Yes, Also

Jim Woods ( Company Retreat, WGIS, UCB ) talks about playing with expectations, removing autopilot, training instinct, the illusion of momentum, helpful tools for straight / absurd dynamics, finding the playable thing, game as a parasite, how trauma and sobriety have informed his improv, Jury Duty / Company Retreat, improv jujitsu, the buffoon tactic, non-verbal callouts, and more! Access to doubl...

Kimia Behpoornia  ( Dropout, UCB ) talks about being a shy kid, Comedy Sportz, The Apartment form, narrative improv, laying seeds, sewing ideas together, comparisons of 4 improv schools, Dimension 20, character filters, specific starts, how to buy time, Dropout shows and tours, physical payoffs, borrowing from others, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at yesalso.supercast.com...

Mel Cowan  ( Sentimental Lady ) talks about 20 years of Sentimental Lady, rehearsing again, blending analysis and play, creative beacons, his early LA days, being awful, untraining politeness, active normal choices, the evolution of beats, how to increase fun in scenes, playing with tone, educating an audience, his favorite exercise, playing animals, upending an unusual character, visual agreement...

Ryan Myers and Ashley Rube  ( The Improv Shop St. Louis ) talk about combining the silly and the serious, keeping things simple, sustaining monoscenes, making things matter, "hiding the knife", Yes And vs. Yeah Sure, navigating contentious scenes, accepting negative gifts, taking things personally, charcters who try their best, an exercise to teach simplicity, finding multiple relationsh...

Echo Kellum  ( Arrow, UCB, Groundlings ) talks about early influences, boldness, broadening your education, analagous scenes, pirate/robot/ninja, the quest for consistency, humbling experiences, his approach to character, blending Groundlings with UCB, turning life into sketches, humanizing characters, Grand Crew, paying performers, trial by fire, Arrow, his most impactful notes, and more! Access...

Happy Second Anniversary! In this very special episode, Craig Cackowski and Jason Mantzoukas return-- together!-- and talk about the curse of predictability, digging in with a team, Zoom and livestreams, a Gravid Water epiphany, density vs. clarity, the future of the Harold, The Party, provocative content, voice of reason techniques, Craig's unifying theory of improv, Jason's favorite thin...

Ruha Taslimi  ( UCB, Dropout ) talks about the link between human growth and performer growth, honoroing your inner child, acting presence, longer scenes, how to access confidence, emotional exercises, 360 listening, dance comedy, vulnerability, ways to use music in improv, feeling vs. showing, audition rejection, the beauty of Harolds, elevating third beats, site-specific shows, and more! Access...

Will Choi ( Asian AF ) talks about watching his heroes perform, taking a chance, process vs. product, learning to take up space, a game-changing mindset shift, monoscenes, quitting Harolds, the origin story of Asian AF, running order strategies, support systems, editing, Das Improv Fest, bringing every day life into your scenes, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at yesalso.sup...

Jeff Hiller ( UCB, Baby Wants Candy ) talks about winning an Emmy, facing rejection, object work, reframing politeness, finding game through character, avoiding anger, emotional lenses, favorite exercises, scenic life rafts, resting the game, finding nuance, authenticity, Somebody Somewhere, playing hypocrites, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at yesalso.supercast.com ! Subsc...

Anna Rajo ( Lohan, ASSSSCAT ) talks about early inspiration, making class fun, representation, takeaways from hosting jams, the importance of discomfort, how improv informs her work as a therapist and vice versa, a powerful exercise, the music of the scene, finding your personal range, her journey to and through Harold night, grieving audition results, an unconventional show creation process, and...

Ian Roberts ( co-founder of UCB ) talks about his improv origin story, being a comedy outlaw, wild bits and shows from his Chicago days, the challenges of TV development, following your creative heart, zooming in on game, the movie form, effortless laughs, playing the why, toying with expectations, the gift of parameters, peas in a pod, thoughts on tags, what he learned from Del, and more! Access...

Chad Damiani ( Stand Up and Clown, Stamptown ) talks about silent clown, audience triangulation, the clownishness of wrestling, breaking meta expectations, courting failure, audience consent, limiting a show's vocabulary, the goals of clown, how he teaches disruption, the importance of earnestness, flirting with danger, creating character bits, status flips, advice for clowns, and more! Access...

