The Improv Teachers

Katy Schutte is one of the UK's original long-form improvisers. She performs and teaches all over the world, is head-teach for Hoopla and Co-Artistic Director for The Maydays in the UK. Katy has been one of The Maydays since 2004, she is half of legendary sci-fi improv duo Project2 and author of The Improviser's Way: A Longform Workbook, which is published by Nick Hern Books. A Funny Women finalist and both nominee and winner of the Brighton Festival Fringe Best Comedy Show award, Katy also starred in BAFTA winning online educational series History Bombs. Katy performs with Knightmare Live and makes her own work including Schutte the Unromantic and acclaimed semi-immersive folk horror play Let's Summon Demons. She is a contributing writer for Cards Against Humanity.

Chris is a UK-based performer and theatre-maker who teaches and coaches improvisation in London. He has studied theatre at Royal Holloway College and improvisation at iO and The Annoyance Theatre in Chicago. He is the co-artistic director of The Nursery Theatre, a space in London dedicated to improv as a theatrical art form and a member of the internationally-renowned ensemble The Maydays, one half of sci-fi duo Project2 and recently co-founded Unmade Theatre Co. to pursue new projects as a director and performer. Chris hosts YesBot, a podcast about the theory and craft of improv.

It's episode 11 and today I discuss expanding your community, growing your leadership team, and finding your management style. You can learn more at www.adlibcomedy.com and www.laurenhasthree.com

It's Tuesday and ... Andy began teaching as a graduate student while pursuing his MFA in acting at Purdue. While there, he designed and taught a semester long foundational improv course. Since then, he has moved back to Kansas City, Missouri where he teaches acting and improvisation for multiple theatre companies including the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the Coterie Theatre, the KC Improv Company, and his own independent workshops. He has also taught for Avila, Park, and Purdue University as an adjunct professor, and has traveled to teach improv for OKC Improv, ComedySportz Buffalo, the Detroit Improv Festival, the San Diego Improv Festival, Trill Comedy Festival in Houston, and workshops in Chelan, Washington. Andy also is the host of the podcast MCWho? and you can find that at https://buff.ly/2yELWDI

It's Tuesday and... Lauren Esposito is our guest! Lauren Esposito is a teacher and performer with the Syracuse Improv Collective in Syracuse, NY. She performs regularly with resident teams Susan Be Anything and Heavy Metal Heat Wave. Lauren has been improvising since 2009 and started teaching improv in 2012. Her training as an improv teacher first began at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University. She has studied with improv teachers at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and the Magnet Theater. She has performed at improv festivals in NYC, Central NY, and the Northeast. Lauren has taught improv workshops at Syracuse University, Stony Brook University, and will be teaching at Marywood University in the fall of 2019. She enjoys helping others use improv to improve communication and leadership through college classes, corporate workshops, and professional development with high school teachers.

It's Tuesday and ... Megan Gray is this month's guest! Megan is the former Artistic Director of the Magnet Theater, a writer, performer, and native New Yorker. She has performed with Second City aboard the NCL Gem and was a member of Magnet's longest-running resident team "Junior Varsity." She can be seen in such notable shows as "The Armando Diaz Experience" and "The Cast." Megan also produces and hosts the monthly all-women and non-binary improv show "Hearts & Stars." In addition to teaching Level One, Level Four: Busy Town and electives, Megan has taught improvisation at C.W. Post University, Brookdale Community College, Fairfield University, Columbia Business School and festivals and companies around the country. She has studied improv at the Magnet and the UCB Theatre with Armando Diaz, Kevin Dorff, Christina Gausas, Dave Pasquesi, TJ Jagodowski, Jean Villepique, Joe Bill, Dave Razowsky, and many others. Megan graduated with a degree in Dramatic Writing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and has written for MTV2 and Comedy Central online. She has appeared on "Broad City," "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" and "Late Show With David Letterman." In her spare time, she travels the world performing improv with Magnet Theater's Touring Company and teaches yoga. In conclusion, you're all doing great.

