Will Hines has taught and performed improv at UCB NY and LA since 2000. He is the author of the new book How To Be The Greatest Improviser On Earth. Jimmy talks to him about the importance of bringing your real self to improv, how to become brave on stage, and living through the improv rut.
Bob Kulhan is the author of the new book "Getting to Yes And: The Art of Business Improv." He is an incredible improviser and teacher who was a core faculty member at The Second City Training Center in Chicago and co-founder of the uber musical group Baby Wants Candy. Jimmy talks to him about how he was influenced by improv teacher Martin DeMaat, the early years of musical improv, and how he fell into teaching improv for business.
Bill Arnett is one of Chicago's most respected improvisers, teachers and directors. He has played with such groups as People of Earth, 3033 and Armando. He is the founder of The Chicago Improv Studio and the author of the new book, The Complete Improviser. He is back on the podcast to discus his new book, how to play more real, and his take on the traditional improv rules. This is a master class in improv, so listen and learn.
Colin Mochrie is best known as a regular on both the American and British versions of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, which has inspired an entire generation of improvisers. In this episode, Colin sits down with Jimmy at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, IL, and talks about starting out in Theatresports in Canada, how he dealt with the censors on Whose Line and what he really feels about all the bald jokes.
Brad Sherwood is a regular on Whose Line Is It Anyway? He was also on the British version of Whose Line for three seasons and has tons of TV credits including many appearances on The Tonight Show and hosting The Dating Game. Jimmy caught up with Brad before his two-person improv show with Colin Mochrie at The Genesse Theater in Waukegan, IL, and talked to Brad about confidence as improviser, being on Whose Line and a time he bombed doing improv.
Sam Bennett is the author of the new book Start Right Where You Are, about how little changes can make a big difference in achieving our goals. She's also an actor who has performed and taught at The Second City in Chicago. Jimmy talks to her about ways improvisers can get unblocked, the importance of self care, and how to deal with the fear of success.
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.
Jimmy sits down with producer Dan Schiffmacher and director Sam Bowers to pick their favorite moments of the year and give you behind the scenes stories. Plus Dan and Sam give you their favorite "Jimmy moment" of 2016.
Ron West is an actor, writer and director. A longtime director at The Second City in Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and LA, Ron also worked as a consultant on "Whose Line is It Anyway?" and has had numerous TV and film credits, including on "Third Rock from the Sun." Jimmy talks to him about how he uses improv to help in writing, what he learned from Bernie Sahlins and why "Whose Line" works on TV.
Claudia Wallace is an actor and improviser who is currently the interim casting director at Second City. She is an alumni of the Main Stage, where she performed in three revues. In this episode, she talks about how she creates characters with only a sound, what she looks for when she is casting for Second City, and her take on what happened earlier this year when four ETC cast members resigned.
Scott Adsit played Pete on NBC's "30 Rock" for seven seasons and is an alumni of The Second City, where he was part of the ground-breaking show "Pinata Full of Bees." In this episode, which celebrated Improv Nerd's 5-year anniversary and was recorded at The Chicago Podcast Festival, Scott talks about meeting Paul McCartney, why he still loves to improvise and what Jimmy was like when they both started taking improv classes at Columbia College in Chicago.
Jane Lynch is best known as Sue Sylvester on Glee and for her work with Christopher Guest in Best in Show and A Mighty Wind. She got her start in comedy at The Annoyance Theater and Second City. Jimmy sits down with her to talk about how she started out in Chicago in the '90s, how she prepares for an improvised movie and what it was like to win an Emmy.
Ryan Archibald is an improviser, teacher and director. He has performed with The Second City touring company and on a resident stage in Las Vegas. He is a member of 3033 and was part of the group People of Earth at iO Chicago. Jimmy talks to him about the three things he likes to start his scenes with, how he gets over bitterness, and how letting go of goals helps him to enjoy the journey.
Kevin Allison is the creator and host of the hugely popular storytelling podcast RISK! He was also a member of the sketch comedy group The State on MTV in the '90s. We talked to Kevin about what he learned from working with such a large sketch group, how he eventually found his comedic voice, and practical tips on to how to craft a story to be on RISK!
Jon Glaser is a writer, actor and producer whose new show, Jon Loves Gear, premiers on TruTV on Oct. 26. He has written for Conan and Inside Amy Schummer and has acted in Trainwreck, Girls, and Parks and Recrecatation. Jimmy talks to him about starting out in improv in the '90s, his approach to comedy and why he drinks apple cider vinegar.
Laura Krafft is a comedic writer and actress, an iO Chicago and Second City alum and former staff writer for the Colbert Report. Jimmy talks to her about how improv helps her write for television, how she seems to find herself in the right place at the right time, and lessons she's learned from her dad.
