Yes, Also

Marshall Givens (UCB, Second City) talks about the gift of neurodivergence, doing tech for improv shows, letting go of doing it "right", applying notes into shows, imposter syndrome, learning how to coach, comparing curriculums, his new favorite exercise, filling out a world, and more!

Hillary Anne Matthews (Sentimental Lady, Queen George) talks about character lenses, curing perfectionism, the Harold rollercoaster, offstage connection, Slacker, dissolving ego, a sense of drama, non-laugh reactions, texture, revealing character through object work, and more!

Brad Morris (Bluebird Improv, The Reckoning) talks about his comedic DNA, grounded characters, how aging has changed his improv, institutional dogma, the payment tradeoff, patient play, pace and texture, getting inside of a show, The Reckoning, subverting a game, and more!

Jazz Lewis (UCB, Crowdsourced Comedy) talks about the improv scene in Salt Lake City, reading corporate audiences, underlining games, support tactics, a great top-of-show idea, emotional mapping, playing vs. talking, set / reveal, consequential premises, an LA improv hack, and more!

Anthony King (Beetlejuice, Jury Duty presents: Company Retreat) talks about an under-used form, Improv Everywhere, being the AD of UCB, writing Broadway musicals, early improv hurdles, cultivating opinions, how to have more fun in shows, avoiding debates, the misuse of callouts, show running Jury Duty, Tracers, and more!

Jethro and Kristy Nolen (iO, Boom Chicago, co-founders of Arcade Comedy Theater) talk about Chicago in the 90's, bending the space, short form helping long form, making Harold your own, the unexpected yes, do's and dont's for running a theater, jobs for improvisers, dealing with friction, the reality of auditions, keeping spaces safe, and more!

Mano Agapion (UCB, Drag Her) talks about committed acting, finding your personal voice, Bad Drag Race, using comedy to heal, world-building, tips for writers, genre play, Smartypants, improv lessons from drag shows, and more!

Amanda Sitko (ASSSSCAT, UCB TourCo) talks about defining game, being an improv student again, personal genre, aging + improv, UCB tourco, lessons from amazing writers, Harold-style sketch shows, taking a show to Fringe, punk rock comedy, reframing failure, and more!

Lou Wilson (Dropout, UCB) talks about Comedy Sportz, group mind, using the audience, Dimension 20, a fun original opening, the downside of playing for fans, a remedy for nerves, Game Changer: one year later, an epic live show moment, and more!

Philip Markle (Brooklyn Comedy Collective) talks about reframing "bad" scenes, the origin and philosophy of BCC, symbiotic space rentals, playing from the inside out, sustaining long scenes, the components of all good improv, 5 ways to access a character's deal, tips for AD's, split scenes, and more!

Jet Eveleth (Adsit & Eveleth, Clown Church) talks about the power of simplicity, life as source material, how to love despicable characters, expanding a scene's surface area, pre-show rituals, artful devices, the Venn diagram of improv and clown, collaborative dreams and more!

Gareth Reynolds (The Dollop, We're Here to Help) talks about sustaining scenes, Comedy Sportz, his journey from Milwaukee to LA, onstage etiquette, back line support, his transition to stand-up, crowd work, control vs. chaos, how The Dollop informs his comedy, sticking to your guns, and more!

Andrew Moskos (co-founder of Boom Chicago) talks about Chicago improv in the 80's and 90's, studying with Del, the origin of Boom Chicago, creative marketing ploys, sketch / improv hybrics, educating your audience, tactics for winning a crowd, handling hecklers, high tech short form games, how to write pitches, and more!

Madeline Evans (founder of MadsJoy, Atlanta) talks about being a connector, performing in alternative spaces, deconstructed Harolds, narrative tips, transformation, the Atlanta improv scene, student surveys, the boast exercise, nurturing and growing a scene, aligning team expectations, and more!

Corin Wells (Dropout, ASSSSCAT) talks about the gift of guidelines, improv skills in conversation, the Philly improv scene, reframing game, a nightmare audition scenario, permission to be weird, starting a non-profit theater, approaches to Soundtrack, indulgence vs. discipline, character writing, her favorite exercises to teach, stoking connection, and more!