Anna Garcia  ( Dropout, UCB ) talks about her theatre background, the challenge of learning game, adding whimsy to restriction, generous teammates, character lenses, an allergy to detachment, how the internet changes improv, imposter syndrome, teaching kids, a revelation about first beats, her take on live-streaming, honoring physical realities, and more! Access to double the content and other per...

Dan Black  ( The Ultimate Improv Show ) talks about pro wrestling, early comedy influences, intentional deviation in scenes, two impactful notes, comedic discipline, a hustle mentality, personalizing your tool belt, accessible forms, how improv helps stand-up and vice versa, winning a crowd, advice for producers, incremental success, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at yesals...

Jiavani ( Dropout, UCB ) talks about eliminating hierarchy, evolving musical improv, international cross-pollination, sitting in the truth, genuine commitment, silent soundtrack, Dropout, returning to short form, battling stereotypes, honoring an audience, going hard immediately, a psychic improv moment, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at yesalso.supercast.com ! Subscribe on...

Matt Walsh  ( Veep, co-founder of UCB ) talks about his early Chicago days, using improv to write narrative musicals, his approach to character, making concessions for the sake of comedy, pushing vs. following, "responsible" improv, subversive comedy, the origin and history of UCB, perspective-driven games, how they developed the UCB manual, top of intelligence play, the importance of ex...

Dylan Reiff and Kristen Schier ( Kickstand Comedy ) talk about their improv origins in Chicago and Philly, using comedy to effect change, the intersection of improv and scripts, sandbox spaces, comedic tension, product vs. process, upgrading "yes and", finding humanity in your scenes, inviting evolution, blending premise and organic improv, personalizing your play, community-centered spa...

Shannon O'Neil ( The Stepfathers, RaaaatScraps ) talks about her early UCB days, if this / then what, bursts of chaos, scenic confessions, thoughts on curriculum,major takeaways from her time as AD of UCBNY, planning and running DCM, favorite bit shows, experimental techniques, the current UCBNY, Fwand, The Stepfathers, setting goals for shows, helpful teaching exercises, and more! Access to d...

Jeff Whitaker  ( F*ck This Month ) talks about starting out in Austin, the value of interning, producing successful shows, ticket prices, audience psychology, end-of-show connections, theatrical devices, finding your voice, succeeding without Harold night, interview techniques, navigating darkness, getting on the same page, simplifying game, the anatomy of a perfect team, and more! Access to doubl...

Caroline Cotter  ( ASSSSCAT, Conan ) talks about fear, perseverance, replaying good moves, being "the woman", impulsive moves, grabbing tiny gifts, silly play, good and bad pattern games, experimental Harolds, thoughts on openings, organic/premise blends, warmups, lessening competition, buying time in scenes, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at yesalso.supercast.com ! Subscri...

Lamar Woods  ( The Big Team, New Girl ) talks about authenticity, the intersection of his careers as a rapper and comedian, being malleable, believable acting, patience, using improv in writers' rooms, building your toolbox, varying approaches to comedy, alter egos, playing with status, honest responses in scenes, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at yesalso.supercast.com ! Su...

TJ Jagodowski ( The Second City, TJ and Dave ) talks about Chicago, his improv origin story, pushing the envelope, impeccable listening, starting without a suggesetion, discovery vs. invention, emotional subtext, maintaining a reality, how to remove pressure, his thoughts on premise, fear and trust, JTS Brown, his most memorable TJ and Dave show, his current favorite teaching exercise, and more! A...

Sean Conroy  ( The Swarm, Key and Peele ) talks about his first gigs, the real meaning of “yes and” and “play to the top of your intelligence”, different approaches to game, The Swarm, building audiences, the good and bad of object work, 3 person shows, tips for doing the Tracers form, how improv informs sitcom writing, writers room pet peeves, AI vs. the entertainment industry, swinging door tags...

Alex Fox and Rachel Lewis  ( Electric Bloom, iO ) talk about improv as grad school, playing hard, transitioning from improv to a writing career, treating yourself like a business, if this / then what, the power of "why?", using lived experiences, playing the hero, character games, pitching like an improviser, Franken-drafting, comedic hooks, script structure, and more! Access to double the content...

Tara Copeland ( Mother, Magic To Do ) talks about Chicago City Limits, the PIT / Magnet / UCB divorce, the pillars of musical improv, narrative mapping, her hot take on notes, lessening stakes, game + musical improv, at-home exercises, the back line, pouncing on mistakes, Mother, The Sleepover form, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at yesalso.supercast.com ! Subscribe on YT:...