Shows
Podcast Town ImprovNorth Caldwell, New Jersey - with Special Guest - Margot EscottNorth Caldwell, New Jersey Tiny town. Big secrets. One suspiciously spiritual traffic light. Birch beer, buried mafia lore, an abandoned sanitarium, and a Church of the Traffic Light that really leans into metaphysics — Margo Escott brings us back to North Caldwell, NJ, and Podcast Town builds a delightfully deranged local variety show around it. Expect tomato politics, a Sopranos-adjacent tour, electrocution "illuminators," and at least one tomato to the face. In this episdode: Host Billy Merritt interviews Margo about growing up in a town with no stores and no traffic lights — until suddenly ther...
2025-10-3131 min
2025-09-2049 min
Improv InterviewsImprov Interviews Margot Escott with Jay SukowShow Notes:
Welcome to a milestone celebration — our 200th (well… 203rd!) episode of Improv Interviews with Margot Escott! Since 2016, this podcast has been sharing the joy of improv with listeners around the world, and today we turn the spotlight on Margot herself. With Jay Sukow as guest host, Margot reflects on her journey through improv, therapy, teaching, and creativity.
Along the way, nine past guests share warm congratulatory messages, and we debut a special theme song: Yes And Around the World. Originally planned for episode 200, this party arrived a few episodes later — and in true improv spirit, there are no mistak...
2025-09-071h 15
Improv Inside OutPlaying for Healing with Margot EscottIn this episode of Improv: Inside/Out, hosts Katie Worzel and Diane Kettering welcome Margot Escott, LCSW, a therapist who brings the power of improv to those living with Parkinson’s disease and anxiety. Margot shares how improv helps her clients stay present, build confidence, and find joy in the unexpected. Plus, she joins Katie and Diane in some fun, on-the-spot improv games! Tune in for laughter, insight, and a deeper look at how play can be a tool for healing.
2025-02-2149 min
If This Is True with Chris HallMargot Escott! Let me introduce you to Margot! She graduated from the New York University School of Social Work in 1983 and has lived and practiced in Naples since 1984. She attended the Rutgers Summer School of Addiction Studies in 1987 and 1990 and has extensive post-graduate training in addiction studies and co-dependency. For over thirty years, Margo has presented workshops and seminars on “Therapeutic Value of Humor and Play” on a national level, and has published several articles on humor, geriatric issues, and improvisational comedy. Using Improvisational Theatre exercises combined with cognitive-behavioral education, Margot helps people suffering anxiety disorders, Parkinson’s, and t...
2023-09-0130 min
2023-01-0851 min
2023-01-0300 min
Improv InterviewsPeter Felsman, PhD - Improviser, Social Worker, ResearcherPeter Felsman, PhD - Improviser, Social Worker, Researcher by Margot Escott
2022-12-2041 min
Improv InterviewsNathan Keeates on Improv and AnxietyNathan Keeates on Improv and Anxiety by Margot Escott
2022-11-1139 min
2022-10-3150 min
2022-07-0353 min
2022-05-2248 min
Improv InterviewsImprov Interviews Paul VailancourtImprov Interviews Paul Vailancourt by Margot Escott
2022-04-1948 min
Improv InterviewsImprov Interview with Robert Moyer - Part 2Improv Interview with Robert Moyer - Part 2 by Margot Escott
2022-04-0641 min
Improv InterviewsImprov Interviews-Robert Moyer Part 1Improv Interviews-Robert Moyer Part 1 by Margot Escott
2022-04-0634 min
2022-03-2040 min
2022-03-0642 min
Improv InterviewsCameron Dee - Improviser EdinburghCameron Dee - Improviser Edinburgh by Margot Escott
2022-02-0530 min
2021-12-2140 min
2021-11-1225 minImprov InterviewsDaniel DeWalt - Improviser/teacher/directorDaniel DeWalt - Improviser/teacher/director by Margot Escott
2021-11-1146 min
2021-10-2959 min
Improv InterviewsMary De Michele - 9:30:21, 9.25 AMMary De Michele - 9:30:21, 9.25 AM by Margot Escott
2021-09-3042 min
Improv InterviewsChris Alvarado - Master Improv teacher & ActorChris Alvarado - Master Improv teacher & Actor by Margot Escott
