Yes But Why Podcast

This week on Yes But Why, we talk to theater artist and podcaster, Paul Deichmann.

Paul Deichmann is an improviser from just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Paul is a performer, a director and a producer of improvised and devised theater pieces. At home like the rest of us in live entertainment, Paul currently produces an improvised long form podcast called The Offer with Cesar Gozurreta.

Our chat goes deep into improv theory straightaway. This conversation starts with an examination of improv as meditation and ends with a discussion about finding yourself through performance. Yeah. Paul was a fun person to talk to.

We discuss Paul’s voracious appetite for learning all things theatrical. Paul has explored all the different disciplines of improv, by taking classes, reading books, or going down a Google search rabbit hole. Paul shares his love for improv, as well as storytelling and creating shows.

Paul has been improvising theater since his first role as a bench in his high school’s production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. We talk about crazy team building exercises, about his interest in dramaturgy, and about the difficulty of finding collaborators.

Support Paul Deichmann by listening to his podcast, The Offer. The Offer is an improvised stories podcast hosted by Paul and Cesar Gozurreta. They create a completely original long-form story alongside an amazing guest. The Offer releases new episodes every week! In March and April of 2021, The Offer team is developing further the stories they loved improvising from throughout their first year. Check them out! Also, check out Pig Iron Theatre Company where Paul mentioned he has been enjoying taking workshops!


Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com to join in on the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This episode of Yes But Why is also sponsored by PodcastCadet.com. Go to PodcastCadet.com and put in offer code YBY20 to get 20% off your first consultation!

This week on Yes But Why, we talk to Kelly Hopkins, founder of Soul Exploration Through Art.

Kelly Hopkins is a life coach as well as an experienced speaker and facilitator with decades of experience working with groups large and small. Kelly has been working to help people for her whole life. After a career in social services burnt her out, she moved her family to Costa Rica. To connect with her new neighbors and to begin to heal, Kelly started an art connection group. They worked on journaling, meditation, visualization, painting, drawing, dance, and movement. The exercises Kelly developed during this journey eventually led to her coaching business, Soul Exploration Through Art.

Through art therapy and community building, Soul Exploration Through Art helps people reconnect with their authentic selves. Kelly Hopkins works with clients all over the world to help them get unstuck, to clarify their creative purpose and to unleash their artistic passion!

In our conversation, Kelly teaches me about how creative projects can provide a source of healing. Through the act of making art, we can process our feelings about an experience. Kelly tells me about the play she wrote just after college called “Triggered,” that was inspired by art therapy she had done with traumatized children.

Kelly talks about the fact that theater people are absolutely the best kind of people you want to employ because of our work ethic and breadth of skills. (It’s true.)

And yet, we discuss how we theater people (me) are trained to do it all ourselves and so we always do it that way, even if it breaks our back. Kelly talks about building your team and finding the support you need to make your dreams a reality. She reassured us (me) that we don’t have to go it alone. We talk about making art, life coaching and how to spin it all into a successful business.

Support Kelly Hopkins by connecting with her at Soul Exploration Through Art. She can really help you with what you’re going through.

UPCOMING EVENT -- Kelly is hosting a 2 day LIVE virtual event called “Unstuck Live.” Click the link for more information on how you can attend this transformational event: https://getunstucklive.com/unstuck-live

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com to join in on the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This episode of Yes But Why is also sponsored by PodcastCadet.com. Go to PodcastCadet.com and put in offer code YBY20 to get 20% off your first consultation!

This week on Yes But Why, we had the opportunity to talk to improviser, Jay Sukow.

Jay Sukow has been performing with and without a script for almost 30 years now. He is a director, writer, actor, and podcaster as well as an award-winning improv performer and instructor. He is the founder of Today Improv, which teaches improv to actors, businesses and everybody else.

Jay also thrives in the corporate arena. He has extensive experience helping businesses enhance their abilities by using improvisational philosophies and exercises. Jay has designed interactive learning sessions for clients such as McDonald's, Netflix, and Allstate Financial Services.

Jay trained with, among others, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell and Del Close. He is a graduate of the training centers of The Second City, The Second City NW, iO Chicago, and ComedySportz Chicago.

Jay currently teaches improv at Second City Hollywood and Westside Comedy Theater. He has previously worked for the Improv Comedy Copenhagen Theatre, Second City Chicago, iO Chicago and ComedySportz Chicago. Jay has taught at many improv festivals around the world, including the Oslo Impro Festival, Copenhagen International Improv Festival, and Barcelona Improv Festival.

