Ya Gotta Laugh! An Improv Podcast

Oh my goodness WAKE UP AND DUST YER COBWEBS OFF YA BIG BATCH OF COOKIES - weeee’reeee beckkkkk. #Beck #MorningPhase Beck in action!! OpEn ur EaRs and Open ur butts because we are DIVING INTO IT AND LAUGHING ALL THE WAY. ! We’re BACK. And we NEED. TO. LAUGH. Emily and I took some time off the pod. WE’RE OVER IT and were BaCk BB’szz!! With an episode we recorded sometime in the past?!! Re-listening to this episode brought back the many joys of regularly podding SO MUCH SO that it made me cry laughing. Emotions

On this episode, our super cool friend Kailan Baker of Baby Carrots shares his secret recipes for rats, and provides us with a delightful story about... A SURPRISE!

It's part two of the episode that comes before it!

Step right up, step right up! Extra extra read all ab- WHO CARES THE POINT IS - The wonderful, the great, the hilarious Vivek Srikanthan of BABY CARROTS sketch troupe joined us on the podcast! And ya gotta listennn, guys! At 8 years old Vivek was sitting in front of the TV with his feet in a bucket of hot water, watching Who’s Line and getting INSPIRED.. Then in the blink of an eye, he was at the Second City Training Centre meeting Emily in the writing program! ...And thank the high heavens because Vivek Srikantahn - if you’re reading this - we loved improvising with you and look forward to the future when we can do LIVE shows together again! A couple of gals can ~*dream*~. Here’s a little taste of the ePiSoDe! We talk comedic inspirations! We talk knockin-fudge, whittle-thwaits, splatterflurr & dodgenuggetsWe play Experts! Vivek wow’s us with grocery knowledge! We have a surprise segment called “Viven In The City” (ft. Emily and VIv as 2 dogs in Copenhagen) We play Adjectives! The word? DELIGHTFUL. The scene? Vivek & Emily hold an intervention for their caffeine addicted daughter (Alicia) Join us in this laugh-o-minute (yeah, I used that) episode with Mr. Srikanthan. We create some super fun worlds together and hope you laugh - a few times! Maybe! If you want. Email us and let us know what you thought because we think it deserves a gaddang Oscar award. Delusional? No. In love with Improv? Yes. Do we want to listen to this episode whilst sitting with our feet in a bucket of hot water? Absolutely. #selfcareEnjoy, friends! XOXOAlicia & EmilyFOLLOW / LISTEN / WATCH: Vivek Srikanthan - @vivlmaoBe sure to follow us on the InstagrammaGram @yglpodcast and please subscribe! - but most of all? Tell your weird improv friends and share the laughter!

BINGO BANGO guess who stopped by our ShOWShoW! Our dear dear friends and improvisers from WEIRD TOWN COMEDY - Matthew ‘The Astronaut’ Ardill and Brian ‘A Game Show Host’ Archdekin!! And guys?... Can I tell you something? It’s frickin weird, man. It’s perfect. It’s…. IMRPOV!So - we met Matt and Brian at (YEP, you guessed it) the Second City Training Centreeee!! T’was a cold day in February of 2018 when awkward humans came together to YES AND. Brian got into improv after “big number” birthday and Matt turned to improv due to the reccom of a few comedian pals… and therein, lies the RUB. But for real, we are sincerely grateful - as it has been a pleasure getting to know you both over the last couple of years. It brings us JOY that you could both hop on the pod and get Strange. Capital S. On a serious note - Matt and Emily both have joey pouches and inside said pouches….. Their symbiotic twin. Alicia finally gets to be in an improv sketch where she has multiple lovers AND talks omelettes and nailpoli. Brian Brian Brian… the ability this man has to make references to WINE in a single sketch - truly uncanny. On a funny note - Matt Ardill is the host of podcast @ComedyAlbumBookClub and through that, he was pushed towards improv. THANK YOU SWEET BABY YEEZY. Brian originally joined an improv class with his lovely wife Tanya! She bailed, he kept going LOL. CaN’T ShTap - WoNt ShtAP! (SHOUTOUT TANYA!! GUYS! SHE’S AN OPERA SINGER!!) Thank you both for sharing your lights with us while we all shared in LAUGHTER. It’s really hitting us how much we miss our ol’ improv pals during these pandemic days. We had to laugh - so we did. #YaGottaLaughStay healthy, stay safe bb’s. XOAlicia & EmilyAnd prettiest of pleases - follow us on the InstagrammaGram @yglpodcast and please subscribe - but most of all? Tell your weird improv friends lol. And if you’re feeling fun and fresh and complimentary - leave us a 5-star rating and a written review on Apple Podcasts! (BUT WHY?!) Because it helps more people find the show. #BeatTheAlgorithmFOLLOW / LISTEN / WATCH: Matthew Ardill - @matt_ardillBrian Archdekin - @brianarchdekinFind them both in - Weird Town Comedy - @weirdtowncomedyCheck out Matt’s past podcast for some comedy education!! Comedy Album Book Club (wherever you get your pods!)