2021-09-0748 min
Improv InterviewsRon Jarvis - Clown/Actor/Writer/ImproviserRon Jarvis - Clown/Actor/Writer/Improviser by Margot Escott
2021-08-111h 30
Improv InterviewsAmey Goerlich - Amazing ImproviserAmey Goerlich - Amazing Improviser by Margot Escott
2021-06-2647 min
Improv InterviewsLewayne McQueen - Native American ImproviserLewayne McQueen - Native American Improviser by Margot Escott
2021-04-1741 min
Improv InterviewsLaxmi Priya - Playback Theatre & MoreLaxmi Priya - Playback Theatre & More by Margot Escott
2021-03-2757 min
2021-03-1346 min
2021-03-0544 min
2021-02-0341 min
2021-01-1340 min
Improv InterviewsStephanie Rae - Black Improv AllianceStephanie Rae - Black Improv Alliance by Margot Escott
2021-01-1141 min
2020-11-2439 min
2020-11-1645 min
Improv InterviewsBrian Palermo - Improv at the GroundlingsJoin me and meet the multi-talented improviser, actor, and true gentleman Brian Palermo. In his early days at the Groundlings, Brian was lucky enough to play with, learn from, and direct a gaggle of Big Name Comedy People that include Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph, Lisa Kudrow, and many others.
I met Brian at the Vintage Improv Festival this fall and loved his style of teaching style. In our chat, we talk about his career in film and TV and his many years with the Famous Groundlings improv group. He is a beloved improv teacher; he’s bee...
2020-09-2333 min
Improv InterviewsPants Optional Comedy - Online fun withFrancine Wolf & Leigh SheinMeet Francine Wolf and their director Leigh Shein of Pants Optional Comedy. They share their lengthy experience in improvisational theatre and tell us about how they are adjusting to virtual shows on Zoom to entertain and keep people laughing.
2020-09-0146 min
Improv InterviewsEmma Bird - Liverpool Improv ComedyJoin me and meet Emma Bird. Emma is an improviser, teacher, and professional actor and director. She has been improvising since 2007. She was trained in improv by The Maydays (Brighton/London) and has been on training courses and workshops led by world-renowned improvisers: Rachel Mason & Susan Messing (Second City, Chicago); Rich & Rebecca Sohn (Annoyance Theatre, Chicago); Michael Gellman (Second City, Toronto), Shawn Kinley (Loose Moose Improv Theatre, Canada), Armando Diaz (iO, Chicago & Magnet Theatre NYC); Jaime Moyer, (Second City Hollywood and Westside Comedy LA) at Copenhagen International Improv Festival (Apr 2019)
2020-08-2336 min
Improv InterviewsMiki Manting Vintage Improv FestivalListen to the journey of Miki Manting who created the first festival and workshops for folks over 50. She is truly a pioneer! Miki talks to us about how she became involved in improv and what inspired her to start this festival where improvisers who are fifty-years-old and over perform. At Improv theaters where casts are largely made up of improvisers in their 20’s and early 30’s vintage improvisers often experience the phenomenon of invisibility. Miki talks about how Vintage Improv changes that dynamic and about her upcoming 2020 Vintage Improv Festival (VIF) that runs September 10-14, 2020 https://www.vintageimprov.com/ In addi...
2020-07-2440 min
Improv InterviewsNick Doyle - Advice To Folks With AutismNick Doyle - Advice To Folks With Autism by Margot Escott
2020-06-2001 min
Change Your MindsetThe Therapeutic Value of Improv with Margot EscottWould you believe that improv is used in the medical world? Margot Escott is a clinical social worker, licensed therapist, and professional speaker who has presented workshops and seminars on the therapeutic value of humor and play for over 30 years. She has studied and performed improv and was trained by some very well-known improvisers such as Gary Schwartz and friend-of-the-show Jay Sukow. In her practice, she uses improvisational theater exercises combined with cognitive behavior education to assist people suffering from anxiety disorders, Parkinson’s, and those recovering from addictions. Margot explains how this works, shares the story of how im...