Quick Take 16 in podcast form! This week it's about encouraging your students to see shows. Watching improv is an important element of the learning process. To learn more visit www.laurenhasthree.com

Quick Take 15 has arrived! Today we explore how to build trust in the classroom. Without trust, students cannot grow or explore new territory. It is up to us, the teacher, to provide a place where trust is fostered, created, and nurtured. To learn more visit www.laurenhasthree.com

Quick Take #14 is all about giving notes! How many notes should be given after a scene, set, or exercise? It's a balancing act and important for the improv classroom experience. To learn more visit www.laurenhasthree.com

Welcome to Quick Takes! Let's explore improv teaching tools that help you in the classroom. This week it's about differentiation of your notes. No one student is the same and our notes should reflect this. From a beginner to an advanced student, our approach has to be tailored for the student's needs. By differentiating our notes you can increase student engagement, increase self-awareness, help the student develop a deeper understanding, and inspire a love of learning! To learn more visit www.laurenhasthree.com

It's Tuesday and ... Rick Andrews is our guest! Find us on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google To learn more visit www.laurenhasthree.com or www.adlibcomedy.com  Rick Andrews is a teacher and performer at The Magnet Theater and has been studying, performing, and teaching improvisation since 1999. He began improvising with Improv Boston and continued with a stint in Saint Louis, MO. He has been fortunate to learn from many improv greats, including Armando Diaz, Ed Herbstman, Joe Bill, Mark Sutton, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, Will Luera, Jill Bernard, and more. Rick has taught workshops at improv festivals across the country, including the Boston Improv Festival, Baltimore Improv Festival, Black Box Atlanta, and many more. He co-produces Duofest, an annual festival of improv duos in Philly, PA. He has taught improvisation to people as old as 75 and as young as 6 and has done workshops for production companies and zoos alike. He enjoys running, putting words on pages, thinking about the brain, and he loves improv more than anything.

Welcome to Quick Takes! Today we discuss setting up expectations in the classroom. This is an essential piece of the improv classroom. Expectations help students feel safe and comfortable to explore, fail, grow, and learn. To learn more: www.laurenhasthree.com www.adlibcomedy.com

Today it's all about the Socratic Method. Learn what it is and how to implement it in your improv classroom. Here are some extras as you learn about this approach: www.laurenhasthree.com www.adlibcomedy.com http://www.umich.edu/~elements/probsolv/strategy/cthinking.htm

It's episode 10 of Improv Teachers: Quick Takes. You can find more on YouTube at https://youtu.be/kAGcT5U8PYI. In this episode, I discuss impact vs intention and how to use it for the improv classroom! Visit www.laurenhasthree.com to find all our the episodes and stay up to date on the latest Improv Teachers news!

It's Tuesday and Jocelyn Hillen is our guest! Jocelyn Hillen is a Pittsburgh native who had her first brush with theater life at a traumatic audition for the Mickey Mouse Club in 1992. She went on to earn a BFA in acting from The University of the Arts and has acted in numerous theatrical productions, including several short films. She performs regularly in Pittsburgh at Arcade Comedy Theater, Steel City Improv Theater, and Unplanned Comedy. She's been performing, coaching and teaching long-form improv for 6 years. She will never forget that she didn't make it as a Mouseketeer.

This week's Quick Take is about using the 5 whys to get your student to understand and learn in the classroom. You can find more at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEY-RrCfr5I1EJ8nMmeEQOQ?view_as=subscriber

It's Tuesday and ... Andel Sudik is our guest! Andel was born and raised in Santa Clarita, California. She spent her winters and summers on her family's farm in Nebraska near Wahoo and moved to Chicago right after high school. She has performed all over the US with The Second City Touring Company and all over Europe with Boom Chicago. She lived in Amsterdam for two years and Arizona for two months among other random places. She has been performing and teaching sketch comedy and improvisation for the last 10 years. Check out her website https://www.yesandel.com/

In this episode, we discuss Mel Robbin's 5-second rule and how it can be applied to improv!

In this episode, host Lauren Morris discusses keeping teams motivated, hard notes, when to apologize for putting your foot in your mouth and being transparent.

