Improv Interviews

I had the great pleasure of meeting Jennifer Estin when I signed at the terrific online classes for the Annoyance, Improv Fiend! https://improvfiend.com We chatted about her childhood and how her mother created games that inspired her to pursue acting. Jennifer Estlin has been involved in the entertainment business as an actress and producer since 1986. Following her graduation from Northwestern U...

I first met the dynamic Marian Rich at a Global Play Brigade event and later at an East Side Institute meeting. Marian, a New York City native, shared her journey from growing up in Manhattan in the 1960s to becoming a political activist and theater artist. Her father, a blacklisted character actor during the McCarthy era, influenced her early interest in theater. Marian's involvement with the Eas...

Gael Doorneweed-Perry is a fabulous improviser and co-founder of Flock Theatre Amsterdam. https://flock-theatre.com/venue/flock-studio-treehouse/ He loves traveling and creating formats to explore and share, including with his partner on and off-stage, Laura Doorneweerd-Perry. After their tour around the world to teach and to perform their show Object of Affection in 2019-2020, he settled back in...

Meet my friend Kitty Parker. We met at the online Queen City Comedy School and I knew I wanted to get to know her better. I was fascinated by her writing about improv which you can find at https://medium.com/@kittyparker_8532 She moved from Europe to New Zealand where she discovered improv! Kitty Parker shares her journey in improv, starting with weekly classes and progressing to jam sessions with...

Wow! What a fabulous trip chatting with Anděl We laughed so much and she reminded me how playful improv really is! She is a highly sought after improv coach and director and her performances are truly inspiring! Anděl Sudik is a director, improviser, actor and writer based in L.A. and Chicago known for her explosive energy onstage and in the classroom as well as her experiential teaching style. Sh...

What an incredible delight to spend an hour with Singer/Songwriter Harold Payne! Harold is also known as an Improvised Songwriter and wherever he performs he uses audience suggestions to create an incredible improvised song! In fact, Harold creates a song in this podcast! Harold has an impressive career of songwriting for such diverse artists as Rod Stewart, Patti LaBelle, the Temptations, and lon...

Meet my sketch writing buddy, Debby Bloom! Debby is a fantastic writer and we've been in many of the same classes and writer's rooms at The Sketch School with Marc Warzecha. She has spent a lot of her life in finance and accounting but several years ago she decided to spread her wings and learn new things. A very funny lady, she braved stand-up comedy, which you can see on her YouTube channel at h...

Show Notes: Welcome to a milestone celebration — our 200th (well… 203rd!) episode of Improv Interviews with Margot Escott! Since 2016, this podcast has been sharing the joy of improv with listeners around the world, and today we turn the spotlight on Margot herself. With Jay Sukow as guest host, Margot reflects on her journey through improv, therapy, teaching, and creativity. Along the way, nine p...

Liz Thompson is a vivacious and engaging screenwriter, puzzle/game creator, and development and mystery consultant, and this interview was so much fun! She fell in love with improv and storytelling in middle school and went on to perform, teach and found an improv comedy club in Chicago before moving to Los Angeles and has since sold both sitcoms and mysteries to CBS and NBC. She currently has a T...

Get to know the incredibly enthusiastic improv player/coach Yael Schy. We explore her improv journey from dreams of being a dancer to becoming a wonderful improv teacher. Yael is truly unsinkable! Yael Schy, Founder, Zoomers to Boomers Improv, is a leader in using expressive arts in organizational learning and development, and a pioneer in leading Intergenerational Improv classes. She is principal...

Meet the wonderful Laura Doorneweerd-Perry! She is an improviser from Amsterdam and we had a laugh-filled chat in this episode. Laura is co-founder and co-director of Flock Theatre, but she has also been a member of the cast of multiple productions, as well as directing and producing fabulous shows! She met her husband, Gael Doorneweerd-Perry, at an improv festival and they felling love! They plan...

What a delight speaking with Fena Ortalli, known around the world as a brilliant improviser/teacher. He is the founder and editor of STATUS (Revisita de Improvisation) the foremost journal about all things impro around the world. This impro magazine has been published sine 2001Originally from Argentina, where he discovered Impro, and had a sideline as a birthday party entertainer! He has been impr...