2020-06-0840 min
Improv InterviewsPeter Margaritis - The Accidental AccountantJoin me and meet Peter Margaritis, CPA, CGMA, business coach, and author of Improv is No Joke, who uses applied improvisation to inspire people to achieve higher levels of success in their business. Through the improvisation tenets of Yes, And, keep it simple, collaborate and experience, Peter teaches his clients to embrace C.H.A.N.G.E. (Creative | Humor | Aspire | Navigate | Gracious | Ethical) and realize their visions and goals. I was lucky to meet Peter through my good friend and improv coach Jay Sukow, and I know you will be glad to get to know him too.
When asked...
2020-05-3141 min
Improv InterviewsPatrick McCartneyJoin me and meet my friend, Patrick McCartney, as we talk about the many related gifts of studying and teaching improv. Patrick McCartney is an actor, improviser and teacher who has studied with and taught some of the most respected names in the entertainment industry. His improv journey began in Chicago in the late 1990s where he studied with the legendary Del Close and Mick Napier. He spent two years in Chicago’s Second City Touring Company Blue Co where he toured the country with Ali Farahnakian, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey. Currently, Patrick teaches all advanced levels of improv, as...
2020-05-1530 min
Improv InterviewsDeana CriessJoin me and meet my friend Deana Criess, as we talk about the magic of musical improv and her work using improvisation games and techniques with her students at the Perkins School for the Blind. Deana is a professional improviser, master instructor, director, writer, and performer with a specialization in applied improvisation. Deana’s work has been featured on PBS, NPR, KBS (the Korean Broadcasting System), The Boston Globe, CNN, and Slate.com. Her original musical comedy, Lube had a sold-out premiere run in Boston
2020-05-0552 min
Improv InterviewsClay Drinko - 4:26:20, 4.42 PMMeet Clay Drinko who is an educator, an improvisor, and the author of Theatrical Improvisation, Consciousness, and Cognition. He earned his Ph.D. in drama and theatre studies from Tufts University and a Master of Science in education and a Master of Arts in performance studies. Clay started improvising over two decades ago and experienced firsthand the powerful effects of finding flow onstage. This started a lifelong journey to understand how improv affects the brain and how to harness this understanding to improve our everyday lives.
2020-04-2842 min
Improv InterviewsIzzy GesellJoin me and meet Izzy Gesell, an organizational alchemist who helps individuals and organizations transform their thinking from commonplace to extraordinary. He is skilled at delivering meaningful material in a way that makes participants enjoy their time with him.
Izzy is also the author of Playing Along: Group Learning Activities Borrowed From Improvisation Theater, a co-author of Humor Me: America’s Funniest Humorists on the Power of Laughter, and a contributor of a chapter on Improvisation as a facilitation tool in the IAF Group Facilitators Handbook. His latest project is a deck of cards with improv games on them. Learn mo...
2020-04-1833 min
Improv InterviewsKristin Krueger Ph.D. ImprotherapyJoin me and meet Dr. Kristin Krueger who is an internationally known Research Scientist at Rush University Medical Center and a Chicago based neuropsychologist who wrote the first evidence-based research paper on the effectiveness of Improv for Anxiety. The results of the study conducted by Krueger along with two Illinois Tech research collaborators were published in the paper “Thera-Prov: A Pilot Study of Improv Used to Treat Anxiety and Depression” in the Journal of Mental Health (July 2017).
Kristin took her first class in improvisational theater at the famed The Second City Theater and Training Center in Chicago in 2006 for fun, but...
2020-02-1034 min
Improv InterviewsJay Sukow - Improv InterviewJoin me today to meet Jay Sukow, who has been performing scripted and improvised work professionally for over 20 years. Jay has trained with improv legends that include Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Jon Favreau, David Razowsky, Keith Johnstone, Dick Schaal, Del Close and Mick Napier. Jay is a faculty member of The Second City and has performed regularly as part of their “Those Who Can’t” Faculty Jam. He taught and coached teams at iO Chicago, where he was also head of its artistic committee, ComedySportz Chicago, Club Med International, Illinois State University, the New Orleans Improv Festival, the Phoenix Long Form I...