This week we are going to start our multi-part series on Bloom's Taxonomy. There are 6 parts: Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create This week we wrap it up with evaluating and creating! https://www.soundcloud.com/improvteac... https://www.laurenhasthree.com https://www.adlibcomedy.com

In this episode, I take a look at discussing boundaries, intimacy, and consent at your theater. It's an important piece of the improv experience and we need to make sure we are doing our job to ensure everyone has a safe environment to explore, fail forward, and play!

This week we are going to start our multi-part series on Bloom's Taxonomy. There are 6 parts: Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create This week it's about applying and analyzing https://www.soundcloud.com/improvteac... https://www.laurenhasthree.com https://www.adlibcomedy.com

This week we are going to start our multi-part series on Bloom's Taxonomy. There are 6 parts: Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create This week we look at Remembering and Understanding https://www.laurenhasthree.com https://www.adlibcomedy.com

It's Tuesday and ... Ryan Suffridge is our guest! Ryan re-kindled his love of improv back in 2010 when he joined the National Comedy Theater as a member of their College Team and, later, their Sunday Company and Mainstage teams. He has studied at NCT, FCI, Sidestage Improv, The Pack Theater and more. He currently plays with San Diego indie teams Slack to the Future and We Krooked Swedes. He loves honest and slow improv but is very comfortable jumping into the more whimsical side of things. Find more at www.cornerstoneimprov.com

This quick take is all about the goals and objectives. Two different concepts, both important to the improv teacher's toolbox! Find us on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhAllI9zLww&t=36s www.laurenhasthree.com

This episode we explore why we watch videos of our performances, notes to give once expectations are clear, and how to develop group mind. You can learn more at www.laurenhasthree.com

This week we are talking about creating your syllabus! It's an essential tool in any improv teacher's tool box! https://www.soundcloud.com/improvteac... https://www.laurenhasthree.com https://www.adlibcomedy.com Resource Links: http://improvencyclopedia.org/ Bill Arnett's Book: http://bit.ly/BillArnett Mick Napier's Book: http://bit.ly/MickNapier Viola Spolin: https://amzn.to/2SdVLVr Paul Vaillancourt's Book: http://bit.ly/PVImprov

Quick Take #2! How to get started in teaching. From working with established training centers to branching out on your own, here are some tips on getting your teaching journey started! Find Quick Takes on YouTube: http://bit.ly/ImprovTeacher Learn more at www.laurenhasthree.com and www.adlibcomedy.com

It's Quick Take #1! Why do you want to teach? What is about your voice and who you are that drives you to inspire others? Figure this out and your teaching can change the world! Find Quick Takes on YouTube: http://bit.ly/ImprovTeacher Learn more at www.laurenhasthree.com and www.adlibcomedy.com

It's Tuesday and Gretchen Wirges is our guest! Gretchen is a Tucson, Arizona - based improv teacher, coach, and performer. She spent 4 years on stage with short-form troupe Not Burnt Out Just Unscrewed and now performs around the country with her long-form improv duo Ex-Boyfriend. She also directs a troupe that performs a fully-improvised play, which won the "Audience Favorite" award at the 2019 Tucson Fringe Festival.

This week we look at communicating with each other during a show, making sure the audience is on the same page as your team, and marrying different styles of play! Find more at: www.laurenhasthree.com www.adlibcomedy.com www.facebook.com/improvteachers

This week I explore vocabulary in your own group, how to recover from hesitation in a scene, and why improv is about being in service of others! You can find this and more on Facebook and Twitter!

It's Tuesday and ... Kat Kenny is our guest! Kathleen Kenny is the Improv Director & Education Director at Bob Carter's Actor's Rep in West Palm Beach where she's been teaching short form and long form improvisation to improvisers of all levels for the past 10 years as well as acting classes for over 15 years. She currently plays with Actors' Rep house team Friends with Benefits and understated as well as Mod 27's Bananas Republic. She's been doing her lotto show Get Lucky with Kat for about 2 years and often guests with local improv troupes doing as many fests as time allows. She received her B.F.A. in acting from the Actor Training Program at the University of Utah and is a graduate of the UCB Training Center in NYC as well as levels I & II of the I.O Chicago Intensives in Miami where she studied with Charna Halpern & Tara Defrancisco. She's taken multiple classes with David Razowsky and loves to be a student as much as she loves to teach. Kat coaches many local improv teams from various theatres and is proud to have taught workshops at many improv festivals including Salt Lake City, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Palm Beach, & the Improv U Improv Cruise.

