Podcasts about chicago improv festival

Today's guest is Kevin Patrick Robbins. He is the founder of the Impatient Theatre Co. in Toronto, Canada, where many of the performers he's taught and coached have become headliners at major improv and comedy festivals throughout North America, including the Chicago Improv Festival, the Memphis Improv Festival, the Vancouver Improv Festival, and the Del Close Marathon in NYC.  Kevin has also taught intensives and master classes at those very same festivals, and also founded the Toronto Improv Festival.  He's been labeled as one of Toronto's best improvisers by NOW Magazine, and his classes have been described as full of fun and laughter with a unique blend of creativity, spontaneity, and a deep understanding of the art of improv. Kevin and I had a really great conversation.  We get into a lot of great topics here, like how he empowers students, the joys and challenges of creating a festival, and even the influence of different improv methodologies.  Kevin also shares a deeply emotional story of how he discovered improv thanks to his cousin. If you want to learn more about Kevin's improv classes, visit his website kevinpatrickrobbins.com, where you can also find information about his photography business. Don't forget to rate and review, and share with everyone!

When Amber Ruffin was living in Omaha, Nebraska, she figured she'd stay there forever – carrying the mail, buying a home, and maybe doing some community theater. Then she attended the Chicago Improv Festival with her Omaha improv group, and decided to pack up and move to the Windy City and give full-time comedy a try. Sam asks her how she got from improv to hosting her own late night TV show, her Tony Award-winning turn as a Broadway writer, and how she finds her amazing wardrobe of suits.   Follow Amber Ruffin @ambermruffin on Twitter and @amberruffin on Instagram.   Keep up with Samantha Bee @realsambee on Instagram and @iamsambee on Twitter. And stay up to date with us @LemonadaMedia on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.   For a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and every other Lemonada show, go to lemonadamedia.com/sponsors.   Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

@keithsaltojanes Keith Saltojanes is a comedy writer-performer and Guinness World Record Holder recently appearing in my Off-Broadway debut as Dan Aykroyd. His first book is due out Summer 2023.   Over 100 MILLION people have viewed his original sketch videos online and he's been featured by The Huffington Post, Forbes, A.V. Club, Buzzfeed, Reddit, and Nerdist.com. He was a staff writer for National Lampoon and some TV credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Community, and Comedy Central (apparently he has a thing for the letter C) and has written for comedians from SNL, MADtv, In Living Color, and Mr. Show.   He also has extensive improv and sketch comedy experience in writing-performing-directing live shows for the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, Comedy Central Stage, Second City, Pack Theater, Chicago Improv Festival, San Francisco SketchFest, and iO West (where he co-created the sketch comedy program and was a member of one of the longest running teams), as well as overseas in Japan, China, Thailand, the UK, and France.   He currently holds the Guinness World Record for Longest Continuous Improv Show at 150 Hours and hosts workshops on creativity for executives at Netflix, Walt Disney Studios, and NBC through the creative training center he founded, Improv-LA (http://www.improv-la.com/).    When he's not writing or globetrotting, you can find him hanging out at the World Famous Magic Castle where he's a member. 
Find more of his work by visiting his Youtube channel. (https://www.youtube.com/user/calgaryhart) Make sure to check out this episode

This week's guest is the multi-talented Chris Lutkin, an award-winning audiobook narrator, actor, content creator, and a writer. Chris is a professional, full time creative. He knows what it's like to be creative and earn money as a creator, throughout his career. He emphasises the importance of understanding the material and being able to take direction in having a good voice. Chris started his audiobook career in 2014 and has since narrated over 60 titles, receiving recognition with a Parent's Choice Silver Award and an EarPhones Award for his exceptional work. He's now converting his screenplay, which has been twice optioned, into a novel, inspired by the real-life story of a forgotten 19th-century baseball player named "Bull." Chris will produce this novel as an audiobook, bringing the story to life for audiences.  In addition to his work in audiobooks, Chris is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre, as well as SAG-AFTRA and AEA. He has appeared in numerous commercials, films, television shows, and on stages across the country. Chris has also taught Acting for Camera classes and workshops for various institutions, including New York University, Lee Strasberg Institute, Weist-Barron Studios, Chicago Improv Festival, and Kansas City Improv Festival. He has even taught for a non-profit in Detroit. Join us as we dive into Chris Lutkin's unique and impressive career path, and hear his insights into audiobook narration and content creation. LINKS: Chris Lutkin - Special Guest LinkedIn - ttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-lutkin-85714ab9/h Website - https://www.chrislutkin.com/ Audiobooks - https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Chris+Lutkin  Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lutlucky/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081013245787 Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@lutlucky?lang=en Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/Screengym  SELF PUBLISHING LINKS: “A Guide to the Accurate Presentation of 1858-1869 Baseball” https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085K7T5F8/ref=rdr_ext_tmb “Team Improv 123” by Heather Lutkin  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1713210754?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860  Chris Lutkin's Fine Art America Site   https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/chris-lutkin Bull the MOVIE https://bullthemovie.wordpress.com/   Paul Fairweather - Co-host https://www.paulfairweather.com Chris Meredith - Co-host https://www.chrismeredith.com.au Two Common Creatives https://www.twocommoncreatives.com/podcastSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have another first on the No Outlet podcast folks! We have the World Premiere of an Original Comedy Song at the end of the show! As you all know, I am a big fan of Improv in all forms and our guest tonight, Mike McCarron, has been an Improvisor for 19 years having trained with iO and The Annoyance in Chicago. He has performed at the Lowell Comedy festival, the Columbus is Funny Festival, The Chicago Improv Festival, The dramatic Improv festival and he is one geniuses that help to run “Stranger Than Fiction” Improv & Comedy based out of Manchester NH. We discussed his humble beginnings in Improv, the most annoying driving habit, the impact of chemistry on an Improv team, making people cry during improv practice, the joy of being a DJ at WUNH 91.3, doing improv in Spanish, speaking of Spanish he exposes my limited capability in the language, provides his cultural impact rankings, explains how Improv can save the world, remembering his sense of humor forming, expresses his dismay over the scourge that is the Jeep Wave, and premieres a new Comedy Song among many other super important topics! You can learn more about Stranger Than Fiction improv here: https://www.stfimprov.com/ we hope you all enjoy the conversation as much as we did! #improv, #UNH, #U2, #deniro, #Seinfield, #io, #bookofthefallen, #tjanddave, #espanol, #harold, #stf, #jeepwave

Jonathan Pitts talks with kevin Scott about his 20 years as a festival producer and what he's learned traveling the world as an improv teacher. Jonathan Pitts is a improv theatre artist from Chicago with over 30 years' experience. He's a creator, director, improviser, producer, and teacher, and he's also the Founder and Executive Director of Chicago Improv Productions. He co-founded the Chicago Improv Festival and produced it for 20 years. He Has taught and performed internationally in 12 countries, as well as all over America. He is also the creator of shows including “The Make ‘Em Ups”, "The Oracle", "The Silent Movie", “Solo Plus One”, “Stopwatch”, and "Storybox Unscripted Theatre". Jonathan taught at The Second City for 16 years and he's a contributing writer to their book on improvisation. He taught story-based improv at Piven Theatre Workshop. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/kevin-scott2/support