In our conversation, Jay talks about falling in love with improv. We chat about the joys of creating as a group.We talk about using the skills of improv to embrace failure and adjust to change.

Jay and I talk about being improv teachers and the extraordinary opportunity to explore this artform both as a performer within it and as an instructor guiding the journey.

Jay Sukow is a playful and kind gentleman and I was honored to be able to spend time with him. Listen in for great improv theories and many joyful stories.

Support Jay Sukow by taking a class with him through Today Improv.
Jay hosts an online improv show called “10 Minutes With” and it features Jay playing with improvisers from across the globe. You can watch this video series by subscribing to the Today Improv youtube channel!
Jay can also be found doing his own podcast interviews on “Improvcast with Jay and Landon”! Check it out on iTunes!

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com to join in on the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This episode of Yes But Why is also sponsored by PodcastCadet.com. Go to PodcastCadet.com and put in offer code YBY20 to get 20% off your first consultation!

This week on Yes But Why, we chat with Rebecca Bernstein, producer of Zoom Shakespeare Productions.

Rebecca Bernstein is a Houston based actor/director/producer. She grew up doing theater classes for kids and worked several summers as a camp counselor at various theater camps around the city. After graduating with a theater degree from St Edward’s University in 2011, she spent a summer as the theater specialist at the Chicago JCC’s CAMP CHI. Since then, she has been acting and directing with several companies in Houston. Some of her recent acting credits include Theresa De Lamballe in Sankofa Collective’s Marie Antoinette, Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie at Pasadena Little Theater, and Actor in 154 Sonnets with Boiling Point Players. Her directing credits include Angel Street and Alice in Wonderland at The Company Onstage, The Betrothal at The Landing Theater and The Grapes of Wrath at Houston Theater Company. She has appeared in several short films, has appeared in Pronoia Theater’s Magical Lying Hour and is a cast member in Houston’s murder mystery show; The Dinner Detective.

Rebecca was set to open “The Glass Menagerie” at Pasadena Little Theatre when the coronavirus pandemic hit and her plans were halted. In March of 2020, she got a few friends together to do a Zoom reading of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and put it on YouTube. Since then, Zoom Shakespeare Productions has done over 45 virtual performances with actors from around the world!

In our conversation, we talk about teaching theater to kids and the emotional journey of a child actor. We talk about how early Rebecca’s love for Shakespeare began – she was 12 when she performed in her first Shakespeare play! (What?! Amazing!) We talk about covid’s effect on our creative drive. Rebecca talks about building a worldwide community of performers online with Zoom Shakespeare Productions. This is a great conversation about creating art and pulling something positive out of the darkness.

Support Rebecca Bernstein and Zoom Shakespeare Productions by checking out Zoom Shakespeare’s upcoming shows:
*February 26th, 27th and 28th at 8pm central
Zoom Shakespeare Productions: Othello (the second collab with past guest Alric Davis’s theater, The Sankofa Collective)
*February 13th at 8pm central
Zoom Shakespeare Productions: SECOND MISCAST MONOLOGUES

You can also watch the most recent performance, Zoom Shakespeare’s 50th show – The Taming of the Shrew!

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com to join in on the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This episode of Yes But Why is also sponsored by PodcastCadet.com. Go to PodcastCadet.com and put in offer code YBY20 to get 20% off your first consultation!

This week on Yes But Why, we chat with writer/actor Gary Miceli and comedian/actor Noel Gibson. Gary Miceli and Noel Gibson came on the podcast to promote their new comedy series, Freshman Circus, streaming now on YouTube. Freshman Circus is a comedy web series about navigating freshman year in college in the world of online classes. Freshman Circus premiered on January 20th . New episodes come out every Wednesday!

Actor, writer, producer and New York native Gary Miceli is an avid film and television lover. He is a graduate of Five Towns College where he earned a BFA in film & video studies. Early on, Gary started acting of course, and with that came his discovery of his ability to do different characters. He then developed that skill for mimicry into a strength, allowing him a talent for switching from one character to another in rapid succession. He took this rare ability to the stage in his one-man show based on "Star Wars: A New Hope", playing over 30 characters. He eventually would like to bring his voiceover talents to animation as well as continuing in front of the camera.

