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What a wonderful experience getting to know Vinny Francois! He is a delightful person and we had such fun on this podcast. Vinny has over 25 years experience as a professional improviser in both Engli…

What a wonderful exp…

What a wonderful experience getting to know Vinny Francois! He is a delightful person and we had such fun on this podcast. Vinny has over 25 years experience as a professional improviser in both English and French. He's a founding director of Improv College, Camp Zipzap (an improv camp for adults), was the Executive Producer of Mprov: The Montreal Improv Festival and co-founder of the Montreal Improv Theatre. Vinny has performed in Just For Laughs and improv festivals around the world and he currently writes for The Beaverton. Be sure to check out his beautiful work at the links below. Links: …

David Raitt is an improviser, author and sketch comedian from Toronto. David shares his unique improv story starting in high school and having a troupe that was together for years! He has been perfor…

David Raitt is an im…

David Raitt is an improviser, author and sketch comedian from Toronto. David shares his unique improv story starting in high school and having a troupe that was together for years! He has been performing and teaching improv for over 25 years. After acquiring degrees in Cognitive Science and then Law, he started taking improv classes at The Second City, Toronto, in 1996. In 2000, he joined their Canadian National Touring Company. He performed with the Mainstage ensemble and was also on the Training Centre Education faculty for 17 years. He offers speciality workshops in object work, environmen…

Listen to Part 2 of our interview with the fabulous BJ Lange. He has devoted his life to service of others. When a Cancer diagnosis forced BJ, a former Air Force Reserve medic, onto the Temporary Disa…

Listen to Part 2 of …

Listen to Part 2 of our interview with the fabulous BJ Lange. He has devoted his life to service of others. When a cancer diagnosis forced BJ, a former Air Force Reserve medic, onto the Temporary Disability Retired List in 2016, comedy and improv helped pull him through. Now he’s using those same skills to help veterans overcome their disabilities. During the interview BJ spoke about: The Armed Services Arts Partnership for servicemembers and veterans to get involved at www.asapasap.orgThe Ledge Theatre, Hollywood https://ledgetheatre.org/bj-langeBJ @ The Second City https://oldwp.se…

BJ Lange is a very funny man who has survived many health and life issues but continues to find the bright side of life! When a cancer diagnosis forced BJ, a former Air Force Reserve medic, onto the …

BJ Lange is a very f…

BJ Lange is a very funny man who has survived many health and life issues but continues to find the bright side of life! When a cancer diagnosis forced BJ, a former Air Force Reserve medic, onto the Temporary Disability Retired List in 2016, comedy and improv helped pull him through. Now he’s using those same skills to help veterans overcome their disabilities. During the interview BJ spoke about: The Armed Services Arts Partnership for servicemembers and veterans to get involved at www.asapasap.orgThe Ledge Theatre, Hollywood https://ledgetheatre.org/bj-langeBJ @ The Second City ht…

Listen to the amazing Larry Gifford, found of the PD Avengers - a patient-led organization, united in the purpose of ending Parkinson's disease. We raise awareness, engagement and hope. This site has …

Listen to the amazin…

Listen to the amazing Larry Gifford, found of the PD Avengers - a patient-led organization, united in the purpose of ending Parkinson's disease. We raise awareness, engagement and hope. This site has an enormous collection of resources and hope for folks with PD. Larry has had an extraordinary life in sports radio broadcast in the US and Canada. When he was diagnosed his life stopped, but only momentarily. He started learning Improv at the TightRope theatre in Canada. He recently had DBS, Deep Brain Stimulation, which has helped him regain many of the abilities he lost with PD. He is truly an …

What a great experience getting to chat with Chris Mead in the UK. He is an experienced improviser, teacher, director and author. He was part of the renowned MayDays for many yearsauthor of a fabulo…

What a great experie…

What a great experience getting to chat with Chris Mead in the UK. He is an experienced improviser, teacher, director and author. He was part of the renowned MayDays for many yearsauthor of a fabulous weekly newsletter, Improv Fables. His newsletter is chock full of great info for improvisers and other really interesting things, like music, film and media reviews. His faithful dog, Radio, is also featured every week. In August he's be teaching a Mockumentary Class which I highly endorse. You can get In touch with Chris at: https://chrismead.notion.site/Improv-Fables-794d77df30dc47d585b7db519…

Meet the very funny and prolific writer, Matt Fotis. Matt is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Albright College, where he teaches improvisation, comedy studies, and writing for performance. He is …

