Yes, Also

Ben Schwartz ( Parks and Rec, Sonic ) talks about fear of failure, his first laugh, doing what you find funny, weathering rejection, how venue sizes affect improv, his tour shows and Netflix specials, winning an audience, how he landed Parks and Rec, favorite shows from DCM, how to advance a game as the straight man, top lessons from Ian Roberts, why he loves doing restaurant scenes, and more! Acc...

Susan Messing ( Second City mainstage, iO, the Annoyance ) talks about discovering Improv Olympic, earlier iterations of the Harold, adding specificity to ambiguity, working with Mick Napier, the early days of the Annoyance, loving hard notes, improv as a sociological study, playing the simple reality, finding your scene partner’s sh*t delicious, justifying vs. inventing, ditching agenda, how she...

Jacquis Neal ( Dropout, Comedy Bang Bang ) talks about the danger of comparison, how he fell in love with theatre, going all in on UCB and the LA indie scene, acting vs, performing, bringing yourself to your improv, shows that have an angle, finding an indie team’s identity, building a form from scratch, how to produce a successful show, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at ⁠⁠...

Chris Gethard ( The Stepfathers, The Chris Gethard Show ) talks about how improv saved his life, UCBNY in the early 2000’s, feeling like the weak link on a team, identifying your improv superpower, the shadow side of curriculums, simplifying game, his public access show, straight man sleight of hand, fuel efficient improv, finding the purest play, improvising with Amy Poehler, standout shows and s...

Jacob Wysocki ( Dimension 20, Yeti ) talks about starting Comedy Sportz in high school, the evolution of aspiration, falling in love with filmmaking, making the leap to long form, The Bath Boys, his UCB journey, breaking the Harold mold, Dropout, collaboration, how he finds a character, putting himself in his work, framing vs. rug-pulling, the joy of tone, and more! Access to double the content an...

Holly Laurent ( Second City Chicago, Mega ) talks about growing up in a high control religion, choosing laughter over tears, identifying what’s scaring you, embracing your inner weirdo, her Second City journey, improvising with Tom Hanks, believing in the sophistication of your audience, deep characters, obsessive human study, supporting offers outside your wheelhouse, empathetic satire, and more!...

Steve Waltien ( The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Improvised Shakespeare ) talks about the courage of youth, Second City, marrying intellect with emotion, “killing the king”, the perceived limitations of game, tactics for clarity, reading your scene partner’s signals, escaping unintentional traps, the gift of a character’s philosophy, the beautiful rigor of Improvised Shakespeare, conveying cont...

Sara Rose Caplan ( Baby Wants Candy, XOXO ) talks about playing with her dream team, learning improv as a non-performer, overcoming limitations, musical improv forms, tripling down, tips for working with accompanists, motivating game with emotion, people she’s learned from, embracing intellect, how coming out as trans helped her improv, a philosopher’s approach to teaching, and more! Access to dou...

Dhruv Uday Singh (Good Trouble, Queen George) talks about being the pilot of your scene, the measure of a good show, encouraging teachers, embracing process, the importance of stage time, learning from an audience, Second City / UCB / Groundlings, breaking stereotypes, improvising on set, finding his voice, the improv scene in Mumbai, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at ⁠⁠yes...

Paul F. Tompkins ( Comedy Bang Bang, Bojack Horseman ) returns to the pod in this much-anticipated Part Two! He talks about blending standup and improv, his first Comedy Bang Bang episode, being funny without references, finding character voices, mimicry vs. capturing an essence, expectation and embarrassment, constructing a set, heightening gradually, having the discipline to stay out of a scene,...

Nicole Byer ( Nailed it, Grand Crew ) talks about how she found comedy, the ephemeral nature of improv, going to acting conservatory, her early UCB days, improvising with ADHD, finding patient play, meeting Sasheer, the challenge of second beats, object work go-to’s, setting scenes in a fun location, reimagining the Harold, favorite improv memories, and more! Access to double the content and other...

Joe Canale ( Second City, Uncle’s Brother ) talks about iO in the mid 90’s, Del’s toxicity, acknowledging privilege, his complicated relationship with Charna, improv savants, hosting jams, confrontational comedy, self-indulgence vs. serving the audience, the art of listening, how improv made him a better person, the importance of diverse voices in comedy, punching up, his favorite people to improv...

Philip Labes ( Watchmen, Minx ) talks about catching the musical improv bug, finding his path as a singer/songwriter, adapting vs. persisting, success as a trap, where music and improv overlap, hyperconsciousness, using what’s personal, grounded justifications, fostering fearlessness, rhyme tangents, narrative improv, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at ⁠⁠yesalso.supercast.co...

