Improv and Magic

My guest today is someone who also holds a special place in my heart, Mark Sutton. Mark has performed, directed, and taught improv for over 30 years.  He’s one of the founding members of The Annoyance Theater, he’s performed and taught improv at Second City, both in Chicago and Toronto, and has performed at numerous venues and festivals all over the world.  Mark also teaches improv to people in the academic and business world, and his clients include major companies like GE Healthcare, Major League Baseball, McDonalds and Yahoo.  He’s also one half of the world renowned show Bassprov, which he performs alongside improv legend Joe Bill. In this conversation, you’ll hear about his love for the craft and his joy in sharing this with others, as well as the creation of Bassprov, the time he first meet Mick Napier… and his great love for baseball!

For today's tip, we talk about the important of performing in your own voice. Don't try to be like anyone else, just be you. You are the one we want to see, and you are just as special. You'll hear some examples regarding this, and you'll hear a story about someone I knew who tried to be like someone else...it didn't end well for them! Be sure to keep tuning in for more tips here on Improv and Magic.

Today's guest is the Mega Magic star himself, Franz Harary. Franz Harary’s groundbreaking illusion designs have changed the entire scope of modern magic, and his spectacular brand of grand illusion has been dubbed, “Mega Magic” by the international press.  His magic is on really a large scale, and includes such feats as vanishing the Taj Mahal, moving Hawaii’s Diamond Head volcano two miles out to sea, teleporting people from Japan to Los Angeles, making the Goodyear Blimp turn invisible, and even making the NASA Space Shuttle Explorer disappear! He’s been featured on many television shows like World’s Greatest Magic and Masters of Illusion, and has also appeared in other television specials airing in Japan, China, Thailand, Korea, and India, among others.  Franz Haray has also designed illusions for many well-known musical artists, like N*SYNC, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Usher, Reba McEntire and Missy Elliott, among many others. This was another one of my childhood heroes growing up, and I'm so honored to have had the chance to speak with him. To learn more about Franz Harary, visit his website at franzharary.com.

My guest today is Nnamde Ngwe. Nnamdi is an actor, model, Improvisor, teacher, and writer. He studied and teaches at iO and The Second City, and was recently awarded teacher of the year at iO Theater.  Along with his twin brother, Amechi, Nnamdi wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed show Julius which earned him a trip to the New York Television Festival and a nomination for Best Screenplay at the Best Of The Midwest Film Awards, among others.  He also wrote and starred in Rap Skool, which was also screened at the New York Television festival and earned him a best actor nomination also at the Best of the Midwest Film Awards. Nnamdi is also a cast member of the critically acclaimed and award winning Improv/Sketch team 3Peat, an absolutely incredible group that has performed around the world and has even been featured on Comedy Central. I got to meet Nnamdi when he and 3Peat performed at the Miami Improv Festival, and I was completely blown away by this guy’s talent! To learn more about Nnamde Ngwe, visit his website at thennamdi.com. You can also find him on Instagram and enjoy his love for mix CDs of the early 2000s.

For today's tip, I'll share what happens when you get conflicting notes for your performance. As we learn and grow in improv and in magic, we'll often get different points of view from people on how we should be performing. This can get confusing at times, right? So here's my tips on what to do when dealing with conflicting notes. Ultimately...it's your own cookbook!

Today I get to talk to one of my childhood heroes, the amazing Jeff McBride! Jeff is known as one of the world’s most innovative and exciting magical performers. His shows have won rave reviews and standing ovations in Vegas showrooms,  theaters, and arenas around the world.  Jeff has also had multiple television appearances on such major television shows like The Art of Magic on PBS, World’s Greatest Magic, The World Magic Awards, Masters of Illusion, VH-1’s Celebracadabra!, Criss Angel Mindfreak, and Penn & Teller Fool Us. Jeff McBride has won numerous awards and honors, which include Magician of the Year from both the Magic Castle and the Society of American Magicians, he’s a FISM world champion, Stage Magician of the Year from the International Festival of Magic, he’s been voted Best Magician by the Las Vegas Review Journal, a 3 time award winner by the Guinness World Records, and was inducted into the Society of American Magicians’ Hall of Fame. To learn more about Jeff McBride, visit his website mcbridemagic.com, and check out Jeff McBride's Magic & Mystery School at magicalwisdom.com for classes online and in person.

In today's episode I chat with my friend, Casey Casperson. Casey is a fantastic improv actor, teacher, and comedian, and is co-owner of Sick Puppies Comedy, a fantastic comedy show that performs at the Doghouse Theater in Boca Raton, Florida.  This guys is one of the most passionate and driven individuals I’ve ever met.  Casey is a hard worker and a true gentlemen.  You’ll hear a lot about how hard he hustles, and stays committed to seeing every project through to the very end. Learn more about Casey Casperson and Sick Puppies by visiting their websites, sickpuppiescomedy.com and doghousetheater.com to find out about their shows and classes.

This is the first of a new segment called LD's Tips, where I share some of tips I've learned on becoming a better improvisor and magician (and some are for both!). These will be shared at various times during this season, so be sure to tune in for some tips you might find useful. Today's first tip is on how to start a scene. How do you get a scene going? What's the first thing you should do when your scene begins? What do you need to do right away? In this tip, I share what I do when I begin my scenes, and as you'll hear, everything I need is already there in front of me.

Today we officially kick off Season 2 with the very special Stacey Hallal. Stacey is the founder and artistic director of Curious Comedy Theater in Portland, Oregon, and has been performing, teaching, and directing improv for over 20 years.  She’s trained and performed at Second City, iO, Annoyance, and ComedySportz in Chicago, and has performed and taught improv and sketch comedy at over 100 festivals across North America.  Stacey is also the creator of her very popular improvised show called Ruby Rocket Private Detective, an incredibly inventive and amazing show which she’s performed with many other great performers, like Maribeth Monroe, Stephanie Weir, Amber Nash, and Colin Mochrie. Stacey holds a very special place in my heart.  Because it was watching her duo with Mark Sutton at the Miami Improv Festival many years ago that completely changed me and made me realize the type of improv I really wanted to do. Learn all about Stacey's theater Curious Comedy Theater at curiouscomedy.org, and find out more about her show Ruby Rocket Private Detective at rubyrocketpi.com.

Today is our season finale of Improv and Magic Season 1! Today, we're sharing my favorite moments from all of my conversations with my amazing guests. Some of them are meaningful, others are funny, some are even both! You'll hear my favorite moments from these great guests (in order of appearance): David Christopher Marlene Marcos Anthony Francis Rick Munarriz Mark Mocahbee John Sturk Jonathan Freudman Tara DeFrancisco & Rance Rizzutto Kathleen Kenny KC Korge Joe Bill David Hepburn and Alex Taylor David Razowsky Nelson Velazquez Carisa Hendrix (aka Lucy Darling) Susan Messing Be sure to tune in to Season Two of Improv and Magic, where we'll have more conversations with more great people, plus the premiere of a new segment called LD's Tips.