Meet the very funny …

Meet the very funny and prolific writer, Matt Fotis. Matt is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Albright College, where he teaches improvisation, comedy studies, and writing for performance. He is the author of Satire & The State: Sketch Comedy and the Presidency (Routledge 2020), Long Form Improvisation and American Comedy: The Harold (Palgrave Macmillan 2014), and co-author of The Comedy Improv Handbook (Routledge 2016). His latest book, Fifty Key Improv Performers will be released September 2024. He has published or presented on various topics, including improvisational theatre, new…

Meet the amazing Troels Andersen Kjar. Troels was born, raised, and based in Copenhagen, Denmark. His love of storytelling was kindled as a teenager when he was introduced to Dungeons and Dragons, whi…

Meet the amazing Tro…

Meet the amazing Troels Andersen Kjar. Troels was born, raised, and based in Copenhagen, Denmark. His love of storytelling was kindled as a teenager when he was introduced to Dungeons and Dragons, which he has been playing ever since. 7 years ago he discovered improv by chance, and, like many others, fell in love with the artform. As a performer his main focus is narrative longform. Mental health disorders effect one out of three people today globally.With honest and vulnerability Troels shares his personal journey with mental illness, specifically Bi-polar disorder. He self-admitted to a psyc…

Gillian Bellinger is a beloved improviser, teacher and actor. She founded the now thriving Misfit Improv and Acting School in Asheville, N.C. which just celebrated its one year anniversary. I had met…

Gillian Bellinger is…

Gillian Bellinger is a beloved improviser, teacher and actor. She founded the now thriving Misfit Improv and Acting School in Asheville, N.C. which just celebrated its one year anniversary. I had met Gillian during the pandemic with our mutual friend, Jay Sukow. We reconnected recently at the Sketch School with Marc Warzecha in Sketch 101 and I knew I wanted to know more about this very funny lady. We talk about growing up in Texas and how the improv bug got her. Gillian’s resume is amazing. She has performed as an improviser and taught at Second City Chicago, Second City Hollywood, Westsid…

Jane Morris is the queen of improv comedy! Her story is as unique as she is!. Co-founder at Second City ETC, she has done more to advance the art of Improv than anyone else in the universe - and that'…

Jane Morris is the q…

Jane Morris is the queen of improv comedy! Her story is as unique as she is!. Co-founder at Second City ETC, she has done more to advance the art of Improv than anyone else in the universe - and that's not hyperbole! She has performed and taught all over the world and currently teaches at The Fanatic Salon Theater in Culver City, California. The Fanatic has hosted many comic legends such as Conan O'Brien and Wayne Brady. Jane is a writer, director and a beloved member of the Improv community. Jane has so many movie and TV credits as an actor I can't possibly list them all. Her first film was "…

Dr. Jeanne Leep – Improv Nerd Meet the brilliant author and professor, Dr. Jeanne Leep. Jeanne played improv in Grand Rapids, Michigan and went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Theatre. I had the good fortu…

Dr. Jeanne Leep – …

Dr. Jeanne Leep – Improv Nerd Meet the brilliant author and professor, Dr. Jeanne Leep. Jeanne played improv in Grand Rapids, Michigan and went on to pursue a Ph.D. in Theatre. I had the good fortune to play with Jeanne recently and was awed by her spontaneity and joy. She went to high school with our mutual friend Jay Sukow and then went on to the University Of Michigan and Wayne State College. Her best-selling book, “Theatrical Improvisation: Short Form, Long Form, and Sketch-Based Improv” is a classic book on the history of improv and sketch comedy that gives a clear definition on th…

The Marvelous Michelle J. Gilliam Michelle Gilliam is a beautiful person-inside and out! We have been friends for several years and I was delighted to have her as a guest. Michelle grew up in Milwauke…

The Marvelous Michel…

The Marvelous Michelle J. Gilliam Michelle Gilliam is a beautiful person-inside and out! We have been friends for several years and I was delighted to have her as a guest. Michelle grew up in Milwaukee in a loving and supportive family. During one family gathering, at age 4, she got her first big laugh and knew what her path would be! She saw a Comedy Sportz show when she was 14 and was hooked! She was inspired to learn this art form and she did! She met Dick Chudnow, founder of Comedy Sportz Milwaukee, the first CS theatre in this country, he let her volunteer until she was old enough to work…