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Betsy Sodaro (Ghosts, UCB) talks about putting yourself in the right environment, tools for exploring in scenes, embracing cartoonish play, loving your scene partner, if this / then what, heightening from a narrow place, blowing out the world, healing burnout, theatrical Harolds, circle-back scenes, tempering grossness, memories of bombing, and more!

Jim Woods (Company Retreat, WGIS, UCB) talks about playing with expectations, removing autopilot, training instinct, the illusion of momentum, helpful tools for straight / absurd dynamics, finding the playable thing, game as a parasite, how trauma and sobriety have informed his improv, Jury Duty / Company Retreat, improv jujitsu, the buffoon tactic, non-verbal callouts, and more!

Kimia Behpoornia (Dropout, UCB) talks about being a shy kid, Comedy Sportz, The Apartment form, narrative improv, laying seeds, sewing ideas together, comparisons of 4 improv schools, Dimension 20, character filters, specific starts, how to buy time, Dropout shows and tours, physical payoffs, borrowing from others, and more!

Mel Cowan (Sentimental Lady) talks about 20 years of Sentimental Lady, rehearsing again, blending analysis and play, creative beacons, his early LA days, being awful, untraining politeness, active normal choices, the evolution of beats, how to increase fun in scenes, playing with tone, educating an audience, his favorite exercise, playing animals, upending an unusual character, visual agreement, and more!

Ryan Myers and Ashley Rube (The Improv Shop St. Louis) talk about combining the silly and the serious, keeping things simple, sustaining monoscenes, making things matter, "hiding the knife", Yes And vs. Yeah Sure, navigating contentious scenes, accepting negative gifts, taking things personally, charcters who try their best, an exercise to teach simplicity, finding multiple relationship dynamics, letting games evolve, their exciting new form, and more!

Echo Kellum (Arrow, UCB, Groundlings) talks about early influences, boldness, broadening your education, analagous scenes, pirate/robot/ninja, the quest for consistency, humbling experiences, his approach to character, blending Groundlings with UCB, turning life into sketches, humanizing characters, Grand Crew, paying performers, trial by fire, Arrow, his most impactful notes, and more!

Happy Second Anniversary! In this very special episode, Craig Cackowski and Jason Mantzoukas return-- together!-- and talk about the curse of predictability, digging in with a team, Zoom and livestreams, a Gravid Water epiphany, density vs. clarity, the future of the Harold, The Party, provocative content, voice of reason techniques, Craig's unifying theory of improv, Jason's favorite things to teach, UCB blind spots, pre-show goals, living room tactics, Craig's newest coaching exercise, and more!

Ruha Taslimi (UCB, Dropout) talks about the link between human growth and performer growth, honoroing your inner child, acting presence, longer scenes, how to access confidence, emotional exercises, 360 listening, dance comedy, vulnerability, ways to use music in improv, feeling vs. showing, audition rejection, the beauty of Harolds, elevating third beats, site-specific shows, and more!

Will Choi (Asian AF) talks about watching his heroes perform, taking a chance, process vs. product, learning to take up space, a game-changing mindset shift, monoscenes, quitting Harolds, the origin story of Asian AF, running order strategies, support systems, editing, Das Improv Fest, bringing every day life into your scenes, and more!

Jeff Hiller (UCB, Baby Wants Candy) talks about winning an Emmy, facing rejection, object work, reframing politeness, finding game through character, avoiding anger, emotional lenses, favorite exercises, scenic life rafts, resting the game, finding nuance, authenticity, Somebody Somewhere, playing hypocrites, and more!

Anna Rajo (Lohan, ASSSSCAT) talks about early inspiration, making class fun, representation, takeaways from hosting jams, the importance of discomfort, how improv informs her work as a therapist and vice versa, a powerful exercise, the music of the scene, finding your personal range, her journey to and through Harold night, grieving audition results, an unconventional show creation process, and more!