Abby McEnany was recently voted Improviser of The Year at iO Chicago, where she improvises regularly with Virgin Daiquiri. She is also a member of Sirens, performs with The Improv All-Stars at Second City and is known for her one-person shows. Abby talks to Jimmy about how a private person can do a revealing one-person show, why she didn't think she would get Improviser of The Year, and the importance of having a strong voice in improv.
Rashida Olayiwola is a Chicago native who has performed at iO Chicago, The Annoyance and Second City. She was also the recipient of the NBC Universal Bob Curry Fellowship at Second City, and she recently left for LA to be part of the CBS Diversity Showcase and workshop. Jimmy talks to her about how she creates such belivable characters, why mentoring and being mentored is important to her success, and what it was like to be the only African-American woman in an all-white cast.
Micah Philbrook is one of Chicago's most thoughtful and invovative improvisers and teachers. He teaches at The Second City Training Center, he's a founder of pH Productions, and he performs with Tim and Micah Project. Jimmy sat down with him to talk about joining a cult-like improv group when he first came to Chicago, the importance of hanging out in the improv community and what he likes about improv.
Stacey Smith is the founder of the Chicago Musical Improv Festival, as well as an amazing improviser and teacher. Jimmy talk to her at this year's festival at iO Chicago about how the hard times starting out in improv in Chicago, what she loves about doing musical improv and how she's able to do so many projects.
TJ Miller, a hilarious stand-up and star of HBO's Silicon Valley, sits down with Jimmy at The Annoyance Theater in Chicago to talk about why physicality is important in comedy, how he developed his great work ethic and his unique approach to acting and auditioning.
Bob Dassie is a legendary improviser and teacher. He performs with his wife, Stephanie Weir, in Weirdass, and has also been improvising with the group Dasariski for 17 years. We talk to him about his incredible work ethic, he philosophy on getting better and making the positive choice in a scene.
Marty DeRosa is a comedian who is considered the king of Chicago crowd work, using a lot improvisation in his stand-up act. He is a founding member of Comedians You Should Know and he co-host the hilarious podcasts Marty & Sarah Love Wrestling, and Wrestling with Depression. Jimmy talks to him about experiencing the death of one of his siblings and a parent at a young age, his dad, and how he uses improv in his stand-up.
Jeff Quintana is the Artistic Director and co-founder of The Villain Theater in Miami. He is a respected teacher and improviser who has studied in New York and Chicago. In this episode that was recorded live at The Villain Theater, Jimmy talks to Jeff about his dream of opening up an improv theater, being homeless in New York, and how to create a character immediately at the top of an improv scene.
Joe Bill is an international improv teacher and performer. He is a co-founder of the Annoyance Theater and tours with Mark Sutton in Bassprov. He has taught at Second City, The Annoyance and iO Chicago and continues to teach around the world. Jimmy sat down with him in this live episode to talk about The Annoyance, the day he quit stand-up, and his unique psychological approach to improv.
Simon Helberg is best known as Howard from the hit CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory. He is currently staring in the new film Florence Foster Jenkins with Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. We talked to him about following in his father's footsteps at The Groundlings, how acting is like improv and the importance putting your stuff up.
This is our 200th episode of Improv Nerd! To acknowledge this milestone, we have compiled 15 of our favorite past guests' advice for people who are going into improv or comedy today. You will hear wisdom from people like Adam McKay, the ladies from Broad City, Lauren Lapkus, TJ and Dave, Jill Soloway, Bob Odenkirk, Jon Favreau and more. Take a listen!
Matt Dwyer is a writer, stand-up and podcaster. He was one of the youngest people to be hired for the Second City Touring Company at the age of 21. He has written for Funny or Die and Jonah Ray's Hidden America on Netflix. We talked to him about hanging out at Second City when he was high school, how getting fired at Second City led him to stand up, and the importance of writing for improvisers.
Mike Birbiglia is the writer, director and star of his latest independent film, "Don't Think Twice," about a popular New York improv group where one of the member gets his big break. Jimmy talks to Mike about some of themes in his film, like jealousy, self-sabotage and fame. Also, Mike talks about falling in love with improv and why it's so important for him to create his your own projects.
Peter Grosz is best known as one of the two guys in the Sonic commercials, but he has also written for The Colbert Report and Late Night with Seth Meyers. He has performed at The Second City etc., the UCB, Boom Chicago, and iO Chicago. Jimmy talks to him about why he still loves improvising, getting hired to write for Colbert and why he likes to play the unlikable Sidney Purcell in HBO's VEEP.
