I have always wasted the summers by staying inside. When I met Lauren, it didn't get any better. We would buy a beach pass, and I would go once with her. I would lie to her and say I wanted to do more outdoor activities. But by Labor Day, I had not done one outdoor activity. It's sad really. […]
There's no better time to catch up with your reading then during a pandemic. The summer helps too. So before you fill up the kiddie pool with water and pour yourself another Arnold Palmer, I have come up with a short list of books all about making it in the world of comedy that I think […]
Happy Fourth of July, even though in most parts of the country, all celebrations have been cancelled. In the town where I live, the annual parade, fireworks and face painting is all taking place online. It's not the typical Fourth of July sitting inside on your laptop watching computer-generated fireworks, but this is not a […]
I need to write for my mental health. For my sanity. It’s been harder lately, with everything that is going on in the world -- a pandemic, protests about racial injustice, and the closing of theaters. When it comes to writing, I have not felt inspired. My muse is A.W.O.L. And during this time I […]
Ric Walker has performed with the Improvised Shakespeare Company for 15 years and is the director of the Chicago cast. He is also a professor at Columbia College in Chicago, where he teaches improv, sketch and stand-up. Jimmy talks to him about Improvised Shakespeare, why emotions are our friend in our scene work, and his […]
Steven Castillo is an Emmy-nominated writer for Saturday Night Live. Jimmy talked to him about how improv helped his stand-up, auditing for Saturday Night Live, and about some of his favorite sketches from the show like “Shrek“ and “Weezer.”
My almost four-year-old daughter, Betsy, was playing with her two-inch tall plastic Disney princess dolls, when Cinderella’s head fell off and rolled under the couch. She looked and looked and couldn’t find it. So she decided to have a funeral for Cinderella. She lined up all the other Disney princesses on the coffee table and […]
Will Luera is a renowned improviser, actor, director and instructor who performs and teaches all over the world. He has served as the artistic director at Improv Boston and the director of improv at Florida Studio Theater, and was recently named artistic director of Improv Asylum in Boston and New York. In this episode, Will […]
Jane Morris is an actor, improviser and director. She is the Johnny Appleseed of comedy clubs, having opened the Chicago Comedy Showcase and the Second City e.t.c. in Chicago and the Upfront Comedy and the Comedy Underground in Santa Monica, CA. She currently manages the Fanatic Salon in Culver City, CA. Jane has a reputation […]
Armando Diaz is widely regarded as one of the best improv teachers in New York. He is the co-founder of The Magnet Theater there, and help create one of the most popular long forms ever, The Armando Diaz Experience. We talked to him about what makes a good Armando show from both the monologist and […]