IT'S A SUPER SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE AHHHH!Emily and Alicia (that's us) just wanted to PLAY today. So we did! And you get to listen to it! As per usual it's weird. HAVE. A. GREAT. WEEKEND. IT. IS. FRIDAY.Follow us on Instagram at @yglpodcast and get new episodes to your inbox every week at https://yglpodcast.com!BYE!

OOOO BABY, BABIES, TOTS - do we have a FUN one for you guys this week! We had the chance to sit down and do a lil I-M-P-R-O-V with none other than the wonderful and super talented EMILY MEADOWS! She joined us from Winnipeg, Manitoba since that is where she has been throughout the duration of the pandemic where she now realizes she is in need of some of her winter clothing… (NO WORRIES THOUGHT because Emily Milling and I have signed up to break into her home, gather her warm clothing, and send them to the Peg! GOTCHU GIRL). We love performing with Emily and we missed it so much. YES we met Emily in the halls of the Second City Training Centre - jk - it was in the designated classroom - AND WE ARE GRATEFUL THAT WE DID because Emily Meadows’ brand of improv is magical, creative, story-telly and FUN! She sparkles, she sings, she PROBABLY dances REALLY well! She’s peppy, provocative and LOVES bringing about some magical characters!! RIGHT off the top! Emily Meadow’s stuns us with an impression of THE Julie Andrews - like truly baffling how good it is - if you don’t even listen to the whole show, that’s fine, YA GOTTA HEAR JULIE, THOUGH! From that point on we are just in a magical land of hilarity and strange shit lol here’s a TASTE: Alicia attempts to buy a unicorn from The Emily’s but they try selling her a chicken with a horn instead! THE AUDACITY. We meet a baby who was birthed by a giving tree and then raised by DYLAN - a guy nobody likesEmily Meadow’s character MARK invites a demon into the house for Halloween. Where does the demon live? In the downstairs BATHROOM, OF COURSE! Where did it come from? Why it’s the spirit of Mark’s frog - the one he cut up and destroyed in biology class! (OH SIDENOTE - we hear Emily Milling as 3 characters in the final long form set - LOL its truly impressive)Thank you Emily Meadow’s for hopping on a virtual improv call from the Peg. We miss you here in Toronto and wish you the safest travels back - whenever you do return! Let us know if you need us to break into your apartment for your winter clothes. MORE than happy to. XOAlicia & EmilyFOLLOW / WATCH / LISTEN ! Instagram - @emilyevameadowsMake sure you’re following us on Instagram at @yglpodcast and please subscribe - wherever you get your pods! Leave us a 5-star rating and a written review on Apple Podcasts to help more people find the show, let’s beat that algorithm together babeee!

On this week’s episode of Ya Gotta Laugh: An Improv Podcast! We got to improvise with Leo Morgenstern! Actor! Improvsier! Sketch comedian! Recent U of T grad! CONGRATULATIONS

