We're back with Patti Stiles in our first episode of Season 5. Listeners know Patti from episode 2 of Season Three as well as panelist in the first, fourth, fifth and last sessions of the COVID-19 Summit. Our focus in this episode, though, is her wonderful book - Improvise Freely. It's a timely book, as well as an encouragement and challenge to imp…

In this, our 50th episode!, Whit has a conversation with Rachael Mason. Rachael has been a mainstay of the Chicago improv scene for many years. She has been a central figure in the Second City’s curriculum and performance and has moved to iO which is set to re-launch under new ownership in Fall of 2022. There, she is the Director of Education and i…

Our guest on this episode of the Improv Comedy Connection is David Escobedo. David has been coaching and performing improv since 1994. In fact, he coached his first improv team, as there weren't any improv schools around! Later he took classes at iOwest, Second City and other improv schools around Los Angeles. He is quick to acknowledge the impact …

Our guest for this episode is Hellena Jang. Hellena is an improviser, instructor and agile coach in Seoul, Korea, as well as the founder of Imfrog - likely the first Korean language improv troupe on the Korean peninsula. She was introduced to improv through Seoul City Improv, an English language troupe established by ex-pats in the city. That exper…

Our guest for this episode is Tanine Dunais. Tanine grew up in Iran, but discovered improv in the United Arab Emirates. She later moved to Europe, and now resides in the Netherlands, where she pursues improv, bouffon, clowning, and more. This episode features an interesting discussion on the theater traditions of Tanine's homeland, and as well as a…

In this episode, we talk with Patrick Rowland. Patrick is a writer, comedian, and actor from Chicago, now residing in Los Angeles. He’s studied and taught at The Second City and iO Theater. His solo character work was featured in Alone, Chicago’s Best Solo Comedy at The TBS Just For Laughs Festival in 2013. Austin Comedy Short Film Festival nominat…

For this episode, Whit has a conversation with Jay Sukow — a US improviser based in LA, but in New Zealand traveling for this recording. After catching up a bit, we jumped into an amazing conversation about his favorite (by far) of over 300 10-minute scenes that he’s been doing since early on in the pandemic. This is all the more impressive given t…

In this episode, we get the joy of talking with Stacey Hallal - founder of the Curious Comedy Theater in Portland, Oregon where she serves as Artistic Director as well as a regular performer, writer, director and teacher. We talk a bit about her leadership at Curious, but she's also known for her Ruby Rocket, Private Eye character and much, much mo…

In this episode, we get to hear from Luana Proença - an improviser from Brazil, presently studying for a PhD in theater/improvisation in Lisbon, Portugal. Luana is a known quantity in much of the global improv world, but not nearly well-known enough in the English-speaking, North American improv community. Listening in will help change that if that…

Michelle Gilliam is a voice actor and improviser based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the founder of Improv MKE. She has been involved with improv since high school, and at various times has been immersed in the Milwaukee, Chicago, and Boston improv scenes. With the pandemic, she adeptly stepped into the global, online improv community where her skil…

Our guest for episode 5 of season 4 is Felipe Ortiz - a performer, director and teacher based in Bogota, Colombia. But that 's really not a full summary of what Felipe is as a performer or educator. He blends in, exchanges, plays, interacts and shares tools techniques and insights with artists from around the world. You can see his interest in the …

In this episode, we get to spend time with a true improv pioneer -- Oluwadamilola Apotieri-Abdulai. Damilola is one of the few improvisers in Nigeria and in West Africa. He has an amazing background in using theater, improv, and other techniques and structures to positively impact individuals and communities throughout the region and indeed across …

Our third episode in Season 4 is with Dr. Sophie Scott, the Wellcome Senior Research Fellow in Basic Biomedical Science and Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. She is part of UCL's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and in the Division of Psychology & Lang Sciences. So of course we're having her on the podcast, right?…

Born in Indonesia, and now based in Norway, Aree Witoelar is an improv teacher, director and performer who is also the founder and artistic director of Impro Neuf International. Impro Neuf International is Norway’s first international improv community with over 1,000 members from over 50 countries. Aree has been improvising since 2005, studying fro…

We're back for season 4 with Shaun Landry! Shaun got her start in improv in the mid-1980s in Chicago and has been a strong, joyful, positive presence not only in Chicago, but then in San Francisco, LA and through her travels and online, all over the world. It was a fantastic conversation - both what is being published and what followed -- and it's …

Listen in to a fire side chat with Joe Bill -- widely regarded as one of the best teachers of Scenic and Comedic Improvisation in the world today. He is one of the founding members of Annoyance Theater Chicago where, for 12 years, he performed in and/or directed more than 60 different shows. He was the Director of Corporate Training at iO Chicago f…

Our penultimate episode of Season 3 is with Aretha Sills - the granddaughter of Viola Spolin - widely considered the mother of modern improvisational theater) an daughter of Paul Sills (founder and initial director The Second City in Chicago, as well as Story Theater). Aretha studied for many years with her father and is an outstanding instructor i…