Episode 63 and Wendi and Dfernando's guest interview is actress, writer and producer Melissa Peterman. Melissa Peterman is best known for her roles on the long-running comedy series REBA (as Barbra Jean) and the ABC Family/Freeform comedy BABY DADDY (as Bonnie Wheeler).  She currently can be see on the CBS comedy YOUNG SHELDON (as Brenda Sparks). Upon graduating from Minnesota State, Peterman was cast as Madeline Monroe in Hey City Theater's production of TONY N' TINA'S WEDDING. After more than 600 performances, she went on to write and perform at Brave New Workshop, the improvisational comedy theatre in Minneapolis. The theater boasts such alumni as Louie Anderson, Cedric Yarbrough, Mo Collins, and Al Franken. While with the Brave New Workshop, she also performed at the Chicago Improv Festival and the Big Stink Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas.While still in Minneapolis, Peterman made her feature film debut in 1996 as "Hooker #2" in the Oscar-winning classic Coen Brothers' film FARGO. Soon after, she decided on making the major move to Los Angeles where she quickly found work playing small roles on television.  Everything changed in 2001 when she was cast as Barbra Jean Booker-Hart in the now-classic comedy series REBA, opposite country music legend Reba McEntire and television veteran Christopher Rich. The series was the most-watched comedy on The WB on its debut season.  In 2007, the series ended its run after six seasons but continues to air in syndication on multiple networks and has continued to gain a new generation of fans. During her summer hiatus from REBA, Peterman began her now-annual THE SOUND OF MUSIC Sing-a-Long at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and her debut comedy special, Melissa Peterman: AM I THE ONLY ONE? premiered March 12, 2010 on CMT.  The special was taped before an audience in Nashville, Tennessee.In 2012, Peterman joined the ABC Family/Freeform sitcom BABY DADDY.  Originally cast for only one episode, she was upgraded to a series regular immediately.  The pilot was the highest-testing comedy pilot in the network's history and BABY DADDY finished its debut season as the highest-rated comedy in key demographics. The series ended on May 22, 2017, after six seasons.Along with her reoccurring role on CBS' YOUNG SHELDON, she is also a regular guest on the syndicated game show 25 WORDS OR LESS.In 2020, Peterman began co-hosting with her former REBA co-star Reba McEntire on a new podcast titled LIVING & LEARNING and works with The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, a non-profit organization helping at-risk youth in the Los Angeles area.Also on Episode 63, Wendi and Dfernando are back and chat about Wendi's recent trip to Costa Rica, Dfernando's cat-sitting, and Wendi bringing on a coach to get her creative mojo back on track.  On THE RIPE REPORT, there's the Hulu Original Series ONY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez; the biopic THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE starring Oscar nominees Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield as Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker; and the film adaptation of the British musical hit EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE (click here to watch the original British stage production of EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE, starring John McCrea).  Also, Wendi shares a ROTTEN: Etsy sellers who pack their shipments with confetti.  Watch Wendi and Dfernando and their Team GENERATION RIPE: Greg Covey, Shelley McLendon and Ponciana Badia on Season 7 Episode 2 of CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD - now on ABC OnDemand and on the GENERATION RIPE website.  Follow us on our Instagram:Wendi McLendon-CoveyDfernando ZarembaGENERATION RIPE... and our guest Melissa Peterman, her Facebook and her Twitter.  Remember to subscribe, rate & leave a review for GENERATION RIPEVisit Dfernando Zaremba's website: dfernandozaremba.com

For this episode, Whit has a conversation with Jay Sukow — a US improviser based in LA, but in New Zealand traveling for this recording. After catching up a bit, we jumped into an amazing conversation about his favorite (by far) of over 300 10-minute scenes that he's been doing since early on in the pandemic. This is all the more impressive given that his online series “10 Minutes with…” where he improvises a 10 minute scene with someone from anywhere on the planet, has over 100,000 views. Jay is very much about positivity towards improv and saying yes within your improv. This has led to a continued desire and enthusiasm for improv and improv community online – something that we also spend some time talking about in this episode. As far as Jay's background, he's been improvising for nearly 30 years. A few of those he has trained with include Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, David Razowsky, Keith Johnstone, Del Close, Charna Halpern, Jeff Michalski and Mick Napier. He is a graduate of training centers of The Second City, The Second City NW, iO Chicago, and ComedySportz Chicago and the founder of Today Improv. He also served as the Artistic Director/Head of Training at the Improv Comedy Copenhagen Theatre, where he taught improv and sketch comedy to expats from all around the world. He previously taught for Second City Chicago, Second City Hollywood, Westside Comedy Theater, iO Chicago (where he was also head of its artistic committee), iO West and ComedySportz Chicago, and has taught at many improv festivals around the world, including the Oslo Impro Festival, the Copenhagen International Improv Festival, the Barcelona Improv Festival and the Chicago Improv Festival. He is the winner of The Golden Pineapple, awarded to the best visiting teacher at Improv Comedy Copenhagen. At the Westside Comedy Theater, Jay is in the cast of Mission Improvable and Improv Famous, an Armando-style show featuring some of the best improvisors on the planet. He is also part of the duo Zer0 H0ur with Bill Chott and was an ensemble member of ComedySportz Chicago, several weekend “house” improv teams at iO Chicago and many other improv and sketch comedy groups. At least, that's the in person stuff! Also, Jay is the co-host of ImprovCast with Jay and Landon. Follow Jay and Jay-related stuff at: JaySukow.com Today Improv Facebook Twitter Instagram Jay also appeared as a panelist on the first session of the Covid-19 Improv Summit and both sessions related to online improv in the Summit.

My guest today, John Abbott, started with a quest to learn everything he could about the language of performers. What he didn't know is that he'd become one. Ever since immersing himself in the improv world in 1999, he's graduated from three improv training programs, founded several improv teams, seen several thousand performances, held performances of his own, and coached groups and workshops across the country. In this episode, he and I discuss what inspired him to get involved in improv, his perspective on how story and improv intersect, unexpected reactions (or lack thereof) from your audience, and performing the same thing with different intentions. We also dive into what he thinks makes a great story and great characters, and what lessons he sees from improv that can apply to life. What you will learn in this episode: What the hardest thing for people to do in improv is Why performers should rehearse with distractions Why well-written characters make story come alive Who is John? John Abbott graduated from Second City, Annoyance, and iO's training programs. He's a founding member of several improv teams at the iO and Playground theaters such as Pork, Calcutta, The Warehouse, and Wing Night. At iO alone, he estimates he's seen over 5,000 improv performances in a 9-year period. He's performed at the Gainesville and Chicago Improv Festivals and with Sharon Kom in the duo Photo Shoot which was a feature of the New Orleans Improv Festival. John has also coached improv groups and taught workshops around the U.S. At The Playground Theater, he began the Improviser's Studio workshop program and founded Individual Improv Intensive (I3) which provides performers with individual feedback. In addition to performing and coaching, he has been the official photographer for the Chicago Improv Festival since 2001. Nowadays, John performs with the musical improv team Dirty Bars at WestSide Improv in Wheaton, Illinois in addition to a weekly radio show at the American Improv Theater in San Jose. John also coaches the Therapy Players in Chicago alongside An Embarrassment of Pandas in Santa Barbara and his improv team and Shade Tree in Wheaton. Links and Resources: Westside Improv American Improv Theater Storytelling School Website @storytellingschool on Instagram @storytellingSchool on Facebook

