The ComedySportz Podcast

Having performed with CSz Milwaukee since 1992, Rollie Cafaro has not only become an in-house mainstay, but also co-founded Millenium Theater in Madison (now defunct), helped develop Comedy Court (also defunct), and performed with The Dead Alewives (equally defunct). It’s safe to say Rollie has put the “fun” in defunct.

Mia Roberts is a co-founder of CSz Indianapolis and served as the CEO from 1993-2016. Tune in as we chart Mia’s thirty year comedy career, including the creation of both the Gal Pal Comedy Festival and Women’s Weekend, performances celebrating the empowerment of female and non-binary improvisers.

Holly Ignatowski started taking ComedySportz workshops, by accident, in 1989 and began playing professionally with CSz Milwaukee, on purpose, in 1990. In this episode we investigate the life-changing power of improv to open doors and knock down walls, how improv provided the best possible training for her voiceover career, and to boot, we hear Holly’s one-of-a-kind gibberish.

A founding member of CSz Madison, Brian Kapell would go on to found CSz Berlin and co-found CSz Washington, D.C. Join us as Brian shares his 35 year journey, including his experience working with the Theatre of the Deaf and creating the first-ever deaf ComedySportz team.

James Thomas Bailey is the Founder and Artistic Director of CSz Los Angeles, the longest running show in the city’s history. In this episode we dive into everything from James’ journey to Tinseltown, to CSz LA’s vast 75-school High School League, to the joyous and liberating possibilities within musical improv.

Jeff Kramer is the Founder and Artistic Director of CSz San Jose, the Silicon Valley’s longest running show. Join us as we explore Jeff’s early years as a founding member of CSz Madison, the nuances of fostering instinctual teamwork, and the crucial tenet of always putting the audience first.

Mark Mohelnitzky performed with ComedySportz from 1989-2007 in 3 different cities: Madison, Milwaukee, and Los Angeles. He is currently the Executive Producer of “On Air with Ryan Seacrest” which is heard on KIIS-FM in LA, as well as hundreds of radio stations worldwide. Most importantly, he is one of the people responsible for putting Christine Capriolo on a ComedySportz stage. So if not for him,...

With a ComedySportz career spanning over thirty years, Kurt Scholler has performed with both CSz Milwaukee and CSz Los Angeles, toured nationally with Wayne Brady And Friends, and has appeared on a wide variety of television shows including Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Sarah Silverman Program, The Office, and much, much more.

A co-founder of The Brady Street Comedy Group in 1984, Joe Cortese would go on to co-found The Midnite Show and join CSz Milwaukee for nearly three decades. Tune in as we explore Joe and Christine’s Italian roots, tips and tricks when reffing, and the power of facing your fears head-on.

Patrick Short served as the Executive Director of CSz Worldwide from 2002-2014, as well as President in 2019, and is a founding member of both CSz San Jose and CSz Portland. In this episode we dig into as many topics as Patrick has credentials, everything from the formation of the World Comedy League to the capacity for improvisation to elevate the human spirit.

Dianah Dulany, a native Texan, has worked as a professional improvisor, instructor and trainer for over thirty years.  Tune in as we chart Dianah’s theatrical journey from New York, to founding CSz Houston in 1990, to serving as the President of CSz Worldwide in 2015, and beyond.

A professional musician for more years than she cares to think about, Paula Foley Tillen has served as a lead teacher of musical theatre and improvisation, as a music director for hundreds of productions from grade school to professional levels, and has been active at CSz Milwaukee since 1985.  Join us for a joyous exploration of the role music plays in the realm of improvisational theatre general...

Over the course of many years, Bo Johnson has worked as an actor, director, musician, improv performer, and technician for over a dozen different theatre companies, including being a co-founder of Theatre Tesseract, The Dead Alewives, and Umbrella Group Theatre. At this point, Bo is close to being considered a "fixture" of the Milwaukee theatre community, like a sink or maybe a shower st...

Brian Green started ComedySportz in 1984 and has been trying to get it right ever since. In this episode we explore Brian’s multi-decade long career doing improv and stand up, his love for the culinary arts, and we learn which of Brian’s strengths is Christine’s greatest weakness.

An original ComedySportz player, Bob Orvis has played in over 7,000 shows, booked 15,000 road shows, and has changed even more diapers. Tune in as we chronicle his time writing for radio and advertising, to how CSz Milwaukee branched out and established themselves in a competitive market, and learn which Brewers player Bob takes a fancy to.

Dick Chudnow is the creator of ComedySportz and the co-founder of Kentucky Fried Theater. Join us as Dick shares everything from his secrets to succeeding as a substitute teacher, to his unexpected encounter with improv-goddess Viola Spolin, to the formation of the World Comedy League.