Noel Gibson is an award-winning actor and an alumni improviser of Upright Citizens Brigade and iOWest. She still performs (as regularly as she can) with her all-women sketch team called Women of Color Anonymous. Noel was also a host on “PopFuzionTV” where she interviewed many celebrities including Terry Crews, Heather McDonald and Academy Award Winning Producer and Artist Common. With hundreds of acting jobs to her credit, she has worked in Film, Television, Theater, Radio, Commercials, Voiceover, and more. Noel is currently starring on a new kid show called “The Yippee Show” that runs on the Yippee platform, TBN network, and Youtube.

In this episode, we talk about what drew us all to comedy. Noel and I are decidedly entertainers at heart. Gary is a strong storyteller, sharing not only his own stories but collecting stories from around the world and sharing them!
Noel tells us about how she climbed to great heights to make music videos with her friends as a kid. Gary tells us how a trip to Planet Hollywood as a kid sparked his love for film memorabilia. We discuss how our improv training has helped us to work on collaborative projects! This was a great chat with some top notch creators!

Support Gary and Noel in Freshman Circus! Available now on YouTube! New episodes come out every Wednesday! Support Gary by looking out for his forthcoming movie, “Fandemic.” Support Noel by watching her kids show, “The Yippee Show!”

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com to join in on the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This episode of Yes But Why is also sponsored by PodcastCadet.com. Go to PodcastCadet.com and put in offer code YBY20 to get 20% off your first consultation!

This week on Yes But Why, we interview Alric Davis, Artistic Director of The Sankofa Collective in Houston, TX.

Alric Davis is an artist focused on preserving history through the power of words and movement. Since 2013, he has served as the Founding Artistic Director of The Sankofa Collective, a non-profit theatre organization in his hometown Houston, Texas. The Sankofa Collective produces theater for the purpose of educating and enriching the lives of at-risk communities of color. Alric is drawn to work that is equal-parts thought-provoking, communal, entertaining, and visceral.

Since getting his B.F.A. from Howard University with a concentration in Musical Theatre and Playwriting, Alric Davis has been writing and producing his own plays to rave reviews. His original work, “Different, Damaged, Damned,” received accolades at the 2016 Capitol Fringe Festival. Alric is also a freelance performer, director and adjunct instructor in acting, playwriting, slam poetry, and choreography.

In this episode, we talk about creating art that starts conversations. We discuss the work Alric has been doing producing theater in Houston with The Sankofa Collective. We chat about Shakespeare, Olivia Pope, and slam poetry! This was an amazing conversation with a top notch storyteller!

ALSO -- Alric is a great guy to share the stage with! He and I performed together on a Zoom improv show called Magical Lying Hour produced by the Pronoia Theater! Check us out HERE! https://youtu.be/Ol4KYT5g8lU?t=2604

Support Alric by connecting with The Sankofa Collective, his non-profit theatre organization - SankofaCollectiveHouston.com – for online shows, classes and creative inspiration!

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com to join in on the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This episode of Yes But Why is also sponsored by PodcastCadet.com. Go to PodcastCadet.com and put in offer code YBY20 to get 20% off your first consultation!

This week on Yes But Why, we interview Australian improv duo, Asia Beck & Ben Snaith.

Asia Beck is a musician and an improviser. They studied Jazz at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. They credit their ability to improvise in the realm of comedy to the training received during music studies. Asia is an advocate for mental health/schizophrenia awareness and encourages anyone else with similar struggles to use comedy as therapy and a valuable learning tool.

Ben Snaith has been creating and working in the performing arts industry since 2007. In the last seventeen years, he has been exposed to an incredibly diverse range of experience that has seen his output include experimental underground music, performance art, and production & direction in physical, experimental & traditional theatre. Improvised comedy is a recent addition to his ever-growing list of creative skills. As a qualified and dedicated teacher and creative, Ben hopes to inspire others to think innovatively and develop deep empathy for other humans and our planet.

In our conversation, we chat about performing improv and building your own performance style. We open with stories about Ben performing music as Orlando Furious and doing shows with the underground theater scene in Melbourne. Asia shares bittersweet memories of singing for their church as a child.

We talk about the community at Big Fork Theater that got them started on their improv journey. Asia and Ben tell me about their current creative passion, their improv duo. They recently had a show (like a real show with people in attendance and everything) called “Ben & Asia Have A Relationship” in which they performed their improvised show totally naked. Unsurprisingly the show is about vulnerability, so the birthday suits and the musical accompaniment serve to ease the audience into the experience. Wow. These two are pretty amazing. Tune in!