Ian Roberts (co-founder of UCB) talks about his improv origin story, being a comedy outlaw, wild bits and shows from his Chicago days, the challenges of TV development, following your creative heart, zooming in on game, the movie form, effortless laughs, playing the why, toying with expectations, the gift of parameters, peas in a pod, thoughts on tags, what he learned from Del, and more!

Chad Damiani (Stand Up and Clown, Stamptown) talks about silent clown, audience triangulation, the clownishness of wrestling, breaking meta expectations, courting failure, audience consent, limiting a show's vocabulary, the goals of clown, how he teaches disruption, the importance of earnestness, flirting with danger, creating character bits, status flips, advice for clowns, and more!

Anna Garcia (Dropout, UCB) talks about her theatre background, the challenge of learning game, adding whimsy to restriction, generous teammates, character lenses, an allergy to detachment, how the internet changes improv, imposter syndrome, teaching kids, a revelation about first beats, her take on live-streaming, honoring physical realities, and more!

Dan Black (The Ultimate Improv Show) talks about pro wrestling, early comedy influences, intentional deviation in scenes, two impactful notes, comedic discipline, a hustle mentality, personalizing your tool belt, accessible forms, how improv helps stand-up and vice versa, winning a crowd, advice for producers, incremental success, and more!

Jiavani (Dropout, UCB) talks about eliminating hierarchy, evolving musical improv, international cross-pollination, sitting in the truth, genuine commitment, silent soundtrack, Dropout, returning to short form, battling stereotypes, honoring an audience, going hard immediately, a psychic improv moment, and more!

Matt Walsh (Veep, co-founder of UCB) talks about his early Chicago days, using improv to write narrative musicals, his approach to character, making concessions for the sake of comedy, pushing vs. following, "responsible" improv, subversive comedy, the origin and history of UCB, perspective-driven games, how they developed the UCB manual, top of intelligence play, the importance of experimentation, and more!

Dylan Reiff and Kristen Schier (Kickstand Comedy) talk about their improv origins in Chicago and Philly, using comedy to effect change, the intersection of improv and scripts, sandbox spaces, comedic tension, product vs. process, upgrading "yes and", finding humanity in your scenes, inviting evolution, blending premise and organic improv, personalizing your play, community-centered spaces, advice for newer improvisers, and more!

Shannon O'Neil (The Stepfathers, RaaaatScraps) talks about her early UCB days, if this / then what, bursts of chaos, scenic confessions, thoughts on curriculum,major takeaways from her time as AD of UCBNY, planning and running DCM, favorite bit shows, experimental techniques, the current UCBNY, Fwand, The Stepfathers, setting goals for shows, helpful teaching exercises, and more!

Jeff Whitaker (F*ck This Month) talks about starting out in Austin, the value of interning, producing successful shows, ticket prices, audience psychology, end-of-show connections, theatrical devices, finding your voice, succeeding without Harold night, interview techniques, navigating darkness, getting on the same page, simplifying game, the anatomy of a perfect team, and more!

Caroline Cotter (ASSSSCAT, Conan) talks about fear, perseverance, replaying good moves, being "the woman", impulsive moves, grabbing tiny gifts, silly play, good and bad pattern games, experimental Harolds, thoughts on openings, organic/premise blends, warmups, lessening competition, buying time in scenes, and more!

Lamar Woods (The Big Team, New Girl) talks about authenticity, the intersection of his careers as a rapper and comedian, being malleable, believable acting, patience, using improv in writers' rooms, building your toolbox, varying approaches to comedy, alter egos, playing with status, honest responses in scenes, and more!

TJ Jagodowski (The Second City, TJ and Dave) talks about Chicago, his improv origin story, pushing the envelope, impeccable listening, starting without a suggesetion, discovery vs. invention, emotional subtext, maintaining a reality, how to remove pressure, his thoughts on premise, fear and trust, JTS Brown, his most memorable TJ and Dave show, his current favorite teaching exercise, and more!