Today's new episode features Jonathan Pitts! In this episode, Whit talks with Jonathan - an award-winning, international improv theatre artist, creator, director, producer, and teacher from Chicago. He's been improvising for over 35 years, and has been involved in founding and directing important festivals and experiences like the Chicago Improv Festival and the College Improv Tournament. We talk tech, we talk the global improv community, we talk technique, and we talk about improv - all drawing on Jonathan's deep experience and interest in making connections across the globe with improv. You can connect with Jonathan on the web at JonathanPittsImprov.com & GlobalImprovWalkabout.com or on social media: Facebook: Jonathan Pitts Instagram: @pitts5038 Twitter: @jpitts_28

This week on Yes But Why, we talk to world renowned performer and improv teacher, Joe Bill. Joe Bill has been a performer and teacher at iO Chicago for more than 30 years; he was one of the co-founders of Annoyance Theater; and, he was an Artistic Associate for The Chicago Improv Festival for the entirety of its existence. He has been an Internationally Touring Teacher, Performer and director for more than 20 years and acts as an Artistic Adviser for a number of Improvisation and Comedy Theaters all over the world. He has taught at pretty much every major improv/impro Festival in the U.S. & Canada in the last 30 years. In our conversation, we talk about where we find inspiration and Joe shares an anecdote from his childhood about his musician cousin, Katherine. He talks about going on tour for a year with Up With People and what an amazing experience that was. We talk about family drama and the need to escape. We talk about the community of misfits in Chicago where Joe finally found his artistic home. We chat about Joe's love of traveling the world to discuss improv. Joe shares sage advice for teachers hoping to tour like he does. We talk about connecting with your students and caring deeply about the service you are providing. Joe's a funny guy and we have quite a few laughs (including a couple dark covid jokes…too soon?) Support Joe Bill by hiring him to teach you! You can also check out his podcast, Not Therapy that he cohosts with YBY past guest, Balasree Viswanathan. 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!

This week on Yes But Why, we talk to world renowned performer and improv teacher, Joe Bill. Joe Bill has been a performer and teacher at iO Chicago for more than 30 years; he was one of the co-founders of Annoyance Theater; and, he was an Artistic Associate for The Chicago Improv Festival for the entirety of its existence. He has been an Internationally Touring Teacher, Performer and director for more than 20 years and acts as an Artistic Adviser for a number of Improvisation and Comedy Theaters all over the world. He has taught at pretty much every major improv/impro Festival in the U.S. & Canada in the last 30 years.In our conversation, we talk about where we find inspiration and Joe shares an anecdote from his childhood about his musician cousin, Katherine. He talks about going on tour for a year with Up With People and what an amazing experience that was.We talk about family drama and the need to escape. We talk about the community of misfits in Chicago where Joe finally found his artistic home. We chat about Joe’s love of traveling the world to discuss improv. Joe shares sage advice for teachers hoping to tour like he does. We talk about connecting with your students and caring deeply about the service you are providing. Joe’s a funny guy and we have quite a few laughs (including a couple dark covid jokes…too soon?)Support Joe Bill by hiring him to teach you! You can also check out his podcast, Not Therapy that he cohosts with YBY past guest, Balasree Viswanathan. 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!

This week on Yes But Why, we talk to world renowned performer and improv teacher, Joe Bill. Joe Bill has been a performer and teacher at iO Chicago for more than 30 years; he was one of the co-founders of Annoyance Theater; and, he was an Artistic Associate for The Chicago Improv Festival for the entirety of its existence. He has been an Internationally Touring Teacher, Performer and director for more than 20 years and acts as an Artistic Adviser for a number of Improvisation and Comedy Theaters all over the world. He has taught at pretty much every major improv/impro Festival in the U.S. & Canada in the last 30 years. In our conversation, we talk about where we find inspiration and Joe shares an anecdote from his childhood about his musician cousin, Katherine. He talks about going on tour for a year with Up With People and what an amazing experience that was. We talk about family drama and the need to escape. We talk about the community of misfits in Chicago where Joe finally found his artistic home. We chat about Joe’s love of traveling the world to discuss improv. Joe shares sage advice for teachers hoping to tour like he does. We talk about connecting with your students and caring deeply about the service you are providing. Joe’s a funny guy and we have quite a few laughs (including a couple dark covid jokes…too soon?) Support Joe Bill by hiring him to teach you! You can also check out his podcast, Not Therapy that he cohosts with YBY past guest, Balasree Viswanathan. 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!

This week on Yes But Why, we talk to world renowned performer and improv teacher, Joe Bill. Joe Bill has been a performer and teacher at iO Chicago for more than 30 years; he was one of the co-founders of Annoyance Theater; and, he was an Artistic Associate for The Chicago Improv Festival for the entirety of its existence. He has been an Internationally Touring Teacher, Performer and director for more than 20 years and acts as an Artistic Adviser for a number of Improvisation and Comedy Theaters all over the world. He has taught at pretty much every major improv/impro Festival in the U.S. & Canada in the last 30 years. In our conversation, we talk about where we find inspiration and Joe shares an anecdote from his childhood about his musician cousin, Katherine. He talks about going on tour for a year with Up With People and what an amazing experience that was. We talk about family drama and the need to escape. We talk about the community of misfits in Chicago where Joe finally found his artistic home. We chat about Joe’s love of traveling the world to discuss improv. Joe shares sage advice for teachers hoping to tour like he does. We talk about connecting with your students and caring deeply about the service you are providing. Joe’s a funny guy and we have quite a few laughs (including a couple dark covid jokes…too soon?) Support Joe Bill by hiring him to teach you! You can also check out his podcast, Not Therapy that he cohosts with YBY past guest, Balasree Viswanathan. 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!

