Improv Nerd With Jimmy Carrane

Nick Armstong is the founder of Improv Utopia and the artistic director of West Side Comedy Theater in Los Angeles. He performs with King Ten, the longest-running Harold team in LA, at iO West. Jimmy talks to him about why you should have an improv coach, he gives Jimmy an exercise to learn how to be silly and he shares what it's really like to be an artistic director. 

In this live show, Jimmy sits down with four members of Chicago's best improv group: 3Peat. Nnamdi Ngwe, Patrick Rowland, John Thibodeaux, and Dewayne Perkins. Jimmy talks to this all-black ensemble about diversity in improv, their style of play and how they came up with their name.

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In this special bonus episode, "The World According to Jimmy," Jimmy sits down with his producer, Dan Schiffmacher, and answers questions about improv, career and life submitted by our listeners and some of Jimmy's students. 

Jill Valentine is the executive director of The Chicago Women's Funny Festival at Stage 773 and an original member of The Cupid Players. 

Alan and Claire Linic are improvisers, writers, teachers -- and a married couple. Alan is in the current Second City etc cast and Claire is the author of two books. We talked to them about how they met at an improv show, why they don't improvise well together and why it's important to put your ideas out there.

Alison Riley is the producer of Second City, where she has worked for 30 years. She is one of the people responsible for casting. Jimmy sat down with her to talk about what Second City is looking for when they are hiring actors, how things have changed during her time there, and what Stephen Colbert was like when he worked in the box office.

Theresa Mulligan Rosenthal is a TV writer and producer, working on such shows as "Lady Dynamite," "How I Met Your Mother" and "Whitney." She started out improvising in the '90s in Chicago and was a member of Second City Touring Company, Second City Northwest and Jazz Freddy. We talked to her about taking improv classes with her mom, how she went from being an improviser to writing for TV, and how she has overcome her insecurities.

Bob Fisher is a well-respected teacher and improviser at The Annoyance Theater, where he was in the original cast of Co-Ed Prison Sluts. He was in also in the Second City Touring Company and the amazing group's Cardiff Giant and Bang Bang. We talked about his career as a lawyer, how he used improv to win a jury trial, and how we can always learn from the bad shows as well as the good.

Rachel Dratch is best known for her seven seasons on SNL. She recently returned to Chicago for the Chicago Improv Festival, where she recorded this live episode of Improv Nerd on the Second City Main Stage. Jimmy talks to her about how she built her confidence as an improviser, how the slow times in her career have turned into great projects, and of course, SNL.

Jaime Moyer is an improviser, teacher and actor. You have seen her in such shows as Modern Family and Parks and Recreation. She was originally a member of Second City Detroit before moving to LA in 2009. In this live episode recorded at The Chicago Improv Festival, Jimmy talks to her about how she auditioned for Second City for a parking pass, how she avoids being pigeonholed in improv, and how she decides what projects to take on.