2020-01-2647 min
Improv InterviewsRobert CochraneJoin me and meet Robert Cochrane, an award-winning filmmaker, with numerous narrative and documentary features to his credit. His touching relationship with his father who has Parkinson’s was the inspiration for Robert’s Parkinson’s-themed documentary series, Boys of Summer. He is a Ph.D. student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) studying the effect of improvisation on Parkinson’s Disease and Co-Owner of ComedySportz Las Vegas, which is part of an internationally-acclaimed improvisation league. You can check out some of his work as host and creator of the web series, Faces of Parkinson’s. Robert is part of th...
2019-12-1734 min
Improv InterviewsDr. Dan Bacalzo - FGCU Drama DepartmentDr. Dan Bacalzo - FGCU Drama Department by Margot Escott
2019-12-1450 min
Improv InterviewsLisa Kays, LCSW. Improv TherapyLisa Kays, LCSW studied improvisational theater prior to becoming a master's level social worker. She has been using improv as group therapy and to train therapists in this exciting art form.
2019-11-3036 min
Improv InterviewsRobert Lowe - Improv InterviewsRobert Lowe is lovingly referred to as The Godfather of Improv in Atlanta. During his thirty-nine-year engagement in Improvisation Robert has been a player, an Improv dancer, a teacher, a director, a producer, and a pioneer in the uses of Improvisation for purposes other than performance. He has taught Improvisation, and stand-up comedy, public speaking, and presentation, and community, and personal advocacy in a variety of venues.
He has also been a management consultant, a public speaker, an adjunct professor at Georgia State University, a corporate vice president and a U. S. Navy officer.
2019-11-0938 min
Improv InterviewsLacy Alana - Yes, And BrainJoin me and meet Lacy Alana and learn about her innovative Yes and Brain work. The Yes And Brain framework is the creation of a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, circus artist, and improviser Lacy Alana. As Lacy spent time in the clinical, educational, corporate, and expressive arts worlds over the last decade, she recognized that she was having great success blending facets from each discipline into the others.
When colleagues asked her to teach them tools to mimic her work, she developed the Yes And Brain framework to serve as a foundational framework for work in each setting. Over the...
2019-11-0240 min
Improv InterviewsRob Snow-Improv for Down syndromeMeet Rob Snow who is the Creator and Director of The Improvaneer Method and Executive Director of Stand Up for Downs, he also performs his one-man show, We Need a Sign, nationally (www.weneedasign.net). Rob began his comedy career in the late 90s while training at the famed Second City Theatre in Chicago, performing at comedy clubs and colleges in the Midwest.
In 2009 Rob and his wife Ellen had their second son Henry who was born with Down Syndrome. In 2013, they created Stand Up for Downs, whose mission is to enhance the lives of those with Down syndrome through h...
2019-10-2642 min
Improv InterviewsMichael J. GellmanMichael J Gellman now resides in Ontario Canada and is Artistic Director of The Process Theatre. He teaches at Loyalist College as well as Master Workshops for Second City International and Artistic New Directions NYC. He is an alumnus of the Second City mainstage and was a resident director for Second City in Canada and the USA for 25 years. He was Artistic Director of the Second City Toronto where his shows were nominated for 7 Dora Mavor Moore Awards including twice for Outstanding Direction, nominated for Best Director for Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award, and won a Chalmers Award for Best Di...
2019-10-1653 min
Improv InterviewsLenny RavichLenny Ravich is an actor, author and leading expert in the field of humor and joy.
2019-10-102h 01
Improv InterviewsLisa Bany and Angela Nino Improv Therapy GroupToday we speak with Lisa Bany and Angela Nino, trained Improv directors, performers and creative professionals who teach and facilitate the use of applied Improvisation in the improvement of mental health. Their organization is called Improv Therapy Group and I am proud to have recently been added to their advisory board. Lisa and Angela are not therapists, but they work with licensed therapists and group treatment facilities to bring Improv into the mental health environment.
Lisa Bany is Improv Therapy Group’s, Chief Improv Officer. She is also an instructor, director, and coach at The Second City. She has authored nu...