This week on Yes But Why, we talk to world renowned performer and improv teacher, Joe Bill. Joe Bill has been a performer and teacher at iO Chicago for more than 30 years; he was one of the co-founders of Annoyance Theater; and, he was an Artistic Associate for The Chicago Improv Festival for the entirety of its existence. He has been an Internationally Touring Teacher, Performer and director for more than 20 years and acts as an Artistic Adviser for a number of Improvisation and Comedy Theaters all over the world. He has taught at pretty much every major improv/impro Festival in the U.S. & Canada in the last 30 years.In our conversation, we talk about where we find inspiration and Joe shares an anecdote from his childhood about his musician cousin, Katherine. He talks about going on tour for a year with Up With People and what an amazing experience that was.We talk about family drama and the need to escape. We talk about the community of misfits in Chicago where Joe finally found his artistic home. We chat about Joe’s love of traveling the world to discuss improv. Joe shares sage advice for teachers hoping to tour like he does. We talk about connecting with your students and caring deeply about the service you are providing. Joe’s a funny guy and we have quite a few laughs (including a couple dark covid jokes…too soon?)Support Joe Bill by hiring him to teach you! You can also check out his podcast, Not Therapy that he cohosts with YBY past guest, Balasree Viswanathan. 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!

Jeff has a conversation with improv heavyweight Mark Sutton. Mark is a Chicago-based performer, instructor and director. He's maybe most notable for his co-founding of the Annoyance Theatre. In addition to this, Mark is the Learning Designer and Lead Facilitator of Second City Chicago and had spent several years as the Artistic Director for the Chicago Improv Festival.  On the discussion table are the origins of the Annoyance Theatre (including its namesake), Bassprov (his partnership with Joe Bill), and a rundown the Chicago scene and how it shaped Mark as a performer.

Join Becky as we discuss strategic planning, the importance of targeting your audience, and fundraising.  Becky Caldwell is an executive coach, podcast host of “Virtual Executive Director,” and the actual executive director of the Virginia Highlands Festival (VHF) in Abingdon, Virginia. A graduate of Northwestern University, Becky spent much of her career in Chicago with Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Humanities Festival, and the Chicago Improv Festival (among other organizations). She has produced international arts programs and festivals since 1992. In 2012 she came to Abingdon to become the first-ever executive director for VHF, a 70-year-old arts and culture organization. While at VHF, she launched several pilot programs to help innovate programming. These programs have included “The Wolf Crystal” public performance art project; a series of culinary arts events highlighting the rich heritage and inherent creativity of food production in Southwest Virginia; and “Plein Air Abingdon,” a 3-day springtime spin-off festival from the summer flagship event. “The Wolf Crystal” was the subject of Becky's TEDxHickory talk in November, 2019. Since 2016 she has been advising, consulting, and coaching nonprofit leaders, helping them with fundraising strategies, board development, and strategic planning. Becky's areas of coaching expertise include leadership transition, building effective corporate culture, and developing strategic partnerships. She started her weekly podcast, “Virtual Executive Director,” in September 2017, as a free resource for nonprofit and mission-driven leaders, and supplements the podcast with an active Facebook group for nonprofit leaders to receive peer-to-peer support. In her personal life, Becky is a gamer, foodie, and supernerd. She is married with two big goofy dogs who make frequent appearances on her podcast and Instagram feed. Becky Caldwell FB: https://www.facebook.com/VirtualExecDirector/ LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckybrettcaldwell/ IG: @virtual_execIG: @beckybrettcaldwellWeb: https://virtualexecutivedirector.com/ beckybrettcaldwell@gmail.com      

Join Becky as we discuss strategic planning, the importance of targeting your audience, and fundraising.  Becky Caldwell is an executive coach, podcast host of “Virtual Executive Director,” and the actual executive director of the Virginia Highlands Festival (VHF) in Abingdon, Virginia. A graduate of Northwestern University, Becky spent much of her career in Chicago with Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Chicago Humanities Festival, and the Chicago Improv Festival (among other organizations). She has produced international arts programs and festivals since 1992. In 2012 she came to Abingdon to become the first-ever executive director for VHF, a 70-year-old arts and culture organization. While at VHF, she launched several pilot programs to help innovate programming. These programs have included “The Wolf Crystal” public performance art project; a series of culinary arts events highlighting the rich heritage and inherent creativity of food production in Southwest Virginia; and “Plein Air Abingdon,” a 3-day springtime spin-off festival from the summer flagship event. “The Wolf Crystal” was the subject of Becky’s TEDxHickory talk in November, 2019. Since 2016 she has been advising, consulting, and coaching nonprofit leaders, helping them with fundraising strategies, board development, and strategic planning. Becky’s areas of coaching expertise include leadership transition, building effective corporate culture, and developing strategic partnerships. She started her weekly podcast, “Virtual Executive Director,” in September 2017, as a free resource for nonprofit and mission-driven leaders, and supplements the podcast with an active Facebook group for nonprofit leaders to receive peer-to-peer support. In her personal life, Becky is a gamer, foodie, and supernerd. She is married with two big goofy dogs who make frequent appearances on her podcast and Instagram feed. Becky Caldwell FB: https://www.facebook.com/VirtualExecDirector/ LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckybrettcaldwell/ IG: @virtual_execIG: @beckybrettcaldwellWeb: https://virtualexecutivedirector.com/ beckybrettcaldwell@gmail.com      

We always love our amazingly talented guests, but this time we were Star Struck! David Pasquesi is a brilliant artist and one of the nicest people you're ever likely to meet. He is a master improvisor and has created memorable performances in many movies and TV series. He was excellent as Julia Louis Dreyfuss's ex-husband, Andrew in VEEP and had a great role as the "local alchemist" on the weird and wonderful Lodge 49. He also has done some infamous and long running voice-over spots for clients like McDonalds and Anheuser Busch. We have included his remarkable commercial reel in this episode. You can also go to David's website to check out his work. David studied with the legendary improvisation pioneer Del Close, who created the Harold and was part of the first ever Harold team, Baron's Barracudas. David describes the Harold as a "long form group improvisation that was developed as a performance piece itself as opposed to using it to create material for revues...The aim is that the work is consistently good enough to be able to warrant a ticket price." We talk about Del's ideas about working genuinely in improvisation. Gary reads from David and TJ Jagodowski's book, Improvisation at the Speed of Life. "Del taught us to play slowly without worrying about entertaining the audience. He stressed the importance of playing at the top of our intelligence...Another big lesson I took from Del was not to talk too much because overusing words diminishes the power of each one. Del taught us to dare to be poets...Don't be afraid of silence." TJ & Dave have been doing long form performances at iO in Chicago and Barrow Street Theatre in New York since 2001. Stephen Colbert says of them, "One of these guys is the best improvisor in the world. And the other one is better." The New York Times calls their work, "...a creative tour de force, an intellectual high-wire act as astonishing as it is entertaining." They met on a team at the Chicago Improv Festival and found they shared a reverence for the same kind of work. They make it "more about discovery than invention...The work can be funny, but also sad, heartwarming, kind, scary, brutal. It's unlimited." David talks about the important role of the audience. TJ & Dave "requires interested people watching it." David and our co-host Frank talk about teaching improvisation. "The most important thing is listening and paying attention...Be genuine moment to moment and the rest of it takes care of itself." Gary asks about another of David's teachers and mentors, Charna Halpern, who built ImprovOlympic with Del, has taught so many magnificent actors and writers, and now owns the marvelous iO Theatre at 1501 Kingsbury. There are 4 performances there every night of the week, a nice bar, and good food. Charna gave us great backstory on a few things. Such as: David camped out at her place when he was a student without an apartment and cooked dinner in exchange for his room. She also told us about him juggling apples in his stand up act and that he does great impersonations (not). Learn more about the force of nature that is Charna on episode 47 of our show, performed live at Steppenwolf Theatre. Frank reviews the superb production of Sheepdog, directed by friend of the show and recent guest, Wardell Julius Clark. Frank says its is an important and powerful play that poses questions that lead to great discussions. Running through February 29. Gary is going to see it Feb. 13 and can't wait. David tells us about some of his other important influences. He took his first class with Judy Morgan. Then read Jeff Sweet's book, Something Wonderful Right Away. David tells us about the importance of the concepts of heat and weight. Heat involves the gravity of the situation and weight is about the emotional charge. Things that they discover about what's "already there" rather than making it up. Gary shares his love of a new book called, Life Isn't Everything,

