Cheryl Sloane was literally raised at Second City Chicago since her mother, Joyce Sloane, was the beloved maternal powerhouse in the origins of The Second City. Joyce Sloane was the woman who found and nurtured such comedy giants as John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Chris Farley, and Bill Murray, She was described as a “den mother” to the actors and staff at this famed improv theatre. If someone needed a doctor, a lawyer, a wedding ring or to be bailed out of jail, Joyce was the person who made it happen. We also explore the last 20 years of Cheryl’s life. She opened G-Boutique, an upscale women’s shop where women could feel comfortable buying sexy lingerie and quality sex toys. Why lingerie? Well, Joyce Sloane always wore glamorous peignoirs. Cheryl thought everyone should have one. While owning the B-Boutique Cheryl consulted with physicians to explore sexual health and wellness for women. Since the store closed, Cheryl works in marketing and branding for Uberlube-, a silicone lubricant designed to enhance sex that has many uses including hair care. Joyce showed Cheryl to “always find the good in people” and that’s how Cheryl has lived her life. The people whose lives she touched love her and by the end of this interview, so did I!
Ron Jarvis is certainly a Renaissance man. He is a writer, actor, improviser, and really great human. He’s also truly an adventurous soul! He shared the story of his bucolic childhood that led him to sail on a Norwegian freighter to exotic places to his entry into clown college and being a clown with the Ringling Circus. You’ll love his stories of working with clowns and other circus folks! His love of elephants and working with them is truly a love story! His life changed when he was still at the circus and had time off to see the Lampoon Comedy show in 1975.
That cast included Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Brian Doyle-Murray. After returning to see several shows he said to himself, “I want to do that” and headed to Chicago to audition at Second City. His first show was as a heckler in the audience, irritating other folks until he was invited on stage, by his clown partner who was also in the cast, and they engaged in a wild clown fight that brought down the house. He shares stories of studying with Del Close and Bernie Sahlens.
What a great chat I had with the multi-talented Rick Hall. He is truly a Renaissance man who grew up on a farm in central Illinois, in the town of Carrollton, with a population of 2,484! As a young boy, Rick sang and performed with the Carrollton Community Chorus and at church. He attended MacMurray College and he was planning on being a veterinarian, but after auditioning and getting cast in a show he slowly began to grasp the fact that this could be his career. (He actually played a veterinarian twice on the Seinfeld show!)
His improv career began at the Improv Institute in Chicago. The Improv Institute was founded in late 1983 by John Michael Michalski, who would go on to teach at The Second City in Chicago. The Improv Institute was a staple in Chicago and hundreds of local improvisers played there, including Jane Morris, Jeff Michalski, Jonathan Pitts, and Susan Messing.
Join me and meet acting and writing coach Aretha Sills, who comes from improvisational theater royalty. Her grandmother was Viola Spolin, the “mother” of improv, and her father Paul Sills started The Second City. Her mother, Carol Sills, was the editor of Viola Spolin’s “Improvisation for the Theater” and worked with Paul on many of his shows and productions. Hear Aretha talk about her father and the work he did in Door County, Wi., where Aretha recently returned to live. Aretha also speaks about shifting to on-line teaching since the pandemic. I’ve had the wonderful pleasure of studying several sessions with Aretha and she is a magical teacher. I know you will learn so much listening to her in this podcast.
Join me and meet Dr. Kristin Krueger who inspired me to use improvisational theatre techniques in my own practice. She 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).
Join me and meet the award-winning improv master Michael J Gellman who 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 Director. He is a senior faculty and founding member of the Second City Training Center where he was a Program Head and also Director of the NY training Center.
The 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.
Jeff Michalski is an actor, director, improviser, 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.
Carol Bleackley Sills, director of Sills/Spolin Theater Works has been an influential force behind improvisational theater since she left Montreal and came to Chicago in 1959. Carol studied with Viola Spolin, acting as her editor since 1983. With her husband Paul Sills, they created many innovative theaters, beyond Paul’s The Compass, Playwrights Theater Club and The Second City. namely The Game Theater, Story Theater, The Body Politic, Century Hall, The Learning Theater and Sills & Co. Carol and her daughters present workshops at the Wisconsin Theater Game Center and other places nationwide. She is a painter and arts educator. You can learn more about Carol Sills at: www.paulsills.com/sillsspolin-theater-works/
Carol studied with Viola Spolin, acting as her editor since 1983. With her husband Paul Sills, they created many innovative theaters, beyond Paul’s The Compass, Playwrights Theater Club and The Second City. namely The Game Theater, Story Theater, The Body Politic, Century Hall, The Learning Theater and Sills & Co. Carol and her daughters present workshops at the Wisconsin Theater Game Center and other places nationwide. She is a painter and arts educator. You can learn more about Carol Sills at: www.paulsills.com/sillsspolin-theater-works/
Part 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.
Cheryl Sloane was literally raised at Second City Chicago since her mother, Joyce Sloane, was the beloved maternal powerhouse in the origins of The Second City.
Joyce Sloane was the woman who found and nurtured such comedy giants as John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Chris Farley, and Bill Murray, She was described as a “den mother” to the actors and staff at this famed improv theatre. If someone needed a doctor, a lawyer, a wedding ring or to be bailed out of jail, Joyce was the person who made it happen. We also explore the last 20 years of Cheryl’s life. She opened G-Boutique, an upscale women’s shop where women could feel comfortable buying sexy lingerie and quality sex toys. Why lingerie? Well, Joyce Sloane always wore glamorous peignoirs. Cheryl thought everyone should have one. While owning the B-Boutique Cheryl consulted with physicians to explore sexual health and wellness for women. Since the store closed, Cheryl works in marketing and branding for Uberlube -, a silicone lubricant designed to enhance sex that has many uses including hair care.
Joyce showed Cheryl to “always find the good in people” and that’s how Cheryl has lived her life. The people whose lives she touched love her and by the end of this interview, so did I!
What a great chat I had with the multi-talented Rick Hall. He is truly a Renaissance man who grew up on a farm in central Illinois, in the town of Carrollton, with a population of 2,484! As a young boy, Rick sang and performed with the Carrollton Community Chorus and at church. He attended MacMurray College and he was planning on being a veterinarian, but after auditioning and getting cast in a show he slowly began to grasp the fact that this could be his career. (He actually played a veterinarian twice on the Seinfeld show!)
Join me and meet acting and writing coach Aretha Sills, who comes from improvisational theater royalty. Her grandmother was Viola Spolin, the “mother” of improv, and her father Paul Sills started The Second City. Her mother, Carol Sills, was the editor of Viola Spolin’s “Improvisation for the Theater” and worked with Paul on many of his shows and productions. Hear Aretha talk about her father and the work he did in Door County, Wi., where Aretha recently returned to live. Aretha also speaks about shifting to on-line teaching since the pandemic. I’ve had the wonderful pleasure of studying several sessions with Aretha and she is a magical teacher. I know you will learn so much listening to her in this podcast.
