There It Is Podcast

This episode is also our first on-camera video episode, which you can watch on our YouTube: @ThereItIs! Jason and (Fiancée of the Show) Justina talk a little comedy shop! They chat about the last round of negotiations in the WGA strike (right before they negotiated a tentative deal), the potential impact of the upcoming arrival of Second City to New York City as well as UCB reopening, and about so...

We talk to actress and instructor, Hannah Jane McMurray! Hannah Jane has been seen in projects like "WeCrashed," "Law & Order: Organized Crime," "FBI," and several other commercials, shows, and productions. You have more than likely seen her. She's not only a talented actor, but also is a great teacher working at the Kimball Studios in Manhattan. where she met Jason. She talks about growing up in...

Improviser and Author, Greg Tavares, returns to the podcast to candidly reflect on his new book! Greg was an early guest on the podcast and is an old friend. He co-founded Theatre 99 in Charleston, SC and is a brilliant artist. He recently released his new book, "Daddy Issues: How to Stop Worrying and Love Being a Dad." Greg and Jason have a thought-provoking and deeply honest talk. Greg shares hi...

In this episode we talk to character comedian, sketch writer, and director, Amanda Xeller! Amanda is beloved in the house of There It Is. Infectious, hilarious, and lovable, Amanda performs her unique brand of humor with gusto. We had to talk to her about how she got into comedy and how she makes it. Amanda also talks with Jason about starting out in improv, doing the same Disney+ show (The Big Fi...

Brooklyn Comedy Collective Artistic Director and performer, Philip Markle, joined us for a great talk! Philip Markle has performed all over the place! He studied in Chicago at iO, Second City, and also at The Annoyance which had a huge impact on him. He talks about performing improv on a cruise ship, musical theater and improv, Philip Sparkle, getting burned out and stepping away from running an i...

Magnet Theater improviser and instructor, Elana Fishbein, returns to the podcast! The last time Elana was on the podcast she and Elena Skopetos talked about their 2-person show, Sisters Three. This time Elana talks about challenging things she's witnessing while as an improv instructor, how to address issues when running a practice, the responsibility of an improviser depending on the form they're...

We finally got to talk to Magnet Theater's Musical Director, Frank Spitznagel! Frank is an accomplished musician and has played all over the place! He talks about his time starting out in conservatory in Boston, his journey through musical theatre, working with Chorus Line and Chicago City Limits and more, the little nuances of playing music with others, and working with Darrell Hammond, Tim Meado...

Adam Payne joins us to talk about improv and musical improv! Jason and Adam met the same way Jason met many guests, through the Magnet! Adam tells Jason about how he got into improv, finding musical improv, his approach to scene work, how he let's loose when performing, making guitar lesson videos, and more! It's as fun of a chat as Adam is a person! Twitter: @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrJokes Instagr...

Nina Sharma is a NJ-based writer and performer and we talked to her about her work! Jason met Nina through Magnet Theater and she was always performing and/or at the same shows as Jason. She performs with previous guest, Sarita Ekya, on the South Asian Women's improv team "Not Your Biwi." She and Jason talk about how she got into writing; getting past rejection on the road to getting published in...

The "Of the Show" Fellas are here to nerd out and goof off about this year's (2023) Emmys Nominations! Brother of the Show, Trey, and Best Friend of the Show, Rob, join Jason to talk all that POP about the shows nominated for Emmys, which were announced days before this recording. They dive into the comedy and drama categories discussing who they think will win, Succession vs. Better Call Saul, an...

We talk to the always hilarious NYC improviser, Fu Goto! Fu is such an effervescent improviser and watching her perform is a breath of fresh air. She has been on teams at both UCB and the Magnet, which isn't incredibly common and is hard to do. Jason talks with her about how she discovered improv, what made her eventually want to get into, how she continued to have fun doing improv despite going t...

7 years!? We did it! Drop the confetti!! We're so thrilled to have reached this milestone. Due to our being so inspired by Prince, 7 years is an extra special anniversary to celebrate! In this special episode, Jason listens to some messages from friends of the show congratulating us for 7 years of doing the podcast. Happy Anniversary! Listen on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, YouTub...