Support Asia Beck & Ben Snaith by keeping an eye out for new projects on the Alt City productions page on the Orlando Furious website. Hopefully soon, Brisbane will go back down on their covid numbers and they can perform in theaters again!

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com to join in on the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This episode of Yes But Why is also sponsored by PodcastCadet.com. Go to PodcastCadet.com and put in offer code YBY20 to get 20% off your first consultation!

This week on Yes But Why, we chat with improviser, Annie O’Connor.

Annie O’Connor is a veteran improviser that has been teaching and performing since 1997. Alongside her husband, Levin O’Connor, Annie created NOW improv in Los Angeles. This is where they invented the New Earth Army improv classes for personal development. She has taught improv at MI’s Westside Comedy Theater (Santa Monica, CA) , iOwest (LA), Improv Utopia, The Verge Theater (Bozeman, MT), AMDA (LA) and at universities, theaters and festivals around the country.

They recently moved the adventure to Bozeman, Montana. There, Annie and Levin along with long time local performer Molly Hannan, opened a new theater and training center called Last Best Comedy. They, like the rest of us, are currently waiting to start teaching and performing again.

In our conversation, Annie and I talk about the role that shattered her confidence for many years. We talk about her first taste of improv at Ball State in Indiana. We connect on comedians we love: Carol Burnett, Kids in the Hall, The State. We talk about the improv communities she has been a part of: Cincinnati, Los Angeles and now, Bozeman.

Support Annie by following Last Best Comedy and keeping an eye out for upcoming Zoom shows before the onstage theater begins again.

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com to join in on the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This episode of Yes But Why is also sponsored by PodcastCadet.com. Go to PodcastCadet.com and put in offer code YBY20 to get 20% off your first consultation!

This week on Yes But Why, we chat with Jessica Thonen, theatrical design and technology professor at Eckerd College.

Jessica Thonen is a passionate community builder. At Eckerd College, she supports the BA and BFA degree programs for the Theatre Dept. And they are truly lucky to have her.

With a BA in drama from University of Dallas and an MFA from West Virginia University, Jessica Thonen has designed scenery and costumes in Europe, Off-Broadway, and throughout the United States. She has extensive touring experience, working at venues such as Radio City Music Hall and the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles as well as Norwegian Creative Studios, the entertainment arm of Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings.

Jessica and I are friends from way back, as you can hear in our chat. She is the reason I first moved to New York City; she got me my first BIG DEAL THEATER job right out of college. We both worked as stage managers for the NYU Tisch School of the Arts graduate acting program. It was an amazing experience and yet, in this chat, we talk mostly about our insane living situation at the time!

In our conversation, we discuss her work in the props department at Texas Shakespeare Festival and how that got her started on her path. She tells me about her graduate work in scenery and costumes as well as the extensive touring experience she has done during her career. We talk about the community building and mentoring she has gotten to do since joining the theater academia world.

Jessica is constantly making new theatrical pieces with her students. Check out THIS interview about a recent project, "Into the Wind," that Jessica co-created with Jenn Rapp during the pandemic!
Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com to join in on the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This episode of Yes But Why is also sponsored by PodcastCadet.com. Swing on by PodcastCadet.com to get help for all your podcasting needs! Go to PodcastCadet.com and put in offer code YBY20 to get 20% off your first consultation!

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This week on Yes But Why, we interviewed Nepali theater artist, Surya Abhineta.

Listen in as we catch up with Surya Abhineta at the beginning of his creative journey. Surya recently broke into the international improv scene and he caught my eye doing a couple zoom improv shows.

In our conversation, we talk about his interest in acting and in casting. Surya wants to open the world to the beauty and the theatrical talent of Nepal. He has aspirations to connect his hometown with more creative outlets than it currently has.

We talk about how he got into improv online through a duo jam with LA-based improviser, Jay Sukow. Since then, he has been getting his bachelors in tourism in Kathmandu and performing in late night improv jams via Zoom with the international improv community.

To support Surya Abhineta, check out the short film we chatted about during the episode, “Good Times Nepal” by the Good Times Brothers.

Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com to join in on the fun.

This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook download and your 30 day free trial at http://www.audibletrial.com/YESBUTWHY.

This episode of Yes But Why is also sponsored by PodcastCadet.com. Swing on by PodcastCadet.com to get help for all your podcasting needs! Go to PodcastCadet.com and put in offer code YBY20 to get 20% off your first consultation!