As we get ready to close out Season 3 of the podcast, Whit has a conversation with Jon Carr -- just a week or so out from the big news that Jon has been hired as Executive Producer at Second City. Just prior, Jon was serving as Artistic Director at Dad's Garage in Atlanta. Jon was not only a fixture for many years at Dad's, but also in the Atlanta …

Feña Ortalli began his acting and improvisation career in 2001 in Buenos Aires. In 2006 he created Global Impro, an improv troupe dedicated to national and international collaboration and exchange. He's currently based in Madrid where he performs and teaches with the larger companies in that city. Feña also has been writing, editing, and providing …

Today's new episode features Jonathan Pitts! In this episode, Whit talks with Jonathan - an award-winning, international improv theatre artist, creator, director, producer, and teacher from Chicago. He's been improvising for over 35 years, and has been involved in founding and directing important festivals and experiences like the Chicago Improv Fe…

Sheri is an instructor at the Second City training center in the improv and music departments. She has performed at the Engaging Women Conference, been a guest on Vocalo Radio's Morning AMp Council of Feminist Thought show, and was a panelist for the Inside Jokes Comedy Conference hosted by Women In Comedy, and has appeared in numerous podcasts add…

In this episode, Whit and Flavien Reppert discuss Flavien’s beginnings in improv in the Match format to his current work at Le Théâtre de l’Oignon. This particular conversation includes a segment regarding the role that language plays in improvising – something that Flavien is particularly positioned to talk about as he not only has travelled to 27…

In episode 8, Whit talks with Anna Ong. Anna is a Singapore based Storyteller and Improviser. Anna's first exposure to live storytelling came while performing at an improv show in with The Magnet in New York City in 2018. That experience led to others, including at The Moth in NYC and with the Story District in Washington DC. Today she is the creat…

Season 3, Episode 7's guest is Omar Galvan - an improviser, workshop facilitator and author originally from Argentina, but now residing in Madrid. Omar is a sought after instructor not only throughout the Spanish speaking world but throughout the world, generally. It is a treat to continue the increasing breadth of experiences in the improv world i…

In this episode, Whit sits down with Balasree Viswanathan. Bala is an improviser based in Bangalore, India, where she is also the co-artistic director of Improv Comedy Bangalore and a performer with The Adamant Eves, India's first and currently only all-women improv ensemble. Improv is newer in India, and particularly Bangalore - and we discuss its…

Get ready for a college level conversation in this one credit symposium with Anne Libera. Anne has worked with The Second City since 1986 and taught in their Training Center since 1991, but is also the Director of Comedy Studies for the Theater Department at Columbia College in Chicago where she teaches History and Analysis of Modern Comedy and Com…

In this episode, Whit has a conversation with Kevin Mullaney, who so many will know from the Improv Resource Center, the associated podcast, and his training that has impacted thousands of improvisers. He was the first Artistic Director of the UCB in New York, but is back in Chicago. The subjects include a consideration of what Kevin’s dream curric…

Shannon Dale Stott is an improviser and instructor out of Austin, Texas. She’s brilliant, fun and thoughtful and was the inspiration I (Whit) needed to start recording interviews again. We spent a fair amount of time on matters of vulnerability and attunement in this conversation. In fact, we probably spent another hour or so afterwards discussing …

Our second episode in Season 3* is with the incomparable, Patti Stiles! Patti learned improv and theatre at the famed Loose Moose Theatre Company in Calgary with Keith Johnstone as a direct mentor. She subsequently moved to Melbourne from where she works as an actor, improviser, director, instructor and playwright. Many in the improv community know…

The Improv Comedy Connection kicks off Season 2 with Jimmy Carrane! Jimmy and Whit discuss what the early days of improv can teach us about the art form today, what the Art of Slow Comedy is all about, and how to grow in your career. Jimmy’s perspective on improv is an important one, given his many contributions to the art and his history going bac…

This is the final session of the COVID-19 Summit. In this conversation, we focus on what the current season that may help us "re-start" for the betterment of improv and improvisers on the other side of quarantine. While we discuss where we're at in the moment, this is more of a forward looking conversation with a high interest in the art of improvi…

In this continuation of a conversation among improvisers around the world, we discuss the implications and possibilities associated with increased globalization in improv - but also topics such as retaining one's cultural identity and context in their performance and the unique challenges of learning and performing in something other than your firs…

This is the first of a two-part conversation among 13 improvisers from 10 countries and 6 continents about the impact and implications of globalization on the art of improv. Recognizing that we are still under unusual circumstances and that live, in person, in theater improv will return, the panel discusses how we all might consider the world of im…

This second of two episodes on online improv, guest hosted by Jules Munns, features a panel of Von Daniel, Amey Goerlich, Elana Fishbein, Roy Janik, Whit Shiller, and Jay Sukow discussing technique, texture and tech in doing online improv. In addition, the discussion provides an encouraging look at the role online improv can play in today's and tom…