Oh hi, yeah, we’re going to need to put a pin in this meeting because ya know what? We need to focus on this episode of Ya Gotta Laugh: an Improv Podcast because !*THE*! Aba Amuquandoh has DROPPED and you’re gonna need to take some notessssss! Aba Amuquandoh is a Toronto-based performer who does it ALL (actor, stand up comedian, improv, sketch, writer)!! She has been making waves in the TO theatre and comedy community for TIME - you’ve probably seen her at Comedy Bar, Bad Dog, Pegasus on Church! Or maybe you’ve heard her on her podcast Nostalgique Ben Sosa Wright (available wherever you get your podcasts)! She is also a featured artist in Free Up! Emancipation Day 2020 - a collab between CBC Arts and Emancipation Arts - watch it on CBC Gem! Honestly guys - she’s BUSY and we are extremely grateful that she took the time to improvise and catch up with us!We met Aba at The Second City Training Centre in the Conservatory Program and missed that hell out of her. Improvising with her, you ask? How does it feel? It feeeeels like hanging out with your good friend who you haven’t seen in a long time - and things just flow. They flow so hard that you almost get lost in the world you’ve created together. Completely not grounded and just BIZARRE. A perfect episode

What a gaddang trip this episode was with @lukesinstantgram AKA Luke O’Grady!! An awesome improviser, comedian and sketch comedy performer, part of the Second City Training Centre’s Conservatory Program and all around great guy, Mr. O’Grady takes some time to sit with us and weeee getttt *~WeIRD~* via IMPROV, baby! We met Luke whilst taking part in the @SecondCityTO’s Training Centre’s Conservatory program here in #Toronto. Luke is ALWAYS a great to improvise and perform with - his yes and’s feel supportive! And caring! Improvising with Luke leads down many path and more often than not lol we get to meet some hilariously strange and wonderful characters from the depths of Luuuuke!! After our regular series of #YGLRapidFireQ’s and catching up, we’re off to the improv races. Nothing like a game of Headlines to get caught up with the world, eh? Followed by a segment called Advice Column. What are some things Luke recommends for those who are building a motorcycle? Leave one screw aside, that’s the “maybe later screw”. You will not want to miss such quality advice. Oh, what’s that? You want to know about DIY dentistry? This episode of Ya Gotta Laugh has your back! Just get some cement - and cover your teeth in it. Dr. O’grady approves of this message.With the pandemic and quarantining and NOT feeling even the slightest bit confident about our improv skills, Luke, Alicia and Emily make their way down a hilarious rocky path - some highlights of their travels: Birds of prey around Emily’s apartment and an increase in dead mice Luke’s expertise on sandwichesSlyly sleuthing during an improvised scene in order to figure out who the hell is who?! Our deep fascination with Italian meats and Italian accentsAll in all, it was so wonderful to re-connect with an old friend whom we used to see on a regular basis. If and when our conservatory class resumes, we look forward to seeing Luke! His old soul radiates positivity and his childlike wonder is the reason why it’s so much fun improvising and creating with him. You can check him out on his personal podcast called @YouLikeThis? In which he and his sister have conversations about movies and music!! Currently listening to episode 1 about the best album of all time - Luke, Alicia will be connecting with you later on that because she is STILL obsessed with @TheBeatles and has been since 1996. @YouLikeThis? Is available on all the platformsss!! (@Apple @Spotify) Keep an ear out for Luke O’Grady… he might be making another appearance on @YGLpodcast VERY SOON! (I mean, we hope… we’ll continue to ask him until he gives us a hard no!) Thank you for hanging out with us! XOAlicia & Emily

Did you know that Julia Jones is a murderer? Well that ruined the entire true crime arc of this podcast… and it’s also a bald faced lie. This week on Ya Gotta Laugh! We brought our pal Julia Jones on to get her advice about the best way to not ruin your wife’s Lululemons in the wash, how to cut your hair in the middle of a pandemic at home (you know, for the second wave), where your missing socks actually go, and why her mom likes to make big salads. We also learn a lot about Julia’s cereal habits. They’re not exciting. And we wish they were but she just switches between Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios. SHE DOESN’T EVEN ATTEMPT THE MULTI-GRAIN CHEERIOS. At least she’s funny. She’s got that going for her. And finally, if you’ve ever wondered whether teen girls can be just as creepy as any other gender, Emily takes us on a trip down memory lane where she describes a rather stalker-ish situation on MSN involving one teen heart-throb from Degrassi: The Next Generation, Jake Epstein. Julia Jones is a writer, director, performer, comedian, producer and FRIEND! And ya know what? She’s great at ALL of those things! Emily met her at the Toronto Second City Training Centre (where we meet all our improv friends apparently) in the writing program. The pair quickly made it their mission to disrobe as frequently as possible on stage at the John Candy Box Theatre to reveal their incredibly tight body contour undergarments (SPANX) - and then they made a music video out of it. Because why not?Soon after, Big Chick Energy Sketch was formed and the rest is history! You can check out Julia’s work on the Big Chick Energy Sketch website or YouTube channel! Huge thanks to Julia for being on the show!Make sure you’re following us on Instagram at @yglpodcast and subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your shows! Leave us a 5-star rating and a written review on Apple Podcasts to help more people find the show, let’s beat that algorithm together babeee! https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ya-gotta-laugh-an-improv-podcast/id1527362039 Thanks for listening!Links mentioned in this episode:Big Chick Energy https://bigchickenergysketch.comSPANX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2BbPtR2qWUBig Chick Energy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoNSydpM5TPXJqrTkuaZScwConvo Loop Sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-6j2H_yUjAOne More Round Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/one-more-round-with-tricia-black/id1522176263

