meet the very funny and prolific writer, Matt Fotis. Matt is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Albright College, where he teaches improvisation, comedy studies, and writing for performance. He is the author of Satire & The State: Sketch Comedy and the Presidency (Routledge 2020), Long Form Improvisation and American Comedy: The Harold (Palgrave Macmillan 2014), and co-author of The Comedy Improv Handbook (Routledge 2016). His latest book, Fifty Key Improv Performers will be released September 2024. He has published or presented on various topics, including improvisational theatre, new play development, political theatre, solo-performance, comedy studies, folklore studies, popular culture and more. His work has appeared in Theatre Journal, Theatre Topics, Theatre/Practice, The Journal of American Drama & Theatre, Academic Minute, The Encyclopedia of Humor Studies, The Encyclopedia of American Studies, McSweeney's, and MLB.com, among others. He is an award-winning playwright and the co-founder and co-executive director of The First Thursday Comedy Series in Reading, PA.

Be sure to check out his very funny videos at:

PSA corona virus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7SV20XJBpU

Late (Date) night with Matt Fotis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FoUYYjzJ9U

Matt Fotis Teaches Online

https://www.youtube.com/@mattteachesonline7350

Visit my website where I speak to today's leading innovators of improv. My guests are improvisers and therapists from all over the world who share their stories and offer insight into the unique ways they use improv. margotescott.com/podcast/

Meet the amazing Troels Andersen Kjar.

Troels was born, raised, and based in Copenhagen, Denmark. His love of storytelling was kindled as a teenager when he was introduced to Dungeons and Dragons, which he has been playing ever since. 7 years ago he discovered improv by chance, and, like many others, fell in love with the artform. As a performer his main focus is narrative longform.

Mental health disorders effect one out of three people today globally.With honest and vulnerability Troels shares his personal journey with mental illness, specifically Bi-polar disorder. He self-admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Denmark where he received the bi-polar, and other, diagnosis. A voluntary admission to a psych unit is an unusual thing and I salute his courage. However, he was quick to point out that all too often when people think of a psychiatrist in-patient unit, stereotypical images of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" or "Snake Pit" come to mind.

I hope you learn something today that might help you or someone you love.

Gillian Bellinger is a beloved improviser, teacher and actor. She founded the now thriving Misfit Improv and Acting School in Asheville, N.C. which just celebrated its one year anniversary.

I had met Gillian during the pandemic with our mutual friend, Jay Sukow. We reconnected recently at the Sketch School with Marc Warzecha in Sketch 101 and I knew I wanted to know more about this very funny lady.

We talk about growing up in Texas and how the improv bug got her.

Gillian’s resume is amazing. She has performed as an improviser and taught at Second City Chicago, Second City Hollywood, Westside Comedy Theater in Mission IMPROVable, Comedy Sportz.

She is a SAG voiceover actor and has appeared in numerous commercials, TV and film.

When asked why she named her new theater “Mifit” she told us.

“A bit of a misfit lies in each of us. That unique part of our spirit that delights in play. We strive at Misfit to create that same kind of place, a place to belong, to connect, to create and be a misfit.”

Gillian is a generous and brilliant person and I for one am looking forward to visiting her in Asheville!

https://www.misfitavl.com

Jane Morris is the queen of improv comedy! Her story is as unique as she is!. Co-founder at Second City ETC, she has done more to advance the art of Improv than anyone else in the universe - and that's not hyperbole!

She has performed and taught all over the world and currently teaches at The Fanatic Salon Theater in Culver City, California. The Fanatic has hosted many comic legends such as Conan O'Brien and Wayne Brady.

Jane is a writer, director and a beloved member of the Improv community.

Jane has so many movie and TV credits as an actor I can't possibly list them all. Her first film was "Nothing in Common" with Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason. And in 2019 she was in "The Laundromat" with Meryl Streep and her husband, Jeff Michalski, who made a guest appearance on this show. She had a recurring role on "The Drew Carey Show".

I was so fortunate to meet Jane in person this year and she is a warm and generous person. I know you'll enjoy getting to know here in this podcast.

Websites and social links

http://heavenhelpus.etsy.com/

http://ohmababy.etsy.com/

http://asksistermarymartha.blogspot.com/

https://twitter.com/janefmorris?lang=en

Visit my website where I speak to today's leading innovators of improv. My guests are improvisers and therapists from all over the world who share their stories and offer insight into the unique ways they use improv. margotescott.com/podcast/

Dr. Jeanne Leep – Improv Nerd

Meet the brilliant author and professor, Dr. Jeanne Leep. Jeanne played improv in Grand Rapids, Michigan and went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Theatre.

I had the good fortune to play with Jeanne recently and was awed by her spontaneity and joy.

She went to high school with our mutual friend Jay Sukow and then went on to the University Of Michigan and Wayne State College. Her best-selling book, “Theatrical Improvisation: Short Form, Long Form, and Sketch-Based Improv” is a classic book on the history of improv and sketch comedy that gives a clear definition on this often ambiguous topic. The forward was written by Jeanne’s friend, Keegan Michael Key.

Her research is extensive and this is certainly a book to add to your Improv Library.

Brimming with original interviews from leaders in the field such as Ron West, Charna Halpern, John Sweeny and Margaret Edwartowski, Theatrical Improvisation presents straightforward improvisational theory, history, and trends.

She is a Professor of Theatre Arts at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin and her students are really fortunate to have her wisdom and humor.

Visit my website where I speak to today's leading innovators of improv. My guests are improvisers and therapists from all over the world who share their stories and offer insight into the unique ways they use improv. margotescott.com/podcast/