2019-10-1044 min
Improv InterviewsCarla & Craig CackowskiThe husband and wife team, Carla and Craig Cackowski are the creators of the two-person improv show “Orange Tuxedo” in Los Angeles, California. The perform “Close Quarters”, with a focus on creating grounded relationships formed by eccentric characters. If you like comedy, you may have seen Craig wear various mustaches and costume pieces on Comedy Central’s Drunk History. If you like drunken history, you may have seen Carla drink various beers on Instagram.
2019-09-0436 min
Improv InterviewsJeff MichalskiJeff Michalski is an actor, director, improvisor, teacher, mentor and so much more. He worked in comedy clubs across the country with the Original Comedy Ranger and was a member of the Groundling in Los Angeles before settling with the Chicago Second City in 1980.
During his years with the Second City, Jeff studied with Paul Sills and his historic Story Theatre. While traveling the country with Second City’s National Touring Company he continued training with Second City founder Paul Sills, and artistic directors Del Close, Fred Kaz and Bernie Sahlins.
In 1984 Michalski and his wife, Jane Morris, founded theSecond Ci...
2019-09-021h 02
Improv InterviewsNathan KeatsMeet the wonderful Nathan Keats who has a Master's Degree in Autism from the Tizard Centre. He is currently involved in a research project on using improvisation to support individuals with Autism. Nathan began teaching improvisation in the UK in 2006 and quickly expanding his teaching to the United States. In 2007, he found a love for applied improvisation for autistic people and his enthusiasm continues to this day in his practice, teaching and his research. Nathan’s classes have been taught in festivals, schools, colleges, community centers and theatres to students from seven years old to students who are now retired. As...
2019-08-0436 min
Improv InterviewsPart 1 - Howard Jerome & Michael GoldingPart 1 - Howard Jerome & Michael Golding by Margot Escott
2019-08-0335 min
Improv InterviewsPart 2 - Howard Jerome and Michael GoldingPart 2 - Howard Jerome and Michael Golding by Margot Escott
2019-08-0328 min
Improv InterviewsJane Morris -Jane Morris has improvised, written, performed, and directed shows around the world. Beginning in Chicago, where she helped found the Second City ETC with her husband Jeff Michalski, and later from her own theaters in Los Angeles, no one has done more to advance the art of improvisation than Jane.
As an actress with over 58 credits to her name she is best known for her roles in Raising Helen, True Lies, Frankie and Johnny and recently in Veep.
As a director Jane was nominated for a 1988 Joseph Jefferson Award for Director of a Revue for "Channel This" at the Second...
2019-07-2844 min
Improv InterviewsKay Ross Imagining Possibilities through ImprovisationKay Ross – Imagining Possibilities
Kay Ross was born in Scotland, grew up in Australia, and has lived in Hong Kong for 25 years. She has been acting since she was a teenager, did stand-up comedy for a while, has been performing with short-form improv team People’s Liberation Improv in Hong Kong for 11 years, is a member of the Applied Improvisation Network, and leads Applied Improvisation workshops in Hong Kong and around Asia for companies, universities and community organizations.
Weaving together her interest and experience in improv, Applied Improvisation, personal development and healing (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual), Kay has created a ca...
2019-06-1732 min
Improv InterviewsEd Asner - Improv Interviews with Margot EscottOver the course of his seventy plus year career, Ed Asner has simultaneously established himself as one of the most legendary actors alive while championing social and charitable causes. Ed was born in Kansas City, Missouri, attended the University of Chicago, and served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, appearing in plays put on for the troops as they toured around Europe. After the war, Asner joined the Playwrights Theatre Company in Chicago, but left for New York City before members of that company regrouped as the Compass Players in the mid-1950s, a company that included Mike Nichols...