Sean Conroy (The Swarm, Key and Peele) talks about his first gigs, the real meaning of “yes and” and “play to the top of your intelligence”, different approaches to game, The Swarm, building audiences, the good and bad of object work, 3 person shows, tips for doing the Tracers form, how improv informs sitcom writing, writers room pet peeves, AI vs. the entertainment industry, swinging door tags, meta patterns, and more!

Alex Fox and Rachel Lewis (Electric Bloom, iO) talk about improv as grad school, playing hard, transitioning from improv to a writing career, treating yourself like a business, if this / then what, the power of "why?", using lived experiences, playing the hero, character games, pitching like an improviser, Franken-drafting, comedic hooks, script structure, and more!

Tara Copeland (Mother, Magic To Do) talks about Chicago City Limits, the PIT / Magnet / UCB divorce, the pillars of musical improv, narrative mapping, her hot take on notes, lessening stakes, game + musical improv, at-home exercises, the back line, pouncing on mistakes, Mother, The Sleepover form, and more!

Arnie Niekamp (Hello from the Magic Tavern) talks about a writer's approach to improv, elevating blue suggestions, the power of a gimmick, the reluctant "yes", being a polite voice of reason, creating a canonical universe, a narrative cheat, how to keep a monoscene moving, gifting emotions, creating a passionate fanbase, funny live recording moments, future projects, designing games for Jackbox, and more!

Connor Ratliff (Dead Eyes, The Stepfathers) talks about the realities of an acting career, Dead Eyes, the shadow side of getting paid for shows, the importance of beginnings, mid-scene check-ins, his reluctance to edit, the art of pulling lights, opening for Guster, tactics for saving a scene you don't like, thoughts on curriculums, the difference between teaching and coaching, and more!

Sasheer Zamata (SNL, Agatha All Along) talks about using details, consensual attention, learning from festivals, setting up scene partners, Doppelganger, organic transitions, her journey to SNL, a pivotal change in her approach, calming nerves before auditions, not being precious, the fun of figuring out how to stay in a scene, and more!

Tony DeRosa (Owner of hear.say brewing + theater in Ann Arbor, MI) talks about his journey from improv to the tech world and back again, adjacent spaces, the creation of hear.say, how to get small business loans, tips for selling classes, creative programming, the Ann Arbor improv landscape, polarities training, playing with irony, taking your scenes seriously, building community relationships, and more!

Patrick McDonald (Smosh, Artists On Artists On Artists On Artists) talks about being a fish out of water, the comedy landscape of Emerson College, the superpower of brand new improvisers, a hot take on jokes, how he uses genre as a tool, the necessity of improv, becoming a comedy builder, AOAOAOA, site-specific improv, a great writing trick, advice for Tik Tok creators, his Sirius satellite radio show and more!

Ify Nwadiwe (Dimension 20; Um, Actually) talks about how short form prepped him for long form, establishing base realities, the subjectivity of game, onstage nudity, Dimension 20, his reaction to Dropout fans, a clever way to book tour shows, radical authenticity, meta-prov, a new level of if /then play, workout tips for improvisers, connection through specifics, and more!

Lennon Parham (Playing House, Veep) talks about high school short form, communal spaces, integrating her improv style with UCB, rooting yourself in a scene, kernels vs. premises, support tactics, working at Hooters, launching a TV career, playing anger in a likable way, her unique writing process, using comedy to explore deeper themes, building a one-woman show, and more!

Ryan Gaul (Bajillion Dollar Propertie$, Comedy Bang Bang) talks about Improv Asylum, office scenes, restaurant specifics, learning to be a teammate, non-judgmental support, pushing through panic, Groundlings, applying game to character, being the wild card, hopping on mistakes, his legendary CBB bits, fun duo forms, improvising TV from an outline, and more!

Cipha Sounds (Chappelle's Show, Take it Personal) talks about his journey from DJ to improvisor, DJ / improv overlaps, guidance from Gethard, playing scenes with references you don't know, leaning into yourself, the most unique opening, improv + therapy, his improv cheat codes, attracting new audiences, "the fixer", the best move he's ever seen, expansive outreach, and more!