Great first show of 2019! Looking forward to learning together.

This episode is all about auditions! Some takeaways and tips on how to run an improv audition and how empathy plays a role!

Episode 5 and this time host Lauren Morris gives herself notes! Listen and learn why it's important for leaders to understand the need to own up to their own shortcomings, how to do it, and give themselves notes!

This episode, Lauren Morris, discusses the importance of keeping energy going on stage versus stopping it suddenly. She also dives into why it's important to develop trust and camaraderie off stage makes your work better on stage. Find more at www.adlibcomedy.com and www.laurenhasthree.com Facebook: @improvteachers

This week, Lauren Morris discusses tangible elements you can look for in an improv audition. She also discusses steps to take when implementing artistic change and how empathy is a "must have" for directors. To learn more you can visit: www.facebook.com/improvteachers www.adlibcomedy.com www.laurenhasthree.com

Welcome back to Improv Teachers: Director's Edition! I delve once again into our Saturday night show. In this episode, I discuss the importance of edits, bold choices, and fun. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, iTunes, and YouTube.

It's Tuesday and... Paul Vaillancourt returns to the program! Improvised Movie is the topic of this podcast. Paul and I both teach it, love it, and perform it so I wanted to dive into the world of movie! You can find Paul all over social media with the handle "whatsupwithPV" and learn more about Revolution Theater at https://therevolutiontheater.com/!

Hi and welcome to what I hope is the first of many episodes! I'm your host Lauren Morris. I am also the founder and director of AdLib Theatre. Just like with the Improv Teachers podcast, I wanted to take a closer look into the world of artistic directors. What do we look for when performers take to the stage? How can we give clear notes? What goes on behind the scenes? These are some of the questions we will be examining in these short episodes. Every week or so, I will give you a recap of our show, what the expectation was, how it turned out, and some tips and tricks on bringing your improv to life on stage! I hope you enjoy this new experiment and I look forward to this adventure with you. About Me (Lauren Morris): Lauren Morris is the founder and director of AdLib Theatre Company as well as the Executive Producer for the Central Florida Improv Festival. Lauren studied improv at The Annoyance Theatre & Bar with Mick Napier and with Paul Vaillancourt (co-Founder of iO West) at iO West. She has taken workshops and classes with such improv notables as Kevin Mullaney, Jill Bernard, Rebecca and Rich Sohn, Adal Rifai, Susan Messing, and Mark Sutton and members of the UCB Theater in New York City. Lauren hosts The Improv Teachers (winner of Best of Improv Podcasts, 2017, PlayerFM). A podcast dedicated to discussing the art of teaching improv. Additionally, she is a veteran of numerous improv festivals where she has been invited to perform and teach. As a writer, Lauren has been featured in publications such as Weekly Humorist, Slackjaw, Belladonna, MockMom, Points in Case, and Robot Butt. She honed her satire skills via Second City. To learn more you can visit www.adlibcomedy.com or www.laurenhasthree.com

It's Tuesday and... Louis Kornfeld is our guest! Louis Kornfeld began improvising way back in 2003, when both his phone and online presence were at the forefront of millennium culture. He's been a proud member of the Magnet Theater since it opened its doors, having logged countless hours as a performer, intern, house manager, member of 'The Boss,' Megawatt director, and (for the past twelve years) teacher of improvisation. What can he say? He loves it. In addition to improv, Louis is also an award winning writer and actor whose work is routinely featured on 'The Truth' podcast. Check it out, why don't you? You can see him performing every Sunday night with the great Rick Andrews in 'Kornfeld & Andrews.' They have some short videos online you might enjoy. He thinks you're doing great.