2019-06-0126 min
Improv InterviewsCarol Sills Improv InterviewsCarol Bleackley Sills, director of Sills/Spolin Theater Works has been an influential force behind improvisational theatre since 1960. Carol studied with Viola Spolin, acting as her editor since 1983. In collaboration with her husband Paul Sills, they went on to create innovative theatres that included The Compass, Playwrights Theatre, Second City, The Game Theater, Story Theater, The Body Politic, Century Hall, The Learning Theater and Sills & Co. Carol presents workshops annually at the Wisconsin Theater Game Center and directed The Tao of Chuang Chou at New Actors Workshop in New York. She is also a painter and educator.
You can learn...
2019-05-2148 min
Improv InterviewsSean Mulvihill - Act Social Movie- Improvisation for Conflict ResolutionSean A. Mulvihill is currently directing the documentary feature film, “Act Social” featuring Colin Mochrie (Whose Line is it, Anyway?). The film follows Sean and his team on a mission to bring improvisation-based peacemaking skills to world leaders and communities in need.
Sean resides in New York City and is the Artistic Director of the Exuberants Improv Comedy Team which performs in Times Square New York City at the Broadway Comedy Club every Sunday at 6pm. The troupe also tours the greater NYC area.
Sean is well known around the globe for creating and starring in the 2007 docu/drama feature film...
2019-05-1029 min
Improv InterviewsAretha Sills Improv InterviewsAretha Sills is the granddaughter of Viola Spolin. She studied theater games for many years with her father, director Paul Sills (creator/director of The Second City and Story Theater), and has conducted workshops for Paul Sills’ Wisconsin Theater Game Center, Bard College, Stella Adler Studio of Acting, Stockholm International School, Sarah Lawrence College, and Northwestern University. She has worked with Tony- and Emmy-Award winning actors and has trained faculty from Northwestern, DePaul, Columbia College, The Second City, The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, LAUSD, CETA, and many other institutions and schools. She is the Associate Director of Sills/Sp...
2019-05-0641 min
Improv InterviewsGary Schwartz Part 2Part 2 of my podcast with Gary Schwartz, an award-winning TV and film actor, director, comedian and a master improvisational acting coach whose 30 years as a performer and improv teacher has helped transform the lives of thousands of people, both on- and off-screen. He studied and worked with Viola Spolin,the mother of modern improv, and is the only master teacher to have ever earned an endorsement from both Viola Spolin and her son, Paul Sills, the co-founder and director of The Second City.
2019-04-1842 min
Improv InterviewsImprov Interviews John Dawson Part 2 of 2I met John Dawson through our mutual friend Nick Johne from Chicago's Second City. They had worked together at Toronto's Second City before they both immigrated to Chicago & Dublin. His first foray into using improvisation for improved mental health was 7 years ago when he was approached to design and facilitate a series of Dramatic Arts for Wellness Workshops for D.C.U. (Dublin City University) in association with St. James Hospital Dublin’s mental health division. John’s taught his improv-based workshops in Critical thinking, Creativity and Effective Communication/Collaboration Skills for corporate and institutional clients such as Google, Airbnb, Drop...
2019-03-2924 min
Improv InterviewsImprov Interviews - John Dawson Part 1 of 2I met John Dawson through our mutual friend Nick Johne from Chicago's Second City. They had worked together at Toronto's Second City before they both immigrated to Chicago & Dublin. His first foray into using improvisation for improved mental health was 7 years ago when he was approached to design and facilitate a series of Dramatic Arts for Wellness Workshops for D.C.U. (Dublin City University) in association with St. James Hospital Dublin’s mental health division. John’s taught his improv-based workshops in Critical thinking, Creativity and Effective Communication/Collaboration Skills for corporate and institutional clients such as Google, Airbnb, Drop...
2019-03-2929 min
Improv InterviewsCraig Price on Improv Interviews with Margot Escott, LCSWMargot Escott speaks with improv master Craig Price who is using his 30+ years of experience (including training with the great Del Close)in wellness classes that use improv to improve the lives of those who are differently abled. Craig shares with us the wisdom he learned from both Second City and IO with Del Close - To always play at the top of your intelligence, to encourage each other, to play intelligently and to lift each other up.
