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August 1, 2018
Bombing at the Top of an Improv Show

We all want to do the perfect improv show. Every move is brilliant. Every edit is just right. Every scene is hilarious. But what happens when in the first couple of minutes of an improv show we bomb big time? Well, if you are like me, you feel shame. You shut down. You become best […]

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January 26, 2016
173: Shana Merlin

Shana Merlin is the owner and founder of Merlin Works in Austin, TX. Shana is a well-respected improviser and teacher with quite a following. In this lively episode recorded at the Institution Theater in Austin, Jimmy talks to Shana about starting to teach improv when she was only 22, her take on making mistakes in improv, […]

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November 3, 2015
162: Jen Ellison

Jen Ellison is a director, writer, teacher and performer who is best known for directing The Second City e.t.c.’s 38th revue, “Apes of Wrath.” Jen teaches at The Second City, DePaul University, and Columbia College. In this episode, Jimmy talks to Jen about discovering a passion for directing at a young age, the transition from DePaul’s […]

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November 21, 2013
The risk of taking risks

You hear this all the time in your improv classes – you need to take more risks on stage. But what improv teachers forget to tell you is that when you take risks, you’re going to feel feelings: anger, sadness, anxiety, fear, shame and, in rare cases, joy. This is a by-product of taking risks, and […]

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