Meet legendary improviser Tim Orr based in San Francisco. We had a fabulous chat about his life in improv, international travels and favorite movie. We spoke about his philosophy on improv and the importance of connections. He even gave me a tour of his home! He has been improvising since 1988 with many San Francisco and international groups, including BATS Improv, True Fiction Magazine, Awkward D...

Meet the fabulous Tim Yeo! He is from Singapore and has a fantastic improv theater at Ask Auntie Productions. He studied law in Bristol, UK and there he discovered improv at the Bristol Improv Society. He quickly joined the cast and has been improvising since 2011. He returned to Singapore in 2014 to practice law and began improv groups there. His teams ASAP improv and Les Musicables perform Music...

Ashton Keys is a delightful therapist in Orlando, Florida. She is currently working on her Ph. D. and exploring ways that improv can be used in training therapists. I know you'll love getting to know Ashton!

Meet the incredible Rebecca Sohn! She is originally a New Jersey girl but has had so many adventures since leaving home at age 18. She describes her father and how he fostered her creativity by building a stage in their basement for her to give dancing performances. Her dad involved the whole family in co-writing a play, which was basically improvised and was produced at two local schools. Her pas...

Meet the talented Rich Sohn! After being introduced to improv in college, he moved to Chicago in 1987, so he's definitely a seasoned pro in the Improv world. He studied, taught and directed at the Annoyance Theatre, IO and, Second City. As a teacher, he was at The Annoyance Theatre where Rich primarily found his voice and approach. His teaching style is highly influenced by Mick Napier. He moved t...

Our producer/engineer Bright Su introduced me to an incredible human being, Matt Folliott. We had such a fun and lively conversation and when you listen you'll know why his last name foretold his career in acting! He grew up in Canada and had is own agent at ten years old! Matt is a Comedian/Actor/Writer from Toronto, Canada, and a former cast member of The Second City National Touring Company and...

I met Rebekah through Marc Warzecha at the Sketch School and knew I wanted to know more about this intriguing person! Rebekah is getting her MFA in Performance Pedagogy at Loyola Marymount University, Rebekah has been an adjunct faculty member at The Second City since 2008. She has developed comedy writing courses for SCTC, Lesly Kahn & Co, and The Sketch School. Co-creator and executive producer...

We continue our fascinating talk with Rebeka Walendzak Slepski and her journey in sketch writing and life. She spoke about her recovery from Hodgkin lymphoma and subsequent bone marrow transplant. Despite going through treatment and surgeries she persevered and went to Second City LA. She was on the faculty teaching writing and sketch. Rebekah has been an adjunct faculty member at The Second City...

Meet my amazing friend, Diana Brown. I've taken several Improvised Shakespeareworkshops with Diana and she is a real gem! We had so much to talk about that this is Part ! Diana is an improv artist, teaching artist, actor, producer, director and voiceover talent. She was voted Most Valuable Mentor and Teacher at the San Francisco Improv Festival. Diana was named as one of The Improv Boosts 2025 Sud...

Meet my really cool friend and great improviser, Murph McHugh. We met at a class with Billy Merritt, one of the founders of Upright Citizen's Brigade and I was struck by how effortlessly he played! He hails from DC and is quite a Renaissance man. I don't use the word "brilliant" often but it absolutely describes Murphy. To find out more about Murphy and take a class with him here are his contacts....

Nathan Keates is a lecturer, improvisation teacher and performer. Like many of us, Nathan became addicted to improv studying in diverse forms and even clowning. He found that his interests drew him to teaching improv. Nathan Keats has delved into researching improv, one major project being with autistic people. He is an expert on autistic people, and we discussed the terms that have been use for a...

Nick Johne is a beloved Canadian actor and improviser. We first met in 2017 at the Chicago "Yes, and Mental Health & Improv Conference" and did a podcast in 2018. After getting a degree in Microbiology he began his improv journey in Toronto and joined the Toronto Second City Troupe in 1991. He moved to Chicago to Second City Chicago where he taught and also in the Theater Department of DePaul Univ...

What a wonderful time I had getting to know Adrian Monte. He is an Actor, improviser, and educator with experience in voice over, commercial production, and on-stage. Founder of DareDevil Improv- a Wilmington, NC based improvisation and performance training center focusing on comedy, community, and corporate training. His mission is to build a better world through collaboration, creativity, and hu...