Improv Nerd With Jimmy Carrane

Claudia Wallace is an actor and improviser who is currently the interim casting director at Second City. She is an alumni of the Main Stage, where she performed in three revues. In this episode, she talks about how she creates characters with only a sound, what she looks for when she is casting for Second City, and her take on what happened earlier this year when four ETC cast members resigned.

Scott Adsit played Pete on NBC's "30 Rock" for seven seasons and is an alumni of The Second City, where he was part of the ground-breaking show "Pinata Full of Bees." In this episode, which celebrated Improv Nerd's 5-year anniversary and was recorded at The Chicago Podcast Festival, Scott talks about meeting Paul McCartney, why he still loves to improvise and what Jimmy was like when they both started taking improv classes at Columbia College in Chicago.

Jane Lynch is best known as Sue Sylvester on Glee and for her work with Christopher Guest in Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. She got her start in comedy at The Annoyance Theater and Second City. Jimmy sits down with her to talk about how she started out in Chicago in the '90s, how she prepares for an improvised movie and what it was like to win an Emmy.

Ryan Archibald is an improviser, teacher and director. He has performed with The Second City touring company and on a resident stage in Las Vegas. He is a member of 3033 and was part of the group People of Earth at iO Chicago. Jimmy talks to him about the three things he likes to start his scenes with, how he gets over bitterness, and how letting go of goals helps him to enjoy the journey.

Kevin Allison is the creator and host of the hugely popular storytelling podcast RISK! He was also a member of the sketch comedy group The State on MTV in the '90s. We talked to Kevin about what he learned from working with such a large sketch group, how he eventually found his comedic voice, and practical tips on to how to craft a story to be on RISK!

Jon Glaser is a writer, actor and producer whose new show, Jon Loves Gear, premiers on TruTV on Oct. 26. He has written for Conan and Inside Amy Schummer and has acted in Trainwreck, Girls, and Parks and Recrecatation. Jimmy talks to him about starting out in improv in the '90s, his approach to comedy and why he drinks apple cider vinegar.

Laura Krafft is a comedic writer and actress, an iO Chicago and Second City alum and former staff writer for the Colbert Report. Jimmy talks to her about how improv helps her write for television, how she seems to find herself in the right place at the right time, and lessons she's learned from her dad.

Abby McEnany was recently voted Improviser of The Year at iO Chicago, where she improvises regularly with Virgin Daiquiri. She is also a member of Sirens, performs with The Improv All-Stars at Second City and is known for her one-person shows. Abby talks to Jimmy about how a private person can do a revealing one-person show, why she didn't think she would get Improviser of The Year, and the importance of having a strong voice in improv.

Rashida Olayiwola is a Chicago native who has performed at iO Chicago, The Annoyance and Second City. She was also the recipient of the NBC Universal Bob Curry Fellowship at Second City, and she recently left for LA to be part of the CBS Diversity Showcase and workshop. Jimmy talks to her about how she creates such belivable characters, why mentoring and being mentored is important to her success, and what it was like to be the only African-American woman in an all-white cast.

Micah Philbrook is one of Chicago's most thoughtful and invovative improvisers and teachers.