Evanston comedian Jimmy Carrane is thrilled to be back performing his one-person show, "World's Greatest Dad(?)" on June 6 at the Northfield Public Library! About World's Greatest Dad(?) After 10 years in group therapy, Jimmy Carrane is still unhappy that he is not as famous as some of the people he started out doing improv […]
Kris Sharma is a very funny stand-up comedian whose new comedy special, Ethnically Vague, has just been released on YouTube. Last year he opened for Hannibal Buress. I knew Kris when he lived in Chicago. He had been a student of mine and spent years there becoming a great improviser. Kris is someone who understands how important it is to […]
With the new year upon us, I thought I would share with you five things that have helped me in my improv career. With a little courage and willingness, these five things can make a big difference in your career and in your life. Want to learn a new way of improv that is as easy as having a […]
The longer I teach improv, the more I see that some improv “rules” get in the way of students’ improvising. I don't even like to call them rules because that implies that if you're not following them, you are doing it wrong. I try to use the word guidelines. One of the goals of improvisation […]
I love learning about comedians -- their successes and their struggles. Last week, I shared my three favorite documentaries about comedians that I watched in 2025. And this week, I wanted to share my three favorite books about comedians that I read this year. If you don't get these books from Santa, you must find another way […]
Besides being an improv nerd, I am an even bigger nerd about documentaries about comedians. I love to hear about comedians' success as much as their struggles. A good documentary has a way of inspiring me. The best ones let us in on the comedian’s creativity, what motivates them, and teaches us something about them that we […]
When I was in my 20s, my parents would let me invite my improv friends who had no place to go for the holidays over to our house. We used to have improvisers over for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. I guess it was their way of supporting the arts. The other day, I was speaking to […]
Last week I had an audition for an independent film. Which means you lock yourself in your bedroom and tape yourself on your iPhone, then you e-mail the video to your agent, never to hear about it again. I know, I sound cynical, but auditioning used to be more fun when you went in-person and you at least […]
I hate to admit this, but the longer I teach improv, the more I see the benefit it has in people’s lives. Maybe I’ve drunk too much of the improv Kool-Aid over the years, but improv is a pretty amazing artform, and lately I’ve been struck with how improv can bring people together in a way that […]
Back in the ’90s there were as many great actors and improvisers in Chicago as there were Starbucks. Phil Lusardi was one of them. Though we never worked together, I knew and respected his work. We would occasionally run into each other at the actor bar, The Damen. He was always positive and honest, which is a rare combo. […]