2019-02-1936 min
2018-11-1526 min
2018-11-0825 min
Improv InterviewsCameron Algie - Improv for AnxietyCameron Algie - Improv for Anxiety by Margot Escott
2018-10-1832 min
2018-10-1225 min
Improv InterviewsNick Johne PodcastJoin me to listen the the fascinating and very funny improv master Nick Johne. An alumnus of Toronto’s award-winning Second City Main Stage cast, Nick Johne has been teaching improvisation in various capacities since 1983. He is currently teaching at The Second City Chicago and in the Theater Department of DePaul University where he is adjunct faculty. He has performed all over the world and was an original member of the workshop production of the Tony award-winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone. Nick Johne currently lives in Chicago with his wife and daughter.
2018-09-1125 min
2018-09-0247 min
Improv InterviewsKelly Leonard – Author and Creative Executive at The Second City in ChicagoKelly Leonard is the Executive Director of Insights and Applied Improvisation at The Second City and Second City Works. His book, “Yes, And: Lessons from The Second City” was released to critical acclaim in 2015 by HarperCollins and was praised by Michael Lewis in Vanity Fair who called it “...an excellent guide to the lessons that have bubbled up in Second City’s improv workshops.” Kelly is a popular speaker on the power of improvisation to transform people’s lives. He has presented at The Aspen Ideas Festival, The Code Conference,TEDx Broadway, Chicago Ideas Festival, The Stanford Graduate School of Business and...
2018-08-2538 min
Improv InterviewsImprov Interview with Jill BernardImprov Interview with Jill Bernard by Margot Escott
2018-06-1344 min
Improv InterviewsSANDY BRUCE - PIONEER IN IMPROV FOR ASDSANDY BRUCE - PIONEER IN IMPROV FOR ASD by Margot Escott
2018-05-1202 min
Improv InterviewsImprov InterviewsListen to the exciting improv program created by Wendy Rush and Tom McCourt for the Las Vegas Juvenile Offenders program. This unique program will also serve the parents as well.
2018-03-1726 min
Improv InterviewsStephanie AndersonMeet Stephnie Anderson - improviser, performer, teacher and much more!
2017-12-2319 min
Improv InterviewsTed DesMaisonsMeet the delightful Ted DesMaisons. Ted is known for his work with Mindfulness and Improv. He is an inspiring and lovely man!
2017-12-2038 min
Improv InterviewsMichael GoldingListen as Michael Golding shares his journey in improvisational theatre for over 40 years. He was mentored by the "Father of Improv" David Shepherd and wrote and produced the documentary, "David Shepherd: A lifetime of Improvisational Theatre".
2017-11-2155 min
Improv InterviewsImprov Interviews - The Fantastic Funny FemmesListen to Brie Watson, Candace Meeks and Alicia Douglas of the Fantastic Funny Femmes describe their powerful work on-stage and in the classroom. These ladies are definitely making a difference and using improv as a healing art.
2017-10-2243 min
Improv InterviewsPam Victor - Improviser/AuthorPam Victor describes her life in improv, founding the improv group The Ha-Ha's and how she co-authored "Improvisation at the Speed of Light" with TJ Jagodowski and David Pasquesi. Pam keeps busy teaching and performing at Happier Valley at the Northampton Center for the Art in Northampton, Mass.
2017-10-0151 min
Improv InterviewsPatricia Ryan Madson - Improv WisdomJoin us for a delightful talk with a woman who has brought improv to so many people.She is the author of the award-winning book,IMPROV WISDOM: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up (Bell Tower, 2005).
She shares how she discovered improv through her passion for Tai Chi, which led her to studying with Keith Johnstone. She is a professor Emerita from Stanford University where she began teaching in 1977. In the Drama Department she served as the head of the undergraduate acting division and developed the improvisation program. She founded and coached the Stanford Improvisors and taught beginning and advanced level co...
2017-09-0245 min
Improv InterviewsKAT KOPPETT - Improv Interviews Ep.18Kat Koppett is the CEO & President of Koppett a coaching and consulting company specializing in the use of theatre and storytelling techniques to enhance individual and organizational performance.
Her book on how to use improvisational theatre techniques for organizational development, Training to Imagine: Practical Improvisational Theatre Techniques to Enhance Creativity, Teamwork, Leadership and Learning, is considered a seminal work in the field of Applied Improv, and is used in organizations around the world. She holds a BFA in Drama from New York University and an MA in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University.