Lauren Lapkus ( Another Happy Day, Comedy Bang Bang ) talks about her early start at iO, learning to use her own voice, the comfort of game, earning an audience, bad improv habits, the magic of indie teams, how she creates Comedy Bang Bang characters, auditioning for SNL, the evolution of dreams, doing improv post-kids, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at ⁠⁠yesalso.supercast....

John Ross Bowie ( Speechless, The Big Bang Theory ) talks about the divide between actors and improvisers, finding improv in his late 20’s, studying with Amy Poehler, the nuance of teaching improv, avoiding detachment, emotional arcs, physicality, applying improv to a script, using details from real life, how improv helps him on set, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at ⁠⁠yesa...

Ronnie Adrian ( Grand Crew, The Big Team ) talks about teaching and coaching styles, his pursuit of an interesting life, his early stand up experience, playing the voice of reason, rooting yourself in the POV of a character, improvising at jams, taking care of the scene as a whole, improv as a team sport, learning to contribute to a scene even if it’s not your favorite idea, editing, and more! Acc...

Dan Gregor ( JV, The Naked Gun ) talks about yes and-ing an animated universe, writing vs. improv skill sets, developing humor as a response to religion, his NYU sketch group, the diminishing returns of political comedy, his early UCB days, the marketability of sketch, writing and shooting The Naked Gun reboot, staying true to genre in spoof writing, the science of audience testing, his upcoming p...

Sarah Claspell ( co-owner of WGIS ) talks about the leap from short form to long form, favorite shows from DCM, the pressures of Harold night, finding a sense of play, fostering team trust, not being defined by your bad scenes, teaching improv to Olympic coaches, WGIS, conquering imposter syndrome, Asian AF, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at ⁠⁠yesalso.supercast.com⁠⁠ ! Foll...

Johnny Meeks ( UCB LA’s Academic Director ) talks about the “por las buenas” technique, comedic tension, trying to save a bad scene, updating the UCB curriculum, his theatrical roots, memories of a bad standup teacher, improvised plays, the power of simple and honest responses, playing with curiosity, his favorite improv exercise, playing game in scripted scenes, and more! Access to double the con...

Paul F. Tompkins ( Mr. Show, Bojack Horseman ) talks about carving out his identity as a comedian, conquering fear, his early absurdist stand-up, working on Mr. Show, what makes a great showrunner, comedic heightening, advice for sketch writers, comedy as the art of translation, “the tyranny of the template”, chasing fun and novelty, the glory of multi-cams, building a variety show, and more! Acce...

Cissy Fenwick ( JV ) talks about how improv makes her a better therapist, unconditional positive regard, therapists as active voice of reason characters, archetypes, her love of playing annoying people, using reps to set goals, her favorite improv exercise, anchoring game to a POV, emotional stakes, what she’s curious about, and more! Access to double the content and other perks at ⁠⁠yesalso.super...

Eugene Cordero ( Loki, Star Trek: Lower Decks ) talks about his elementary school days, cockiness vs. confidence, struggles with dyslexia, finding his calling, the benefits of short form, committing to scenes, the myth of “best” ideas, not taking a coach’s taste personally, the joy of agreement, finding spontaneity within a premise, parenting like an improviser, accepting diverse voices, and more!...

Chris Eddins ( Lemon Pepper Wet ) talks about learning improv as a way to help with public speaking, using jams to hone your craft, making unusual things make sense, his writing career, the origins of Lemon Pepper Wet, doing the thing, dyslexia and patterns, sustaining a game, facing an audience with cultural differences, being an introvert, advice for non-white improvisers, how improv helps his w...

Heather Anne Campbell ( SNL, Whose Line is it Anyway ) talks about the innateness of improv, circumventing shame, forking the multiverse, takeaways from Boom Chicago, honoring an audience, her writing career, the visual experience of comedy, being in dialogue with the world, SNL, Whose Line, playing with Beck vs. playing with Miles, improv as tourism, craving the next evolution, her comedic influe...

Ithamar Enriquez ( Second City, Curb Your Enthusiasm ) talks about his journey through Second City, memories from Tourco, inspiring theatrical techniques, the subjectivity of comedy, accessing satire through relationship, challenging stereotypes, using his voice as a Latinx writer, performing for the Obamas(!!!!), satire vs. shock humor, how he arrived at a career in comedy, trusting your improv,...