Improv and Magic

This is the first of a new segment called LD's Tips, where I share some of tips I've learned on becoming a better improvisor and magician (and some are for both!). These will be shared at various times during this season, so be sure to tune in for some tips you might find useful. Today's first tip is on how to start a scene. How do you get a scene going? What's the first thing you...

Today we officially kick off Season 2 with the very special Stacey Hallal. Stacey is the founder and artistic director of Curious Comedy Theater in Portland, Oregon, and has been performing, teaching, and directing improv for over 20 years.  She’s trained and performed at Second City, iO, Annoyance, and ComedySportz in Chicago, and has performed and taught improv and sketch comedy at over 100 fest...

Today is our season finale of Improv and Magic Season 1! Today, we're sharing my favorite moments from all of my conversations with my amazing guests. Some of them are meaningful, others are funny, some are even both! You'll hear my favorite moments from these great guests (in order of appearance): David Christopher Marlene Marcos Anthony Francis Rick Munarriz Mark Mocahbee John Sturk Jona...

Today's guest is another true legend in the world of improv, Susan Messing. She’s one of the founding members of The Annoyance Theater, where she has created roles in over thirty original productions including the longest-running musical in Chicago, Co-Ed Prison Sluts.  Susan teaches and performs at the Annoyance Theater and the iO Theater and has also taught improvisational comedy for DePaul...

Today's guest is the amazing Carisa Hendrix, also known by her character Lucy Darling. Carisa is an award winning magician, circus stunt performer and fire eater.  She was awarded Stage Magician of the Year twice at the world famous Magic Castle, she was a recipient of the Carlton Award from the Magic Circle in the UK, and also received Magical Valentine’s Magician of the Year award from Vanis...

My guest today is a very talented and passionate performer, Nelson Velazquez. Nelson Velazquez performs non-stop at venues and festivals all over the country. His most popular shows include Los Improviachis, the world's only improvised Mariachi bank, and The Grid, an online improv comedy show. He is also the founder of Improductions LLC, which is focused to push do-it-yourself productions in t...

Today's guest is my improv hero, David Razowsky. Dave has performed in 10 revues at Chicago's Second City performing with the likes of Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Rachel Dratch. He also served as Artistic Director of The Second City Hollywood, and has conducted countless worldwide workshops and performances. Dave's approach to improv is simple: Your present awarenes...

My guests today are David Hepburn and Alex Taylor, and together, they are Cuzzins! David and Alex are actually cousins in real life, and in their duo show they provide comical group therapy to the audience and act out potential solutions…or at least what they would do!  Cuzzins has been performed in multiple venues and improv festivals around the country, and audiences everywhere have been raving...

Today's guest is regarded as one of the best teachers of improvisation in America today, the one and only Joe Bill! He is one of the founding members of Annoyance Theater in Chicago, he was the Director of Corporate Training at iO, and a Teacher & Guest Artist in Residence at Second City.  Joe performs and teaches all over the world, and has been an inspiration to improv actors for so many...

Today's guest is fellow actor, instructor, and director KC Korge. KC and I perform regularly at Just The Funny in Miami, Florida. There’s so much I can say about this incredible woman!  She’s very talented, incredibly funny, super intelligent, very professional, extra kind…what more can I say?  We got to sit down and talk about KC’s life, how she dealt with shyness in the beginning, and how sh...

Today's guest is fellow improvisor and good friend Kathleen Kenny. She's an accomplished actor who performs and teaches at Bob Carter's Actor’s Workshop and Repertory Company in West Palm Beach, Florida, as well as at Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization in Boca Raton, Florida. She's one of the best people I've seen perform, and a true believer of improv being inclusive and fo...

My guests today are the incredible team of Tara DeFrancisco and Rance Rizzutto. They are the stars of their own duo musical improv show called Here The Musical, which has been performed in 24 countries around the world. They own and operate The Nest Theater in Columbus, Ohio, and they run the Improv Retreat since 2012. These two never cease to inspire me, and I hope they inspire you as well! To le...

My guest today is an amazing man who’s one of the most joyfully people you’ll ever meet.  He’s my friend, former student and fellow improviser Johnathan Freudman.  We get into a lot of deep stuff here.  Johnathan shares very openly about growing up in Venezuela, how he went back and forth between acting on television, and he shares a lot about how improv really made an impact on him.  Johnathan wa...

At last, the name of this podcast finally makes sense! My guest today is John Sturk, a fellow improvisor and magician. John is Musical Director for Second City, and has performed as MD for various other improv shows including Comedy Sportz and iO. John is also the National President-Elect of the Society of American Magicians, the country's oldest magic organization. Where has this guy been all...

Today's guest is my good friend and fellow cast member at Just The Funny, Mark Mocahbee.  This is a guy you are going to love!  He has so much to share in this episode.  He shares his early beginnings in theater, what he’s learned from his time as an improvisor and director, and so much more.  There’s so much passion in this episode, which I love so much.  His love and his drive really comes t...

My guest today is Rick Munnariz.  Rick is currently a cast member, director, teacher and Manager at Just The Funny, he works for The Montely Fool, and he’s a fellow Disney fan! We spend a little time geeking out about our love of Disney, and we talk about his early beginnings and what led him to this incredible world of improv.  We also learn about his early beginnings in the music industry.  He’s...

Today's guest is performer and teacher Anthony Francis. He's the owner of Improv U, producer of the Palm Beach Improv Festival and the Countdown Improv Festival, and an all round great human being! We get into a lot in this episode!  We talk about what it’s like to experience improv for the first time.  We also spend a good amount of time talking about the joys of teaching improv, and the...

Today my guest is the wonderfully talented and always amazing Marlene Marcos.  She is a professional actress whose work includes multiple national commercials, various voice over projects, and even got to be a stand in for Amy Poehler!  Marlene is also a fellow improv actor with me in Just The Funny since 2008, where she currently serves as part of the Management Team for the theater. In addition,...

It's the first official episode of Improv and Magic, with my first guest David Christopher! David is one of the original founders of my home theater, Just The Funny in Miami, FL. He is also producer of the Miami Improv Festival and owns his own business called Interactive Training Solutions, which teaches improv to people in the business world. David and I have known each other for 19 years, a...

Welcome to the show! Here's me welcoming you to this brand new journey.