If This Is True with Chris Hall

Katherine Davis-Gibbon is an award-winning children’s book author, publisher, certified yoga and Pilates teacher, and mother of two Generation Alpha kids. She founded Riverlet Press in 2021, as a platform for books that illuminate and enrich the child’s inner life. Her debut book, My Old Friend, Then, received praise from critics, teachers, therapists, and parents, as well as the following awards...

"Real American Space Folk" band Electric Blue Yonder was praised by longtime Boston Gobe senior rock critic, the late Steve Morse, for its “meditative mashup of trippy folk-rock psychedelia, cut with a raw Alabama flavor befitting their roots .” Slant Magazine called EBY “a diamond-bright exploration of rock’s past, present, and hopeful future.”   Electric Blue Yonder has released three...

Paul Vaillancourt is a writer, actor, director, producer but most of all an improvisor who has been teaching and performing improv across the country for more than 30 years. He is a graduate of the Comedy Sportz Training Program in Virginia, the Second City Training Center in Chicago as well as the legendary Improv Olympic in Chicago where he had the rare opportunity to study under the legendary D...

Gillian Bellinger is an SAG character actor. To watch her character bits, follow her on Instagram @gillianbellinger. She has played roles on Hulu's "How I Met Your Father", "Disney's "Just Roll with It" as well as being a principal in commercials for Harris Bank, Time Warner, NorthShore Healthcare, and Unitrin Auto Insurance. She's also rocked out a bunch of short films, industrials, and star...

The Artistic Director and Founder of Improv Training Hub, Amey was the Artistic Director of E-MPROV.com, produced and hosted Indie Cage Match at UCB Theatre East Village from 2011-2016. She started at UCB NY in 2001. You can see her work on ucbcomedy.com, Funny or Die, The Food Network, IFC Channel and YouTube.  Amey moved to LA in 2016 and taught improv at MI Westside Comedy in Los Angeles....

For over a decade, Harold Phifer served in a war-zone as a contract air-controller in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. He even survived a suicide bombing by the Taliban. But none of that was as dangerous or stressful as his upbringing.   Phifer was a black kid growing up in the south during the tumultuous 1960s, dealing with racism and bullying in the streets, and abuse at home from his...

Join Liz Allen, John Bolger, Susan Messing, Steve Plock and me as we discuss why Chicago is such a touchstone for the art of improvisation! We discuss what's happening in the city, particularly coming out of the pandemic, and what's new and exciting. We also discussed the importance of the history of the art form and Chicago's place in it. If you love improv the way I do, this is a must listen epi...

Joe Bill is widely regarded as one of the best teachers of Improvisation in America today.  He is one of the founding members of Annoyance Theater Chicago, was the Director of Corporate Training at iO Chicago for 15 years, and a Teacher & Guest Artist in Residence at The Second City Conservatory & Training Center for another 15 years. Joe first practiced improvisation in 1977 and...

Jacob Heiss recently graduated with his PhD in biomedical engineering from The University of Akron. He started doing comedy three years ago when he first took an improv class at Imposters Theater in Cleveland and continues to do improv with his group Stage Against the Machine.  We talked about discoveries in both improv and cancer research and his joy in producing comedy shows. He is also loo...

As everyone knows, last fall the Western North Carolina region suffered the most devastating flooding in a century. The beautiful place we call home was forever scarred and changed. But true to form, this region had each other’s backs and staged quite an incredible comeback. While some areas are still damaged, we by all means welcome the world back to the Appalachian mountains you know and we&nbsp...

Kay Smith-Blum, a former fashionista and Seattle School Board President, spends her days debunking the tropes of the mid-20th-century history. An odd dream and the recent upheaval over leaking radioactive waste tanks at the Hanford Nuclear site compelled her to write, TANGLES, named 2024 Book of the Year by the Literary Global Book Awards and Best Debut Fiction by the American Writing Awards 2024....

Marcia Peck was inspired by the rhythms and sounds of music echoed in language; her debut novel, Water Music: A Cape Cod Story, combines all of her passions – music, writing, and Cape Cod. The book has received critical acclaim and has received many book awards, including Literary Titan Gold, National Indie Excellence Award, New England Book Festival Regional Lit Winner, and Feathered Quill Review...