We got to talk to improviser, instructor, and Magnet Theater Artistic/Musical Megawatt/Megawatt Director, Michael Lutton! Michael Lutton is a multi-hyphenate in general, but also at the Magnet Theater alone. He talks with Jason about his background in theater, how he got into improv, musical improv, and what it's like to be the overall artistic director of an improv theater while also being the di...

The "Of the Show" Boys are back and they're better than ever to finish out our re-ranking of the best movie sequels of all-time! This is Part 2 of the "Of the Show Boys" talking all that pop about movie sequels. Bro of the Show, BFF of the Show, and Jason talk out what movies should make out the rest of their list and this time, it's personal! The vultures have scattered after their destruction an...

This is Vol. 1 of the "Of the Show Gang" talking all that pop about movie sequels. In a Pop Talk last year, we trashed Vulture's 102 Best Sequels List (with good reason). We vowed to re-rank the list. We're making good on that promise! Fiancée of the Show, Justina, makes her triumphant return at the top of the episode with a fun quiz! She then leaves the fellas to nerd the hell out over where movi...

We talk to our old friend (actor, comedian, and host), Shama Mrema! Jason and Shama met in South Carolina where they both did comedy at the Alchemy Comedy Theater and No Expectations Comedy. Shama has come a long way since there and he talks to Jason about it all. He chat about co-creating Deuteronomemes, how he figured out how to make comedy about Christian culture, how he started making his vide...

Our bud Hannah Rae Aslesen returned to the podcast for a super fun chat! A ton has happened for Hannah since she was last on the podcast! She was on Loki, she's part of this hilarious golf-centric sketches for St. Andre Golf, and she's taking her one-woman show, "Cross My Heart" to the Hollywood Fringe Festival next week! We talk about all of that and creating comedy, corny online comments, what s...

We had the pleasure of talking to actor, comedian, and writer, Chelsea London Lloyd! Aside from having a very fun name, Chelsea also has a helluva lot of talent! She’s been performing since a very young age and started doing comedy shows early in the LA area. She cut her teeth at the major comedy schools and theaters and it shows. She does great character work which you can see all over the intern...

PR expert, Molly McPherson, joined us for a fascinating chat about managing your image. Molly is a nationally recognized expert in crisis public relations and pop culture. She hosts the podcast "Indestructible PR," and wrote the book "Indestructible: Reclaim Control and Respond with Confidence in a Media Crisis." She has worked with FEMA and was the Director of Communications for the Cruise Line I...

The WGA is on strike. Jason talks about why this strike is happening, the problems that writers are trying to address, why it's important, and ways you can help them. It's a very important topic and getting informed is a big step into creating a better situation for those of us in the entertainment industry. Ways to help: Donate - https://entertainmentcommunity.org/support-our-work Join them on th...

In this episode we talk to actor, comedian extraordinaire, Lauren LoGiudice! Lauren and Jason met through performing on "Hi, Nice People!" The very show we talked about in a recent episode. Lauren is an actor, author, and comedian who has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, McSweeney’s, and more. She's great at character work and that is a big part of this discussion. She talks about how she...

In this mini episode we offer tips on how to free your mind up to perform improv comedy. Jason enlists the help of Ben Burris (Alchemy Comedy), Eleanor Lewis (Magnet Theater), and James Quesada (Sounds Funny Radio) to help figure out why improvisers can think much more clearly when watching improv than when they're performing. If this has been a frustration for you, then check out their insight on...

In this mini episode we offer tips on where to go if you want to get better at writing comedy. In this episode, we explore how to take your comedy writing skills to the next level. If you're just starting out, there's plenty out there to help you get better. Jason suggests a book to read as well as comedy writing classes and workshops you can take to develop your skills. We encourage listeners to...

In this mini episode we offer tips on submitting to and suggestions on running fests. This is a guide for comics, performers and festival producers/runners. There are a ton of fests out there to submit to, but you may not know the first thing about what it takes to submit. And if you're running a fest, you may not be aware how unclear your fest info is. For comics, we have a few tips on submitting...

We are celebrating our 300th Episode with Brother of the Show, Trey, and GF of the Show, Justina! We talk about previous guests who have blown up since being on the podcasts. Help us celebrate by reminiscing with us! Twitter: @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrJokes Instagram: @ThereItIsPod, @JasonFarrPics Facebook: @ThereItIsPod Subscribe to our comedy newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/e22defd4dee2/thereitis