Kathy Klotz-Guest, MA, MBA KEEPING IT HUMANKathy Klotz-Guest is an incredibly funny lady and we had so much fun on this podcast! Her energy is boundless and her passion for the people she serves is…

Kathy Klotz-Guest, M…

Kathy Klotz-Guest, MA, MBA KEEPING IT HUMANKathy Klotz-Guest is an incredibly funny lady and we had so much fun on this podcast! Her energy is boundless and her passion for the people she serves is lovely. She is a comedian, storyteller, improviser, speaker and author. Listen as Kathy shares her comedy journey with a stopover in the tech industries. Kathy brings out the laughter in those she’s touched. She positively is keeping it human! I know you’ll love her as much as I do!Check out her book “Stop Boring Me!” How to Create Kick-Ass Marketing Content, Products and Ideas Thr…

Sarah McGillion an amazing improviser with a Master in Artificial Intelligence! She runs a company in Denmark called Inconspicuous where she teaches Applied Improv to businesses, produces and performs…

Sarah McGillion an a…

Sarah McGillion an amazing improviser with a Master in Artificial Intelligence! She runs a company in Denmark called Inconspicuous where she teaches Applied Improv to businesses, produces and performs in improv shows, and offer classes for improvisers.She is an award-winning actress and improvisers and passionate about showcasing spontaneous comedy in a variety of venues across Copenhagen. Her hysterical audio series, with partner Adrian Mackinder is definitely worth at listen at https://soundcloud.com/user-540220357 You can connect with Sarah at: https://inconspicuous.eu https://www.facebook.…

Meet the hysterically funny Aaron Krebs. I can’t remember laughing this much in a podcast since-well never! Among his many accomplishments he and his college buddies created the enormously successfu…

Meet the hystericall…

Meet the hysterically funny Aaron Krebs. I can’t remember laughing this much in a podcast since-well never! Among his many accomplishments he and his college buddies created the enormously successful improv show, Mission Improvable which continues to wow college audience. On April 1st, 2009 Mission IMPROVable bought Mi’s Westside Comedy Theater. They embraced the stand-up and improv community, started a training center. Some oil the many great comedians who've performed at Westside include: Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler, Dana Carvey, Judd Apatow, Zach Galifianakis, Tig Notaro, Demetri Marin…

I had the good fortune to meet Tashika Campbell a few years ago when she was covering a class for Jay Sukow. I loved her energy, compassion and brilliance then and I still do today. In 2023 I studied …

I had the good fortu…

I had the good fortune to meet Tashika Campbell a few years ago when she was covering a class for Jay Sukow. I loved her energy, compassion and brilliance then and I still do today. In 2023 I studied with she and Steve Pilloff and it was fabulous. Tashika began improvising in 2027 in Baltimore, Maryland and was originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. We chatted about her first plays she wrote in elementary school that her younger sister would perform. She continued her love of theatre but didn’t really see that could be a “career”. When she was introduced to improv, she knew she’d f…

What a delight to meet the fantastic Rob Norman in Toronto, Canada. Rob is a beloved improviser/instructor/writer/ podcaster. Rob is author of IMPROVISING NOW: A Practical Guide to Modern Improv which…

What a delight to me…

What a delight to meet the fantastic Rob Norman in Toronto, Canada. Rob is a beloved improviser/instructor/writer/ podcaster. Rob is author of IMPROVISING NOW: A Practical Guide to Modern Improv which is currently being translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Latvian. He is a Second City alumni and has directed both the National Touring Company and Second at Sea. HIs improv journey is fascinating! He started teaching improv before he took any classes! While in high school he asked his mother to go to the library and get a book on improv and she came back with “Truth in Comedy” by Charna H…

After taking a workshop with Jill Eickmann I was so delighted to chat with her. Jill's teaching is incredibly supportive and validating! Jill Eickmann, MA, LMFT, is San Francisco’s Leela Improvisati…

After taking a works…

After taking a workshop with Jill Eickmann I was so delighted to chat with her. Jill's teaching is incredibly supportive and validating! Jill Eickmann, MA, LMFT, is San Francisco’s Leela Improvisational Theater's Co-Founder, Artistic Director, and Director of Corporate Training. Training.Informed by her diverse training and experience, Jill designed Leela’s holistic 5 level improv curriculum. She oversees all elements of Leela’s Corporate Training program including client communication, curriculum design, casting, hiring, and training teaching artists, and facilitation. Jill is a license…