Join me today to meet Jay Sukow, who has been performing scripted and improvised work professionally for over 20 years. Jay has trained with improv legends that include Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Jon Favreau, David Razowsky, Keith Johnstone, Dick Schaal, Del Close and Mick Napier. Jay is a faculty member of The Second City and has performed regularly as part of their “Those Who Can’t” Faculty Jam. He taught and coached teams at iO Chicago, where he was also head of its artistic committee, ComedySportz Chicago, Club Med International, Illinois State University, the New Orleans Improv Festival, the Phoenix Long Form Improv Festival, the C-U Improv Festival, and The Chicago Improv Festival, among others. Jay teaches improv to people from every walk of life, from beginning students to executives at Fortune 100 companies. He was an ensemble member of ComedySportz Chicago and several teams at iO Chicago and has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Del Close Marathon, the C/U Improv Festival and the New Orleans Improv Festival. Jay has been a guest performer at Boom Chicago, the Second City, the Second City ETC, the Second City Northwest and Messing with a Friend. Jay has written, produced and been a cast member of the narrative features “American Legacy” and directed “Trubadeuax: A Restaurant Movie,” both of which feature improvised dialogue within a scripted storyline.

Jonathan Pitts is the executive director of Chicago Improv Productions. He's the co-founder & original producer of Chicago Improv Festival and he's also the founder & producer of the College Improv Tournament. He taught at The Second City Training Center for 16 years. Jonathan now tours the world teaching and performing improvisation in countries most of us only know by name. We're excited to have Jonathan on this episode of Improv in Action with the topic of Empathy.

Meet Kim Scarfe! She chose Iowa over London, she gives kids confidence before "the crap of life" gets to them, and she is so happy that she gets to be friends with herself! She's sweet, badass, and funny, and you'll love her. With special guest Jonathan Pitts from The Second City, co-founder of Chicago Improv Festival. Join us, and our one time troupe: Plastic Bag Therapy! Cast of Improvisers: Jonathan Pitts, Nate Tyson, and Brian Leonard.

Os melhores sítios do mundo para ver comédia de improviso estão em Chicago e ninguém melhor que Mário Bomba para nos servir de guia. O actor, comediante e mestre das dobragens de desenhos-animados esteve no Chicago Improv Festival com “Os Improváveis” e faz o roteiro pelos clubes de comédia e pela cidade espelhada e ventosa, cheia de luz e brilho, com um lago gigante que mais parece um mar. Nota: tem fortes possibilidades de entrar num clube de jazz que tenha, um dia, pertencido a Al Capone. E anote também a dica da melhor “deep dish pizza”, também conhecida por “Chicago style pizza”, com 3 a 4 dedos de altura de queijo derretido. Todas as edições em http://radiocomercial.iol.pt/destaques/9384/ai-destino-ai-destino  

In this episode I interview Will Luera. Will Luera is the former artistic director of Improv Boston, where he created the “Free Form” improv style, also known as Boston or Big Bang style improv, which is known for its fast yet seamless transitions between scenes. Will is now the Director of Improvisation at Florida Studio Theatre, which is a 5-stage theater in Sarasota that also does scripted work. Among other things, Will is also the Director of Big Bang Improv, Artistic Director of the Pilsen Improv Festival, Artistic Associate of the Chicago Improv Festival, Artistic Advisor to the Women in Comedy Festival and Part-time Faculty at Boston College. Will tours globally as an improv and theater actor, director and instructor.He performs and teaches regularly all across North America, South America, Europe and Asia.

This week, we're presenting stories about the difficulties of following instructions -- whether it's medical advice or a recipe.  Part 1: Science writer Cassandra WIllyard is frustrated by the restrictions put on her during her pregnancy. Part 2: Comedian Joseph Scrimshaw is terrified of messing up when his new museum job requires him to bake. Cassandra Willyard is a freelance science journalist who likes long walks, international travel, and infectious diseases, the more neglected the better. She earned a BS in Biological Aspects of Conservation (and a certificate in drinking) from the University of Wisconsin and an MA in Science Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She also served as Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia. You can read her work in Discover, Popular Science, and Nature. She also blogs regularly for The Last Word on Nothing. After spending several years in New York City, Cassandra moved back to Midwest. She now lives in Madison with her husband and daughter. But she still enjoys sarcasm and wearing black.    Joseph Scrimshaw is a comedian, writer, and host based in Los Angeles, as well as a Story Collider producer. As a comedian, he’s appeared at SF SketchFest, Chicago Improv Festival, Dragon Con, headlined on Jonathan Coulton’s JoCoCruise, appeared on Wil Wheaton’s TableTop, and more. Joseph has written for Adult Swim,  the movie riffing group, RiffTrax, Screen Junkies, and was a writer/performer on Wits, where he wrote sketches for Paul F. Tompkins, Dave Foley, Neil Gaiman, and more. Joseph’s plays Adventures in Mating, An Inconvenient Squirrel, and My Monster (written with Bill Corbett) have been performed all over the US, the UK, and strangely Bulgaria. His popular comedy podcast Obsessed is part of the Feral Audio podcast network and has been listed as a Staff Favorite on iTunes multiple times. Joseph also co-hosts the Star Wars podcast feed, ForceCenter. Joseph has released multiple comedy albums including 2015’s Rebel Scum and 2013’s Flaw Fest. John Hodgman said of the album, “I am glad Joseph Scrimshaw has the power of thought and audible speech, or else this very funny album would not exist.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Talking Late Night, Max talks with Rachel LaForce, a former improviser with Second City, a stand-up comedian, and an actress who has been featured in the Whitney Cummings HBO pilot "A Lot" as well as Whitney Cummings' full-feature directorial debut in "The Female Brain." After moving to Chicago to pursue a career in comedy, Rachel became heavily involved in the improv scene there. Rachel has performed with iO Chicago, the Annoyance Theatre, and Second City, where she was a touring company member for many years. She also wrote and performed in many sketches that premiered at multiple festivals such as the Chicago Improv Festival, the Del Close Festival, and the San Francisco Sketchfest. Today, Rachel lives in Los Angeles where she continues her comedy career doing improv, sketch, and stand-up! Interested in learning more about her or seeing her perform? Check out her website where you can follow her on all the social media! Thank you for tuning in! Be sure to like and share our Facebook page here, and also rate and leave us a review on iTunes!