Kat has designed and delivered training such diverse...
2017-08-2057 min
Improv InterviewsJoe Bill - Master Improv Teacher.I had the good fortune to meet and study with Joe Bill and I was truly blown away by his brilliance as an improv teacher and human being. For more about Joe Bill visit his Facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/joe.bill and https://www.facebook.com/BASSPROV/. You can follow him on Twitter @mrjoebill. Recorded 7/27/17.
2017-08-0646 min
Improv InterviewsDr. Daniel WienerDr. Wiener discusses his work combining improvisational theatre games in psychotherapy. His book, "Rehearsals for Growth", 1994, is a groundbreaking work on how improv games can be utilized effectively in counseling.
2017-08-0639 min
Improv InterviewsSAM LONGORIASam is truly a Renaissance man (although he insists the Renaissance is over!) and he loves improvisational theatre, film editing and directing and so much more. Sam is a incredible artist and a genuine, generous soul!.
2017-07-3043 min
2017-07-2943 min
Improv InterviewsBernie De Koven-Improv InterviewBernie De Koven, the master of play, shares his experience in the art and therapy of play! Bernie brings joy and love wherever he goes and is known as the "Shaman of Play," Bernie a leading fun theorist who has shown over the course of his 45 year career how fun and playfulness lead to some of the most important trends in games today, from large scale community games to casual game apps. He is the author of The Well-Played Game (originally published by Doubleday in 1978 and reissued in 2013 by MIT Press), A Playful Path (over 640,000 downloads), and a CD Recess...
2017-07-1651 min
Improv InterviewsImprov Interview Assael Romanelli, MSWAssael Romanelli, MSW is an improviser/therapist who recently published his PhD research study on training therapists in improvisation skills.
Listen to how Assael’s path in improvisation theatre, psychotherapy and education led him to this groundbreaking research. Hear about the ways in which these disciplines come together to create a new, synergistic training which can help generate healing and growth processes for the individual and relationship.
“Theater improvisation skills increase spontaneity, animation and co-creation with the other, as well as enhance immediacy skills. This pilot study examines the effects of theater improvisation skills training on therapists’ perceptions of therapy and th...
2017-07-1439 min
Improv InterviewsGary SchwartzListen to master improvisation coach Gary Schwartz talk about his childhood that inspired him to write his award winning childrens book,"The King of Average" at http://www.gary-schwartz.com. Gary Schwartz is a film actor, director, and a master improvisational acting coach. It was Gary’s 18-year association with world-renowned theater educator and author, Viola Spolin that provides the foundation for his work today. Gary is the only master teacher to have ever earned an endorsement from both Viola Spolin and her son, Paul Sills, the co-founder and director of The Second City. Part 1 of 2.
2017-07-1335 min
Improv InterviewsBernie Dekoven Part 2Improv Interviews Part 2 with the fabulous Bernie De Koven. Bernie explains the "well-played game" and how to put the fun back into our lives.
2017-07-1025 min
Improv InterviewsIMPROV INTERVIEWS: JIMMY CARRANEImprov master teacher Jimmy Carrane shares his history in improv and working with some of the great teachers in this art form. His students come from around the globe as his teaching style allows students to become authentic, in improv and life.
2017-06-1346 min
Improv InterviewsStacey SmithImprov Interviews. Margot Escott speaks with Improv Professional Stacey Smith in Bonita Springs Florida where Stacey was teaching an Improv Workshop and performing with Bonita City Improv. Stacey Smith is a loud Long Islander who can be seen performing regularly in the ensemble at CSz or with The Deltones and The Musical Armando at iO. Stacey has just perfomed two contracts with The Second City aboard the Norwegian Breakaway. In addition to performing, Stacey teaches in both the Youth Program and A-E program at The Second City Training Center as well as at the Playground Theater and CSz Theater Chicago.
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2016-11-0526 min
Improv InterviewsImprov Interview #1 Craig Price - 10:26:16, 1.45 PMThis is episode one of Improv Interviews with Margot Escott
2016-10-2818 min