We were so lucky to be able to snag some time away from the wonderfully talented actor, writer, director – TARYN CRANKSHAW! We met Taryn via the Second City Conservatory Training Program – big surprise! – and it was a freaking blast improvising with her again. We truly, truly miss playing with you. It’s always easy improvising with Taryn because she’s a heck of a listener with an imagination that runs WILD - and it is a beautiful, beautiful thing to watch onstage or listen to (on this podcast!). After gettin’ that degree from Sherdian and McMaster in theatre and film studies, Taryn went out on a TOTAL limb and auditioned for the SC Conservatory!! Hell yeah, she did. She was told she probably wouldn’t get in (?!?!?!) AND THEN SHE DID. BOOM! Eat it! Not surprising at all. Taryn is a m-effing-stage&sketchcomedy QUEEN. We start out by playing some hilarious short form improv games. We get a lesson in some HOT NEW VOCAB – all the things the kids are saying... We talk about garfnoggin between the toes, spluba-durb’s after a trip to the community pool and last but not least, we had to touch on the Clardenfarce i.e. the most ORIGINAL carrot. Our vast knowledge of language stands out in this crazy episode of Ya Gotta Laugh (which we for sure did). *SPECIAL* *SEGMENT *ALERT* We designed a segment around Taryn’s natural interest – MOVIES / ACTORS / GOSSIP. A must listen to if you’re curious about the lives of all the John’s (Gosselin, Lennon, Legend)! Taryn dishes the best hot celebrity gossip meals the city has to offer. Catch up wit da celeb nuuuuz from Miss TaRyN CrAnkShaw 2Dayyy, bb’s!! Improvising with Taryn always gives way to the best and strangest of situations. For example – Customer Service short form game: Who? A woman calling about a problem with her recently professionally framed picture of her Iguana. What? Customer service representatives try to figure out why she received a picture of an ANT instead. How? Oh Fraahhannnkkk of Fhrameable Fhaces will tell you when you listen to the episode! Thank you for improvising with us in this crazy “WHAT is going on” improv podcast! Everyone! Be sure to download this bad-boy and get to know Taryn Crankshaw! Taryn, we look forward to playing again sometime soon! XO – A&E

THE GOSS IS HOT WITH THIS ONE! Actor, writer, comedian, runner, Pat Gourdeau joins us for a laugh! Joining us from his family home in Le Montreal, Pat dishes about his days vacationing in New Jersey and visiting the Cheese Factory where he adopted his 17 year old daughter. Bear-fighting, university days and chicken cloning! WHAT?! Yes, I would like to ride this rollercoaster of ‘prov with Pat, Alicia and Emily. Saddle up, partners!! We met Pat whilst enrolled in the Second City’s Conservatory Program - which we are, still! (but ya know, 2020…) ! Our Con class was FULL TO THE BRIM with talented folks! Pat’s improv??! HE IS QUICK. He slices! He dices! He’ll fight ya, he’ll love ya! He’ll always, always, always support ya!! #haveyourbackMay this joy filled recording serve as a RELIC of a moment of improvi-tastic fun during a global pandemic. One day you will come across this piece of HIGH ART on your futuristic phone made out of air-pellets and hot breath and you will sit, listen, laugh, reflect and then permanently delete it forever. Maybe. Or maybe months, YEARS from now you think to yourself “Hmmm.. Where’s that Ya Gotta Laugh Podcast Recording I did when I was (age) during the pandemic? I really need to listen to that right now!! Like really badly!!” We’ll #haveyourback, baby!! “Omg, I am so grateful you guys kept this file… “ Oh the laugh’s we’ll have… Maybe that day we could do lunch? Depends, where do you think you’ll be living? MTL or TO? Okokok we’ll talk about this later!We also hear from Chris S., our very first "What's Your Deal?!" responder! This week's question was, "What's the deal with your feet?" Better stay tuned to find out what causes Chris' feet to crumple up like little crawfish!Thank you for taking the time, making the time, to jam and be present with us for a whole hour and a half of true beautiful nonsense ❤ Alicia & EmilyLinks mentioned in this episode: Pat's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/champagne_pattie/Make sure you're following us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yglpodcastAnd get our episodes emailed directly to you every Friday at https://yglpodcast.comSend us an email at hello@yglpodcast.com