Kat Koppett is the Eponymous Founder of Koppett, a consultancy specializing in the use of improv and storytelling techniques to enhance individual and group performance. She has worked with diverse clients including Meta, Apple, Prezi, PwC, NASA, Havas Health, Mass General Hospital, the United Nations and the Clinton Global Initiative. Her book Training to Imagine: Practical Improvisational Theatr...

Sydney Lea was named Vermont’s Poet Laureate and received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, his state’s highest artistic distinction. He has had 25 books published in a celebrated literary arts career. His latest book, Now Look (Down East Books/Roman Littlefield), explores the ravages of addiction and a dying north country culture in his first novel in 35 years. It is a moving story...

Harker Jones grew up on a dirt road in Michigan in a town so small it doesn’t to this day have a traffic light.  Now a Los Angeles denizen, he has written the best-selling, award-winning novel “Until September” and nine screenplays, revealing truths through humor and horror.  His short thrillers “Cole & Colette” and “One-Hit Wonder” have been accepted into more than 60 film fest...

Author Robert Monroe knows well of the world he has written about. Though he was not in a rock band, he knows the entertainment world well. Monroe worked as a casting director and talent executive for a dozen years, including projects with the Walt Disney Company and the United Paramount Network. He’s also a museum-exhibited photographer.   Bungalow Terrace  begi...

RJ Stewart is an author and television writer who has worked in Hollywood for 22 years, working on Xena: Warrior Princess. He has been lauded by stars like Lucy Lawless for his writing Xena as a flawed person who struggled, but always made the right choices.  RJ has also collaborated with Kevin Costner, James Garner, Charlie Sheen and Pierce Brosnan.   He is promoting his new book, Crazy...

Born to American parents in Beirut, Lebanon, Patrick Adams’ love of travel may have begun on his first flight when he was just four days old. Patrick spent his early years in such exotic locations as Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Las Palmas, Canary Islands. Not surprisingly, he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in Travel and Tourism. Patrick’s debut children’s book, a trave...

As one of the founding members, lead singer, lead guitarist, and wrote more than 90% of the Grand Funk music catalog, Farner has always been known as the energetic driving force on stage, the engine that pulled the original Grand Funk Railroad to the top of the charts.  From his soulful voice and power rock riffs, to fueling the Funk with his atomic stage presence. His story and his imprint o...

David Paul Brooks, or DPB, as he is known, is a positive rap artist, songwriter, actor, clothing designer, mentor, motivational speaker and Co-Founder and Co-Owner of BreBro International Group LLC and DPB Muzik Inc.     His goal is to give people, particularly youth, an alternative and cutting-edge message in music that can set them free from painful issues they may be dealing with, in a relatabl...

Ryan Millar is a Canadian-born Amsterdam-based coach, story trainer and communications consultant. In his work, he leans heavily on the tools he gained as an improviser and actor, supplemented by his years in corporate communications and content creation, to help people be more authentic and more effective in their professional and personal lives. His skills as a Public Speaking Coach have earned...

Patrick Zmina is a mainstay on the Imposters Theater stage in Cleveland. He is a musician, former cancer biologist, and a current software developer. He is constantly chasing flashes of brilliance wherever he can find them, from rock climbing to gaming to cooking. You can catch him on Improv Game Night and Comedy Court every month at Imposters Theater. Learn more about his philosophy on life and m...

Lilia Bogoeva "The Inner Demon Crusher" is a professional performing artist and personal development coach. As a musician, comics creator, and inspirational speaker, she is on a mission to motivate people to overcome adversity through authenticity and find true strength. Her mission comes from a genuine place, after overcoming her own struggles.  She recently launched her comic book, “Lilia T...

Let's talk with Tommy Hough about the 2024 Elections! Where did we, as Democrats and liberals go wrong here? There's a hell of a lot to unpack. Give this one a listen for some history and ideas of where to go from here. This episode, like all episodes of If This Is True, brings forth what drives creatives to do what they do. For more of this content and interaction, you can also go to my substack,...

Let me introduce you to Abby Sher! She has written and performed at The Second City, Upright Citizen’s Brigade, HBO, Nick Jr. and NPR.  Abby has written six books including:  Miss You Love You Hate You Bye All the Ways the World Can End Breaking Free: True Stories of Girls Who Escaped Modern Slavery Amen, Amen, Amen: Memoir of a Girl Who Couldn't Stop Praying Kissing Snowflakes,  Sa...