In this first of two episodes on online improv, the panel (Von Daniel, Amey Goerlich, Elana Fishbein, Roy Janik, Jules Munns, Jay Sukow, Paul Vaillancourt, with Whit Shiller as moderator) discuss the "why" behind doing online improv. We consider the community, performance and training aspects of putting improv and improv training online, and talk a…

This conversation hosted by Whit Shiller with Joe Bill, Holly Mandel, Ed Morgan, Rebecca Northan, David Razowsky, Patti Stiles, and Jay Sukow, is simply a conversation about how each is doing individually and how our improv communities and the global improv community are doing in the face of COVID-19.…

Dave Razowsky joins Whit for the finale episode of Season 1 -- and it's a great conversation! Dave shares from his long, deep history and thoughtfulness in the art of improv and acting -- with his history going back to Geese Theater Company and its programs for prisoners, moving on to Second City, Improv Olympic, an involvement with the predecessor…

Michael Golding visits with Whit in episode 14 - and it's a deep dive into the history of improvisational theater in the US. In particular, we discuss Michael's mentor, David Shepherd, and his role in the very beginnings of the Compass Players, Second City, iO and the Canadian Improv Games. Michael has a wealth of insight into these early days and …

Andy Goldberg is one of the founding member of Off the Wall — a short form team that has been performing since 1974! — and is also the author of Improv Comedy which is now in its second edition. Andy and has been featured in such TV and films hits as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Golden Girls, The Goodbye Girl, Full House, and the Practice. Over the course…

Ken Davis joins Whit for episode 12 of the podcast. Ken has been a motivational and inspirational communicator, comedian, humorist, trainer, and mentor who has impacted millions of lives over the course of his 50 year or more career. With respect to communication, specifically, Ken has developed the SCORRE Method and related materials to help speak…

Holly Mandel has a diverse career — she is a speaker, inspirer, creative consultant, improviser, director, teacher, writer and entrepreneur. One town isn’t big enough to contain her, so you she splits her time between LA and New York. In this episode, we start with a conversation about improv — including an exploration of character-based improv, wh…

Jules Munns in an improviser, teacher, and co-founder of both Slapdash International (London's longest running festival of improvisation) and The Nursery Theatre in London, UK, and also director of Impromptu Shakespeare. He has performed and taught at festivals across the UK and in countries including the US, Pakistan, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Ita…

Our ninth episode is our first with someone from outside of improv. Bone Hampton joins Whit to discuss comedy more broadly, and his experience and approach to stand up comedy. There are a number of insights that Bone shares that are applicable to any performer, and he also shares some great career advice along the way. Bone was on Season 13 of Amer…

Episode web page Laura Hall is someone who improvisers, in the US anyway, will all know. She’s been a consistent and amazing presence as an improvising musician on Whose Line is it Anyway? in the US right from the start of the series. But Whose Line wasn’t her first gig, and it’s not all she does. In Episode 8, Laura shares more of that story, abou…

Episode 7 of the Improv Comedy Connection features Will Hines! Will has been improvising with the UCB since 1999, where he started with them in New York. He's now in LA, and performs, teaches and coaches improv with the UCB in LA while also acting, writing, and doing a lot of other things as well. Recently, along with Billy Merritt who was on epsio…

In Episode 6, Season 1, Whit chats with Neil Mullarkey of the Comedy Store Players in London. Neil shares the story of starting what has become the longest running comedy show with the same cast along with Mike Myers and others. Since 1985, their team has performed with a remarkably consistent team of six improvisers at the same location with prett…

Episode 5 of the Improv Comedy Connection features Paul Vaillancourt! Paul’s been improvising since college and grew up in the artform at a really interesting time in Chicago before moving to LA to co-found iO West. He’s an author of the book the Triangle of the Scene and has a rich catalog of tips on improv on YouTube. In other words, Paul has ton…

Morgan Phillips joins us for this, our fourth episode. Morgan is based out of New York and performs and teaches with the UCB there. He’s been an improviser for 25 years, and to celebrate, he has started a new project called Not A Bit Comedy Theater. In this episode, Morgan shares thoughts about what makes for good improv, as well as how growth as a…

Nnamdi Ngwe is an actor, model, improvisor, teacher, and writer. He studied and teaches at iO Theater and The Second City and was recently awarded teacher of the year at iO Theater. He and his twin brother and writing partner, Amechi, wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed show Julius which earned him a trip to the New York Television Festiv…

Billy Merritt, along with Will Hines, came out with a book called Pirate Robot Ninja: An Improv Fable. The book expands and explains a theory that Billy developed in his teaching that improvisers are either naturally Pirates (driven more by the right brain/emotion) or Robots (driven more by the left brain/logic and facts) — with the Ninja one who w…