Toronto-based actor, writer, director SAMANTHA SEXTON jams with Alicia and Emily on the SECOND episode of YA GOTTA LAUGH: An Improv Podcast! WOOoo! We get into it with some quick convo and rapid fire q’s then we are truly off – to – the races. Let this tickle your small thick earlobes. (Fun fact: Alicia has small thick earlobes. Ask her about them!)Sam creeps us the F out with a man that feels talent with his anatomy, brings out a little lady who loathes empty spaces in Toronto (and where might that be???) and a mish mash of other brain children from @sammysexton!! This was a special one for us because we are in @bigschickenergysketch together! We met Sam, like most of our guests because WE ARE NEW&FRESHHHonthescenebb’s, in a @SecondCity improv class and it was fun at first jam. We travelled East toward the Conservatory Program and eventually reached our destination. It was here we began to understand Sam. Truly get to the heart, the ROOT of Sam. It is an experience when you’re meshin’ well with Sam Sexton In this episode we have some REAL TALK about following your creative passions in life and how freaking important that is! Sam loved performing in high school, but like a human pursues other interests, she felt like something was missing in her life… BUT through all the twists and turns and different life-paths, she found her way back, BABY! AND THANK GOODNESS for that because some STRANGE stuff comes out of your brain and honestly, it floors us. Thank you for the jam!We travel through some strange scenes together in this here nugget of a listen!!, Glad you come come by and share your journey to comedy with us, for the stories, the weird but beautiful characters you create and pull from us and for having our backs. Can’t wait until we can have @bigchickenergysketch writing nights in your apartment when Ontario let’s people have bubbles of 150 people!!!! Alicia + Emily!Links mentioned in this episode:Big Chick Energy https://bigchickenergysketch.comBig Chick Energy - Sam’s Sketch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X76R0R-RJYo&t=14sVenture Shark https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmlWxVIqBl0LDbUN3y84npDtuvLn-1rjDate Kate https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvmlWxVIqBl2b21VzI4yN7CjU2e8xS-cJ Big Chick Energy Instagram: https://instagram.com/bigchickenergysketch

Gotta make your own fun these days - and that’s how YA GOTTA LAUGH: An Improv Podcast was born! Welcome to a small corner of the Toronto Improv World! In this jam packed, character driven variety-show improv comedy podcast, Toronto-based comedians Alicia Carrick and Emily Milling are joined by improvisers for evenings of ridiculous short and long form games! Ya gotta listen! And of course we’ve got our weekly audience participation segment “What’s your deal?” where we ask you, the audience, what your deal is, and you send us voice memos to tell us! Every week is a different question! So make sure you’re following us on instagram @yglpodcast to see what the question is when we post it on Tuesdays.Thanks for listening to YA GOTTA LAUGH: An Improv Podcast!! If you’ve enjoyed this episode, leave us a rating and review! That helps more people like you to find our podcast! Follow us on Instagram @yglpodcast, send us an email at hello@yglpodcast.com and sign up to get episodes directly to your inbox every Friday at yglpodcast.com! Subscribe to Ya Gotta Laugh! wherever you get your podcasts, and share this episode with someone you think would love it! Until next time, we are Alicia Carrick and Emily Milling! Have a fabulous day!Links mentioned in this episode:Ya Gotta Laugh Website: https://yglpodcast.comInstagram: https://instagram.com/yglpodcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2WFr8atvmPCaD650uqiZiw