It's Tuesday and... Kevin Mullaney is our guest! Kevin is the founder of the Improv Resource Center, a company dedicated to the art of improvisational theater and improv comedy. Kevin is the head teacher of the IRC and often travels around the country teaching workshops. Kevin has taught improvisation for 20 years starting at iO Theater in Chicago, later at the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre in New York and more recently Under the Gun Theater in Chicago. He is the host of the Improv Resource Center Podcast and the webmaster of the Improv Resource Center. Among the shows he directed recently were: Based On a True Story, Trending, Haunted, This Film is Not Yet Made, Vampyre Hunter High, Dear James Franco, Space Warps and A Swarm of Spoilers. He also created two tournaments in recent years: The Improv Classic and The Tournament of Shows. He is the former Artistic Director of the Chicago Improv Festival and of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York, where he also served as the chief administrator of their training program. He directed numerous improv shows for the UCB Theater including “Tracers”, “Retraced”, “Individually Wrapped”, and “The Swarm in Slow Waltz Around Rage Mountain”. He is the creator of Cage-Match and the Annual 3 on 3 Tournament at UCB. He recently won the 2015 INNY award from Improvisation News for the best “Best Improv Comedy Instructor/Coach”. Kevin lives in Chicago and teaches through the Improv Resource Center. He plays poker and likes dogs.

Rachel Dratch is best known for her seven seasons on SNL. She recently returned to Chicago for the Chicago Improv Festival, where she recorded this live episode of Improv Nerd on the Second City Main Stage. Jimmy talks to her about how she built her confidence as an improviser, how the slow times in her career have turned into great projects, and of course, SNL.

Harmontown joins the Chicago Improv Festival with guest Comptroller Brandon Johnson. Improv legends Jimmy Carrane and Scott Adsit help Dan demonstrate the difference between improv and written comedy, while Brandon and Dan discover the seven types of p... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jaime Moyer is an improviser, teacher and actor. You have seen her in such shows as Modern Family and Parks and Recreation. She was originally a member of Second City Detroit before moving to LA in 2009. In this live episode recorded at The Chicago Improv Festival, Jimmy talks to her about how she auditioned for Second City for a parking pass, how she avoids being pigeonholed in improv, and how she decides what projects to take on.

It's Tuesday and... Will Luera is our guest! Will is the Director of Improvisation at Florida Studio Theatre, Director of Big Bang Improv and serves as the Artistic Director Emeritus of ImprovBoston, Artistic Director of the Pilsen Improv Festival, Artistic Associate of the Chicago Improv Festival, Artistic Advisor to the Women in Comedy Festival and Part-time Faculty at Boston College. He has appeared in numerous improv festivals around the world and have studied improvisation with ImprovOlympic, The Second City, The Annoyance Theater, The Upright Citizens Brigade, and Keith Johnstone. He has been working with Florida Studio Theatre since 2014. Before that he was with ImprovBoston where he had worked since 1997 directing the Mainstage cast and developing the nationally renowned productions of Sitcom, Secret Society, Blue Screen, Playbook and Quest. In 2004, Will was the Boston and national winner of PAX-TVs World Cup Comedy. I am also a producer and actor in Strange Faculty, which was accepted to the 2007 New York Television Festival, the 2008 Los Angeles Independent Television Festival and was a winner of the 2008 NBC Comedy Short Cuts competition. He tours globally as improv and theater actor, director and instructor that performs and teaches regularly all across North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Will is the lucky husband of a beautiful woman and proud father of two. You can reach him at me@will-luera.com.

Part 1: Mark Pagán combats his phobia of flying in an unusual way. Part 2: Military surgeon Rob Lim must perform surgery in the middle of a sandstorm in Iraq. Mark Pagán is an award-winning storyteller, comedian, multimedia artist, and writer best known for his humorous autobiographical and documentary vignettes for stage, television, online, screenings, print, and installation. His work and performances have been shown at festivals worldwide including Slamdance Film Festival, PBS, Arizona International Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Rooftop Film Festival, North Carolina Comedy Arts Festival, Chicago Improv Festival, Del Close Marathon, Philadelphia Improv Festival, and the Charleston Comedy Festival. Robert B. Lim, MD is a General Surgeon on active duty in the United States Army. He specializes in Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery, which includes robotics, single-incision laparoscopic, and bariatric surgery. He did his fellowship training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School. His academic career focuses on obesity care, surgical education, surgical simulation, and patient safety. He is on the Board of Governors at the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgery and holds the rank of Associate Professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Lim founded the Society of Military Surgeons and produced the first ever tri-service military surgical symposium in 2014. He has been deployed to the combat zone 5 times including the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003. He has served on Forward Surgical Teams, in the Combat Hospitals, and on the GHOST-T surgical team (Golden Hour Offset of Surgical Trauma-Team) with the Special Forces. He helped revitalize the Excelsior Surgical Society, which is a tri-service military society that originated during World War II under the guidance of Winston Churchill. Rob Lim's story was produced as part of a partnership with Springer Storytellers. Find out more at http://www.beforetheabstract.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's episode is with Philly improviser and instructor, Matt Holmes, of the Philly Improv Theater as well as at the Good Good Comedy Theatre! Matt has performed and taught at various national improv festivals like the Del Close Marathon, the Boston Improv festival, and the Chicago Improv Festival. Jason and Matt talk about Matt's renowned improv show, "Matt &," where Matt picks an audience member up to do a two-person show with. Aside from talking at length about that show, they chat about instruction and the basics of performing improv. It's an insightful discussion about improv for beginners, players who feel a little stuck, instructors, and those who want to develop their own show. Get more info online: www.MattAndImprov.com Twitter: @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrJokes Facebook: @MattAndImprov, @ThereItIsPod

Jonathan Pitts is the executive director of the Chicago Improv Festival, which he founded 20 years ago. In this interview, Jimmy gets an Improv Nerd exclusive -- Jonathan tells Jimmy what he's going to do after this year's festival -- and they talk about how Chicago has been able to stay relevant as an improv mecca and Jonathan's experience working with David Shepherd.