It's Tuesday and... Caitlin Kunkel is this month's guest! Caitlin Kunkel is a comedy writer and satirist. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Public Radio International and other places on the vast internetz. Caitlin is represented by Susan Raihofer of the David Black Agency. She is the co-founder and editor of the comedy and satire site for female writers, The Belladonna. She created the online satire writing program for The Second City and teaches monthly classes for them. Caitlin's first book, NEW EROTICA FOR FEMINISTS, co-written by The Belladonna editors, will be published by Dutton Books in the US and by Sceptre in the UK in November 2018. SHE'S EXCITED!!! You can find Caitlin at: https://caitlinkunkel.com/ https://twitter.com/KunkelTron https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0525540407/prhca-20

It's Wednesday and we have a special episode! Join Max McCal of Endgames Improv on this deep dive into coaching and the form known as the Slacker!

It's Tuesday and... Woody Fu is our guest!Woody Fu is an actor, sketch comedian, writer and improviser living in Brooklyn. He has performed on the Boom Chicago stage in Amsterdam. His one-man show Asian Gracefully has gone up at the UCB, PIT, Magnet, and Annoyance Theaters in New York, and toured in Phoenix, Austin, and Philadelphia. He draws comics, made an online choose-your-own-adventure dating game called Escape From F–k Zone, and is a professional DJ. Find Woody at www.woodfu.com

It's Tuesday and... Josh Nicols is back as our guest! We invited Josh back to discuss more teaching and coaching improv! Josh has been performing improv for 25 years. He co-founded Spectacles Improv Engine, created the Orange County Improv fest and co-founded The Improv Cup, a charity improv tournament in its 7th year. He performs with Ounce of Behavior and Community Theatre 3000. He focuses on organic grounded improv as a student, teacher, and performer. You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, and SoundCloud!

Episode 41: Our guest is John Gebretatose! John rose from the ranks of a HUGE Improv Theater student, to a HUGE Improv instructor. He trained and worked at Brave New Workshop. He has performed stand-up comedy in the Twin Cities for over nine years. He is currently part of one of the hottest new improv groups, Blackout, and also a founding member of Late Nights Minneapolis With Joe Rapp. John has taught improv workshops internationally, coached improv groups and currently teaches at HUGE in addition to heading up diversity and inclusion programs. He is the founder and creator of the Black and Funny Improv Festival

It's Tuesday and... Laura Manasewich is our guest! Laura hails from East Hartford, CT. She holds a BA in Communication from Western New England College, which is now a University! She has studied improv in CT with Hartford Stage, and Claire Zick, and in NYC at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, where she is a student in their Advanced Study program. She has studied stand-up comedy with Improv Boston, and comedic writing with Gotham Writers' Workshop and Second City. She has performed throughout the Northeast and has been a participant at comedy festivals in NYC, Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC and Cleveland. She is also a co-founder of the Hartford Improv Festival. Laura loves improv! Teaching, performing, watching, talking, the whole enchilada. Laura loves her family, her friends, her dog Mr. Beans, Hartford, dancing, dinner, planning trips and following her well coordinated Google calendar. She's pretty nice to talk to, if you ever wanted to do that sort of thing.

It's Tuesday and... Neil Curran is our guest! Neil has been teaching and performing improv both in Ireland and abroad for many years. Aside from running improv courses for people from beginner to advanced level, Neil also runs bespoke courses. Outside of Ireland, Neil has taught in London, Brussels, Shanghai, San Francisco, Barcelona, Krakow and San Jose. Neil has taught at the Slapdash Festival London, Barcelona Improv Festival, Improfest Krakow and San Jose Improv Festival. Neil has also provided key training solutions and workshops to many well known organisations both in Ireland, UK and the US including Google, Facebook, IMI, Smurfit Business School, Dropbox, AdRoll, AIB and UCD, to name but a few. He is a certified Personal & Executive Coach. Neil is currently in the middle of a Masters in Training & Education. Neil has trained with the following instructors in Improv and Theatre.

