Jay Sukow Part I

Jay Sukow
Jay Sukow is one of the most respected and beloved improv teachers today. He shares his childhood with a nurturing family and how he became the man he is. His parents gave him a ticket to his first Improv class and he found his passion. He studied at Second City, IO, and Comedy Sports. Jay shares a wonderful story of spending an afternoon with David Shepherd. We chat about our admiration for the “mother of improv” Viola Spolin. Jay shares his ups and downs in the improv world. He is very funny and a truly humble person. #Iknowjaysukow
 

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You may enjoy hearing from improv teachers and innovators including Colin Mochrie and David Pasquesi  *Improv Interviews podcast‘ is introduced by Susan L. Parker of yourinternationalvoice.com

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Dr. Peter Felsman on Improv and Anxiety

Dr Peter Felsman
Peter FelsmanHow wonderful to get to know the delightful Dr. Peter Felsman. He is a therapist, improviser, and researcher. Peter has written several papers and research studies on improv including The use of improvisational theater training to reduce social anxiety in adolescents with Colleen M. Seifert, and Joseph A. Himleb. He hails from New Jersey and was in a family with several psychotherapists, so he knew his path at an early age. In his first stage performance, he played Winnie the Pooh. He told his mother he didn’t like it and she asked what he wanted to do. He replied, “I want to be absent.” He was on stage again in Middle School, playing Uncle Henry in The Wizard of Oz, which was his final performance. He shared that Uncle Henry had to yell, and that was something he was unfamiliar with, as he grew up in a “sound-sensitive” home.
 
Peter switched to the “Pit,” got a music degree in percussion, and played for many staged performances. He had five degrees from the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. He earned a BA in psychology, a BS in social psych and MSW, and then Ph.D. in social work, where he began his research work. In 2019, he held a postdoctoral associate position at Stony Brook University. The position was a joint appointment at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science and the Social Competence and Treatment Lab. He described a meeting with Alan Alda that left a lasting impression on him.
 
He took his first improv class in college and was immediately inspired to learn more. He later studied at Chicago Second City, the IO and Annoyance, and several other improv schools. His journey into improv and therapy is fascinating and as a therapist, I certainly appreciate what he is contributing to our field.

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You may enjoy hearing from improv teachers and innovators including Colin Mochrie and David Pasquesi  *Improv Interviews podcast‘ is introduced by Susan L. Parker of yourinternationalvoice.com

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Amy Seham A Feminist Look at Improv

Amy Seham Meet my brilliant friend, Amy Seham. She wrote the groundbreaking feminist look at Improv in her 2001 book “Whose Improv is it Anyway?” and is currently working on her updated sequel coming out this summer. Amy is a remarkable person, a historian, author, improviser, actor, director, playwright and so much more. In our interview, she talks about the amazing family she grew up in and her early love of all things theatrical. We met at a Patti Stiles improv workshop and she is really fun to play with. I know you will enjoy this special podcast.
 

Amy Seham is a director, author, professor, and improvisor whose book, Whose Improv Is It, Anyway? Beyond Second City (2001) is a ground-breaking study of race, gender, and power in Chicago improv-comedy. Her writing on improv has been published in The Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies and in Radical Acts: Theatre and Pedagogies of Change. In the last 20 years, Seham has created improv workshops for social workers and professional actors in India, college students in China, and children in the Dominican Republic. She has offered classes at Second City in Toronto, Fringe Benefits in LA, and the Playwrights Center in Minneapolis taught for Funny Woman Festivals in Minneapolis and Chicago and given workshops for colleges and universities across the country. Her 2016 keynote address for the Mellon Foundation Series on Comedy and Gender at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, launched a new book project, Improv for the 21st.  Century, to be published by Routledge in 2023.

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Dr. Matt Tolliver – Leading through Improvisation

Dr Matt TolliverI was so fortunate to chat with Dr. Matthew Tolliver!  Dr. Matt Tolliver has a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision with a concentration in Leadership. He is a certified Professional School Counselor (Pk- adult) and elementary school teacher (K-5), a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), and an Approved Licensed Professional Supervisor (ALPS). He is the owner and operator of Tolliver Counseling and Consulting Services, LLC, which includes workshop development and delivery using applied improvisation. He is an adjunct professor at West Virginia University and a member of the Fearless Fools improv comedy troupe.
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Nathan Keates on Improv and Anxiety

Nathan Keates 1Meet the wonderful Nathan Keates with a Master’s Degree in Autism from the Tizard Centre. He is currently involved in a doctoral research project on autistic adults and anxiety, investigating changes from an improv course. Nathan began teaching improvisation in the UK in 2006 and quickly expanded 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 a qualified teacher in the UK, Nathan brings a spontaneous and rationalizable approach to his teaching and currently conducts research with autistic people. Learn more about Nathan on his website NathanImprov.com for his improv-related materials and information.
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Kenn Adams on Improvisation

Kenn Adams What an enjoyable and informative interview with Kenn Adams. He is a high-energy person with a wealth of experience in improv and playwriting and we had a lively chat. He is the creator of the classic short-form improv games Sit, Stand and Kneel and The Family Dinner (a.k.a. Ding/Buzz or Biography) as well as The Story Spine, a simple exercise for understanding story structure that has been embraced by improvisers, writers and teachers the world over. I got to play Story Spine with him and had so much fun!
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Gary Ware – Playing His Way to Happiness

Gary Ware Improv
Gary WareWhat an incredible interview with the playful Gary Ware! Thanks to our mutual coach, Jay Sukow for introducing us so I could learn about Gary’s inspiring story. It was exciting to chat with another believer about the power play has to transform lives. Gary’s love of helping others find the playful path in their lives resonated with me. We spoke about the blocks adults face with play and the difference between Childish and Childlike!
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Blue Cavell-Allette Improviser and So Much More

Blue Cavell-Allette Improv
Blue Cavell AlletteI was so delighted to interview my friend and coach Blue Cavell-Allette. I’ve taken many classes with her and have always learned so much! We first met on an all-women team she was coaching and then again when she was the substitute teacher for Jay Sukow. We played a scene together, and she is so much fun to play with. She speaks on her improv journey and experience in writing, directing, and teaching!
 

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From Improviser to Therapist – Beth Melewski

Beth Melewski Improv
Beth Melewski is a brilliant and generous woman who is transitioning from actor/improviser to training to be a psychotherapist. Her improv and acting career started in high school and she continued on to the main stage at Second City, traveling with them on cruises and being a part of the ETC theatre. She also played at the Annoyance and IO. She is a writer, director, and producer and loves Musical Improv. Our mutual friend, Mike Descoteaux, was her musical director at Second City where she performed with groups like Baby Wants Candy. We discussed the similarities between improv and therapy as well as improv and the 12-Steps of recovery programs. She is a delight to know and I believe you can book a session in January 2024! I know you’ll love her as much as I do!
 

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The Talented David Pasquesi

David Pasquesi Improv
David PasquesiDavid Pasquesi is considered one of the greatest improvisers today! He is a very humble and accepting spirit and his quick wit is phenomenal. With his partner, T.J. Jagodowskie, their show, T.J & Dave, has been delighting audiences for many years, around the world. David is an actor, producer, writer, and director. We chat about his time at Second City learning from legendary artists such as musical director, Fred Kaz and teacher Del Close. He was greatly impacted by Del Close and uses that education today. You may have seen him as Andrew in Veep and as Mok Shaiz’s Majordomo in The Book of Boba Fett and in a series created by Jon Favreau as a spin-off from The Mandalorian series. What a wonderful experience getting to know David! 

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