“Although I fly the flag for ‘yes, and' it's okay to say no.”   Madde and Levi have known each other for a number of years. Which is part of why this episode is full of silly bits and goofy nonsense. But Madde also talks about relationships, making work, living in new cities and where she is in her life. Madde also talks improv theory, working in education and shares a bit about her new project “Down & Out.”   Madde Gibba is a New York-based actor and comedy writer who most recently could be found slinging funny haha's on the high seas with Second City Theatricals. She is a contributor to the online satirical magazinereductress.com and regularly writes and performs all over the country. Originally from Minnesota, she has performed at Tony Award-winning theaters such as The Guthrie and Children's Theater Company and is an alumni of the country's oldest satirical comedy theater Brave New Workshop. In addition to the stage, Madde co-hosted Mike and Madde, a weekend arts and entertainment radio program on MyTalk107.1, and was featured in a small role in the critically-acclaimed indie film Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (appearing at SxSW and Sundance Festivals in 2015). Madde has toured the US with her original sketch comedy shows, Comedy Sportz, and her improvised rock concert Madde Gibba: Does Not Play Well With Others--which has appeared at both the Chicago Improv Festival and New York Musical Improv Festival. 

Hello from the Magic Tavern is a fully improvised comedy podcast that's exploding in popularity. In this episode, Jimmy sits down with creators Arnie Niekamp, Adal Rifai and Matt Young at the Chicago Improv Festival to talk to them about how they all met, how they developed great chemistry, and how they go about creating their magic world.

Sarah and Chris talk about lasers, passing out drunk and more! Chris Fair is an improvisor and creator of the Laser Comedy Show www.lasercomedyshow.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @laserimprovshow. He'll be performing at the upcoming Chicago Improv Festival in May.  Sleeping with Sarah is a podcast where comedian and narcoleptic, Sarah Albritton interviews people in her bed. They talk about sleep, comedy, and relationships. Visit www.sleepingwithsarah.com for more information. You can follow Sarah on Instagram @sarahalbritton & Twitter:@sarahalbritton or visit her at www.sarahalbritton.com. Music by Josh Bryant. You can view the video version of the podcast on Sarah's Youtube channel.

Steve Cooper talks with actor/writer Matt Price. Matt has appeared on stage at UCB in many shows including ASSSCAT, Fucked Up & Illegal Videos, The Jersey Shore Recap Party, and Harold Night. He also produced and hosted a monthly storytelling show called Show & Tell and has performed at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, the Toyota Comedy Festival in NYC, SketchFest in San Francisco, and the Chicago Improv Festival. As an actor, one of his favorite roles was playing Lawrence for two seasons on TNT's critically acclaimed Men of a Certain Age. Other appearances include The Office, Hart of Dixie,1600 Penn, The West Wing, Arrested Development, Reno 911, New Girl, The League and many others. He currently writes for Regular Show on the Cartoon Network for which he won an Emmy in 2012 and has also written for Comedy Central's Root of All Evil with Lewis Black as well as various shows on the television. Sponsored by Café Valet. Go to www.cafevalet.com and enter the coupon code COOPER for $5 off the Starter Combo Pack.  

Rob Belushi and Jon Barinholtz are in the duo group Sheldon and the perform improv around the country. Jimmy caught up with them at this year's Chicago Improv Festival, where they talked about their brotherly relationship and how they use it on stage, who they named their show after, and they set Jimmy straight on the whole topic of fame and coming from famous families.

Woody & Tessa are joined in the studio by improvisers Jocelyn Hillen & Sarah Turocy of the improv duo LEXICANA. Both improvise on house teams at Arcade Comedy Theater, Jocelyn on FLIP TILT, Sarah on CHANGE MACHINE an official selection to the 2015 Chicago Improv Festival. THE EPISODE IN A NUTSHELL: We learn how to appropriately "chair" a parking spot - We learn what its like to sit at the DNA Table - We learn how being an "unconventional" is so rewarding.

UCB's Matt Walsh! Follow Us On Twitter! @BetterRobotJosh – Josh Kuderna @MichaelMoran10 – Mike Moran @DigSeshPod – For Podcast Updates! @MrMattWalsh – Matt Walsh Hola DigHeads! On this week's episode, Josh and guest cohost Mike Finazzo are joined by the legendary improviser and actor, Matt Walsh! Matt is one of the founding members of the Upright Citizens Brigade, has been in a million movies, you've handled his ass pennies, and currently plays Mike McLintock in the HBO series VEEP. Matt was nice enough to down at a coffee shop in Baltimore and discuss VEEP, what it's like to hang with Baltimore's mayor and Maryland's governor, the early days of doing stand up, Dog Bites Man stories, the Chicago Improv Festival, and much more Like what you hear? Subscribe and rate the Digression Sessions on Stitcher and iTunes. And check out our podcast network, Thunder Grunt! Thanks everyone! We love you! Thanks everyone! We love you!

Jonathan Pitts. Jonathan is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the prestigious Chicago Improv Festival. He teaches at The Second City in Chicago, and has performed and taught in Norway, England and Canada. Jonathan is a contributing writer to the best seller "An Improv Almanac."

http://archive.org/download/iwn_38/IWN_38.mp3 SHOWNOTES Hauptthema Festivalfrühling World Bristol Improv Fest, UK 8.-16.3.2014 http://improvnet.co.uk/festival Improv Fest UK, London 23.-29.3.2014 http://www.improfestuk.co.uk/ Chicago Improv Festival, 31.3.-6.4.2014 http://chicagoimprovfestival.org/ Coppenhagen Improv Festival, 14.-20.4.2014 http://imprologen.dk/ DACH Goldenen Phön, Impro-Festival Düsseldorf, 15.3.2014, http://www.phoenixallee.de/ ZIF – Zurich Impro Festival, 17.-19.3.2014 http://blog.cast.zhdk.ch/theatersport/ Kölner ImproFestival, 1.-6.4.2014, http://www.koelnerimprofestival.de/ Impro im Foyer – Offene Bühne im Hildesheimer Stadttheaters, 10.4.2014 https://www.facebook.com/events/747169791989637/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular 12. Internationales Osterimprofestival in Göttingen, 17.-21.4.2014 http://cms.osterimprofestival.info/de/ Berlin Enno Kalisch, Bühnenrausch, 15.3.2014 16:00 http://www.buehnenrausch.de/impro_kalisch.html Hear and Now mit Enno Kalisch, Brotfabrik, So 16.3.2014 http://www.hear-and-now.com/ Impro 2014, 21.-30.3.2014 http://www.improfestival.de/ frei.wild Improtheater vs. Kaktussen, 29.3. ufa-fabrik, http://frei-wild-berlin.de/shows/ Foxy Freestyle mit Dads Garage, Alte Kantine, 4.4.2014 http://www.foxy-freestyle.de/shows.html 2. Berliner Impro Marathon, Brotfabrik, 5.4.2014, http://berliner-impro-marathon.de/

Betsy Sodaro, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh join Matt Besser LIVEat the Chicago Improv Festival. Tune in to this week's improv4humans to hear where and when your boyfriend should be sexually relieving himself, what to do if your poo-loggers are on strike, and how to handle yourself if the CIA wants you, and and your body. Safe duck hunting y'all!Make sure to get the UCB Comedy Improv Manual ,Matt Bessers new comedy album at mattbesser.com , and Dragoons new album at dragoongalaxy.bandcamp.com !After the episode is over make sure to head toNaturebox.com/improv to retrieve your discount and support the show.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

LIVE at the Chicago Improv Festival - Betsy Sodaro, Ian Roberts, and Matt Walsh join Matt Besser LIVE at the Chicago Improv Festival. Tune in to this week's improv4humans  to hear where and when your boyfriend should be sexually relieving himself, what to do if your poo-loggers are on strike, and how to handle yourself if the CIA wants you, and and your body.  Safe duck hunting y'all! Make sure to get the UCB Comedy  Improv Manual , Matt Besser's new comedy album at  mattbesser.com , and Dragoon's new album at  dragoongalaxy.bandcamp.com !After the episode is over make sure to head to Naturebox.com/improv to retrieve your discount and support the show.