Our August episode is ready! Betsaida LeBron is our guest. Here is her bio from her website: My passion is creating art as a performer and helping others create art as a teacher. At a young age I began entertaining family and friends performing improvised productions in my parents' living room and staging elaborate improvised puppet shows with homemade puppets and sets with my siblings throughout Northern California. I discovered improv by accident in 2009 while studying in Spain and never looked back! I studied theater, psychology, and education in college and am an alum of iO-Chicago and Bay Area Theatre Sports (BATS). I began performing at ComedySportz. In 2011 I co-founded Blacktop Comedy Club in Rocklin, CA. There I had the opportunity to perform in weekly improv shows, taught beginning to advanced improv classes, and directed several improvised genre shows, including a Shakespearean romantic comedy, improvised musical, improvised western, and improvised teen slasher horror film. I also began performing in two indie improv troupes, Yada Yada Yada and Kooky Pants. I've also studied stand-up comedy with Keith Lowell Jensen and performed stand-up sets at Laughs Unlimited Comedy Club, Blacktop Comedy Club, California Comedy Festival, and various other venues throughout Northern California. ​ I strive to be an animated and engaging improviser and enjoy creating characters and vivid worlds on stage with my scene partners. Combining over 10 years of experience in improv and a background in psychology and education, my workshops include a unique blend of acting and life skills, reflecting my philosophy that improv is all about life. Some of the workshops I've given include Improvised Storytelling at the Auburn Hip-Hop Congress, Improvised Musicality at San Francisco's 2016 Femprov Festival, Bold as F**k at the 2016 California Comedy Festival, and my regular workshop series Improv Playhouse. I feel fortunate to do what I love and help others (re)discover their potential.

It's Tuesday and... Jimmy Carrane is our guest! Jimmy Carrane was not raised by wolves. He did, however, grow up in a house where he wasn't encouraged to express himself. This is very similar to being raised by wolves except wolves always get to be wolves. Except when they're in sheep's clothing. The good news is, Jimmy's early years as a non-wolf in non-expressive clothing changed in 1986 when a chubby, insecure, 19-year-old Jimmy drove his parent's Buick Station wagon to Chicago. In Chicago, he didn't find wolves. (Frankly, he was done with the wolf metaphors.) He did, however, find improv. And while he didn't quite know it, that station wagon landed him square at the beginning of an over 30-year journey as a comedian, performer, and teacher. His improv studies and performances began among a legion of legendary misfits at The Second City and iO Chicago (then known as Improv Olympics). Jimmy also became one of the original members of The Annoyance Theater. Years later, he would return to teach at all three theaters, excited to share his experiences and guide a new generation of performers through the art of improvisation. During his team tenure, Jimmy was a member of Jazz Freddy, Carl and the Passions, and the original cast of Armando at iO Chicago. He also created one of the first two-person improv shows, “Naked” co-starring Stephanie Weir. From teams to a duo and finally to solo performance, Jimmy's performing career evolved. He wrote and performed his own one-man shows, such as the hit “I Am 27, I Still Live at Home and Sell Office Supplies” and “Living in Dwarf's House.” Jimmy's improv took him into interviewing on public radio in Chicago, where he was the host of Studio 312 and talked to everyone from Conan O'Brian to Cindy Crawford. He co-wrote Improvising Better: A Guide for the Working Improviser with Liz Allen and is the author of Improv Therapy. He is also the host of the podcast Improv Nerd on FeralAudio. Jimmy teaches his award-winning Art of Slow Comedy classes and workshops in Chicago and across the country. As a corporate trainer, Jimmy has worked with Fortune 500 companies, salespeople and advertising agencies to bring the art of improv to the workplace. Rounding out his performance résumé are film and TV credits in such productions as Public Enemies, The Playboy Club, Natural Born Killers, The Untouchables, ER, Early Edition and a (metric) ton of independent films. He lives in Evanston, Illinois with his wife, Lauren, and their cat, Coco, whom they call Moosh Moosh for no apparent reason. When he's not teaching or traveling to teach or traveling to the airport so he can travel to teach, Jimmy loves sports movies because they make him cry. If you ever catch him stomping his left foot, he's not killing a spider. That's how he laughs. For relaxation, he likes to go to grocery stores or talk on the phone with his older brother, Bobby, about grocery stores.