Brian James O'Connell (Co-Founder of The Pack Theater) talks about his early days in Hollywood, training at ioWest, finding a kindred spirit in Miles Stroth, memories of Zumpf, starting The Pack, Camp Improv Utopia, position play, his original form “the ladder”, using longform structure in script writing, the dark joy of the human condition, and more!

Jess McKenna (Off Book, Baby Wants Candy, Dropout) talks about talks about being a theater kid, useful characters for initiations, choosing the fun path in a scene, the MEOW show, going for a joke vs. exploring a comedic idea, the clarity of premise, striving for variety in shows, musical improv and the origins of Off Book, overcoming nerves, navigating a creative partnership, and more!

Genetra Tull (JV, Benetton) talks about her original career path as a set builder, why she fell in love with improv, her comedic epiphanies, the journey to Harold night, personal pep talks, her team JV, being a physical player, coming of age as an adult, processing grief through comedy, writing a one-woman show, auditioning for SNL and more!

Ryan Rosenberg (Big Grande, ManDogPod) talks about humor as a survival mechanism, being a shy performer, how to save a dying sketch, the benefits of ADHD, Big Grande’s writing process, the fun of setting up a base reality, finding comedy without being mean, playing at the top of your emotional intelligence, why and how you should let the unusual character do their thing, eliminating codependence from your improv scenes, and more!

Julie Brister (UCB, WGIS) talks about self-doubt, her beginnings in New York in the late 80’s, the start of UCBNY, being taught by Ian Roberts and Amy Poehler, improvising on Zoom, teaching internationally, opinions on forms, learning to listen, her trick for remembering suggestions, finding characters through physicality, her love of selfish characters, and more!

Carl Tart (Grand Crew, In the Know), talks about improv as basketball, how to move a scene forward as the voice of reason character, Carl’s early days as a background actor, his training at Second City, how he deals with not getting laughs, working on Grand Crew, improv as a way to sharpen your instincts, the comedic voices that shaped him, and more!

Jake Jabbour (founder of WE Improv) talks about the origin and philosophy of his school, cultivating non-judgmental awareness, improv as a window into self, Jake’s epic nine-audition journey to Harold night, holding scenes loosely, external vs. internal validation, aiming for surprise in scenes, advanced moves for established groups, and more!

Vic Michaelis (Dropout's Very Important People) shares their insights on filmed improv, the power of an audience to determine the fate of a show, Dropout TV, Vic’s reinvention as an actor, the gift of obstacles, approaching improv mathematically, how to mark your improvement, the X factor of team chemistry, examples of favorite object work, and more!

Brendan Hunt (Ted Lasso’s co-creator and Coach Beard) drops by to talk about the Chicago improv scene of the 90’s, the perceived long form / short form divide, his journey to and through Boom Chicago, how emotional growth can help your improv, the importance of practice, the origins of Ted Lasso, his new solo show, hilariously nightmarish corporate shows, and more!

On this week's episode, Oscar Montoya (Minx, Eurovangelists) talks about his his rocky start with improv, his move from New York to LA, owning your playfulness, the importance of playing with honesty, seeing your characters as real people, the Soundtrack Harold, Dance-prov, why he loves doing Harolds, the power of entrances and exits, and more!

New episodes every Tuesday!

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