Jon Barinholtz. Jon has been on “Parks and Recreation,” “Outsourced,” and “Happy Endings” on ABC. And, with Rob Belushi, is the other half of “Barinholtz & Belushi,” an improv duo that’s recently sold out their Chicago Improv Festival shows at Second City. Jon and Rob are also in “Pie Guys,” a Comedy Central digital series premiering in May of 2014.

Welcome to improv4humans with Matt Besser! Join Matt Besser, 4 humans --Horatio Sanz, John Gemberling, Michael Delaney, and Brian Huskey-- and 1 musician, David Bazan, for this extra special musically inspired episode of improv4humans. On this episode you'll learn all abouttrying to connect on the 70s, corny poops and fluffy floaters, and what to do when shit goes down in Atlantis. When you're done listening to this make sure to go buy a full album, of David Bazan's music, and don't forget to TRY LIFE. We'll see you all at the Chicago Improv Festival andmake sure to get the UCB Comedy Improv Manual , Matt Bessers new comedy album at mattbesser.com , and Dragoons new album at dragoongalaxy.bandcamp.com ! This episode is sponsored by Squarespace . Use promo code GAME for 10% off and a free trial.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Their Name Is Korn - Welcome to improv4humans with Matt Besser! Join Matt Besser, 4 humans --Horatio Sanz, John Gemberling, Michael Delaney, and Brian Huskey-- and 1 musician, David Bazan, for this extra special musically inspired episode of improv4humans. On this episode you'll learn all about trying to connect on the 70s, corny poops and fluffy floaters, and what to do when shit goes down in Atlantis. When you're done listening to this make sure to go buy a full album, of David Bazan's music, and don't forget to TRY LIFE.  We'll see you all at the Chicago Improv Festival and make sure to get the UCB Comedy  Improv Manual , Matt Besser's new comedy album at  mattbesser.com , and Dragoon's new album at  dragoongalaxy.bandcamp.com ! This episode is sponsored by Squarespace . Use promo code GAME for 10% off and a free trial.

Andy Secunda, Mike Delaney,and Sean Conroy are at it again on this weeks improv4humans with Matt Besser!Tune in as half of the legendary team, The Swarm, discuss getting waffle boxed, the kind of friend you want on your death bed, and a de-cluttered Oscar the Grouch. Plus, theydissectseveralhilarious Crap on Youtubes, analyze some non-indigenous snowballs,and finally figure out--once and for all--who shit in the family bible. Make sure to get the UCB Comedy Improv Manual ,Matt Bessers new comedy album at mattbesser.com , and Dragoons new album at dragoongalaxy.bandcamp.com ! Check out Improv4humans at SXSW and the Chicago Improv Festival!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Half-a-SWARM - Andy Secunda, Mike Delaney, and Sean Conroy are at it again on this week's improv4humans with Matt Besser! Tune in as half of the legendary team, The Swarm, discuss getting waffle boxed, the kind of friend you want on your death bed, and a de-cluttered Oscar the Grouch. Plus, they dissect several hilarious Crap on Youtubes, analyze some non-indigenous snowballs, and finally figure out--once and for all--who shit in the family bible.  Make sure to get the UCB Comedy  Improv Manual , Matt Besser's new comedy album at  mattbesser.com , and Dragoon's new album at  dragoongalaxy.bandcamp.com ! Check out Improv4humans at SXSW and the Chicago Improv Festival!

Mark Sutton is an improvisor, a teacher, and a director, and a founding member of The Annoyance Theater. Mark was the Artistic Director of The Chicago Improv Festival, and has performed in countless improv festivals and venues nationally and internationally in the award-winning comedy BASSPROV with Joe Bill. On location in Chicago.

Jill Bernard is a founding member of the Twin Cities' HUGE Theater. She's performed her one-woman improv piece, Drum Machine at the Chicago Improv Festival, the Toronto Improv Jamboree, the Miami Improv Festival, Philadelphia Improv Festival, and the ComedySportz National Tournament, among others. She has taught and performed improv in Norway, Canada, and over thirty of these United States, in cities, and was also on an episode of MTV “Made.” This podcast was recorded before a live audience at Huge Theater during The Twin Cities Improv Fest 7.

Nick and Danielle welcome two improv impresarios- Kevin Mullaney- artistic director of the Chicago Improv Festival and Barbara Allen of See You Thursday female improv troupe in Columbus, Ohio. Kevin and Barbara share stories of the Chicago Improv festival.

Jet Eveleth- the woman, the myth, the legend. Just kidding. Not really. Jet Eveleth is a member of the Harold team The Reckoning at the iO Theater and performs in the show Adsit and Eveleth and Jet and Paul. She has appeared in The Barb Lameter Show and The Armando Diaz Experience, and has understudied at The Second City. She toured in the two-woman sketch show I Live Next Door To Horses, winner of the 2008 Del Award for Best Scripted Show. She has performed at the Andy Kaufman Awards and was listed as New City magazine’s "Top 50 Players" in 2010 and 2012. She studied clown and physical theater with Paola Coletto and Philippe Gaulier. She has taught at the Comedy Studies Program at Columbia College, the Second City Conservatory, the iO Theater, and is the former artistic director of the Chicago Improv Festival. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Mike and Steven Montenegro are interrupted by two random women from the bus stop to discuss David Copperfield's terrorist activities and their cryptozoologically disturbing lives. See Daniel Jaquette perform at the Chicago Improv Festival this April! ChicagoImprovFestival.org

Earlier this year, Jimmy had the chance to sit down and talk with Megan Gray, Rick Andrews and Louis Kornfeld - three improvisers from the Magnet Theater Co. in New York who were in town for the Chicago Improv Festival. They discussed the similarities and differences between Chicago and New York improv and then put those methods to the test in a great set of scenes.

In this episode, Jimmy interviews and then improvises with one of Chicago's great improvisers, Jet Eveleth. Jet Eveleth is a member of the The Reckoning and she can also be seen in The Armando Diaz Experience at the iO Theater. Jet has been an instructor at Columbia’s Comedy Studies Program, a faculty member of The Second City Conservatory, and the iO Theater and was a co-artistic director of the Chicago Improv Festival.