Improv Interviews

What a wonderful opportunity to chat with the incredible musical improv genius, Mike Descoteaux. I've been lucky enough to call him a friend over a decade! He is a beloved teacher throughout the world. We even got to do a musical improv number! Mike Descoteaux is a music director, teacher, composer, improviser and airline pilot, apparently. He was creator and head of the Music Program at The Second City Training Center, music director of the Second City ETC stage in Chicago, and full-time artistic director/executive director of several New England nonprofit arts and comedy organizations. His work has been seen on NBC, A&E, WGN, WGBH and stages around the globe. He has “composed” and “conducted” over 1,000 completely improvised musicals with BLANK! the musical (Off-Broadway), Baby Wants Candy, Musical! the musical, and many others. In addition to teaching/performing at institutions like the Second City, iO, Comedy Sportz, the Annoyance, the Magnet, UCB, Northwestern University, and Columbia College, Mike has led workshops in improvisation, sketch, music direction, and music improv at festivals and theaters all over the world.

Welcome back to the Billy Merritt podcast, Part 2! Billy shares his journey in LA and his return to FL. So grateful to have the opportunity to interview this improv great!

Billy Merritt is an improviser, director, actor and all round great guy! Co-author of one of the best books on improv "Pirate Ninja Robot: An Improv Fable" with Will Hines. I've had the great fortune to be studying with him lately on his BIT comedy podcasts and it is a real trip! He is a founding member of The Swarm, and UCB. As a teacher Billy has developed many improvised longform shows. Such as, The Documentary, Improvised One Acts, The Ninja, Murder Murder, Robot Theatre, and the Holiday Spectacular. Launched in 2024 he curates the BIT Comedy Network with monthly podcast shows "Podcast Town" and "rabbitHOLE" found on Apple Music. Billy is a compassionate and beautiful improv teacher and I know you'll have funny hearing his story!

What a wonderful experience getting to know Vinny Francois! He is a delightful person and we had such fun on this podcast. Vinny has over 25 years experience as a professional improviser in both English and French. He's a founding director of Improv College, Camp Zipzap (an improv camp for adults), was the Executive Producer of Mprov: The Montreal Improv Festival and co-founder of the Montreal Improv Theatre. Vinny has performed in Just For Laughs and improv festivals around the world and he currently writes for The Beaverton. Be sure to check out his beautiful work at the links below. Links: https://improvcollege.ca/ http://www.campzipzap.com/ https://www.can-i-get-a.com/

David Raitt is an improviser, author and sketch comedian from Toronto. David shares his unique improv story starting in high school and having a troupe that was together for years! He has been performing and teaching improv for over 25 years. After acquiring degrees in Cognitive Science and then Law, he started taking improv classes at The Second City, Toronto, in 1996. In 2000, he joined their Canadian National Touring Company. He performed with the Mainstage ensemble and was also on the Training Centre Education faculty for 17 years. He offers speciality workshops in object work, environment and physicality. His book, Improv Illusionist, https://improvillusionist.com/improv-illusionist-book/ is a terrific guide to movement and physical work in improv. We had a fantastic chat and I know that you'll enjoy learning more about David. Be sure to sign up for his newsletter at https://improvillusionist.com/subscribe/ with a focus on the improv skills of environment, object work, and physicality in character and performance. I heartily recommend all of his work!

Listen to Part 2 of our interview with the fabulous BJ Lange. He has devoted his life to service of others. When a cancer diagnosis forced BJ, a former Air Force Reserve medic, onto the Temporary Disability Retired List in 2016, comedy and improv helped pull him through. Now he’s using those same skills to help veterans overcome their disabilities. During the interview BJ spoke about: The Armed Services Arts Partnership for servicemembers and veterans to get involved at www.asapasap.org The Ledge Theatre, Hollywood https://ledgetheatre.org/bj-lange BJ @ The Second City https://oldwp.secondcity.com/people/hollywood/bj-lange/ The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1045695952707987 The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/make-em-laugh-helping-vets-through-improv/

BJ Lange is a very funny man who has survived many health and life issues but continues to find the bright side of life! When a cancer diagnosis forced BJ, a former Air Force Reserve medic, onto the Temporary Disability Retired List in 2016, comedy and improv helped pull him through. Now he’s using those same skills to help veterans overcome their disabilities. During the interview BJ spoke about: The Armed Services Arts Partnership for servicemembers and veterans to get involved at www.asapasap.org The Ledge Theatre, Hollywood https://ledgetheatre.org/bj-lange BJ @ The Second City https://oldwp.secondcity.com/people/hollywood/bj-lange/ The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1045695952707987 The Air Force Wounded Warrior Program https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/make-em-laugh-helping-vets-through-improv/

Listen to the amazing Larry Gifford, found of the PD Avengers - a patient-led organization, united in the purpose of ending Parkinson's disease. We raise awareness, engagement and hope. This site has an enormous collection of resources and hope for folks with PD. Larry has had an extraordinary life in sports radio broadcast in the US and Canada. When he was diagnosed his life stopped, but only momentarily. He started learning Improv at the TightRope theatre in Canada. He recently had DBS, Deep Brain Stimulation, which has helped him regain many of the abilities he lost with PD. He is truly an inspiration and a real hero!

What a great experience getting to chat with Chris Mead in the UK. He is an experienced improviser, teacher, director and author. He was part of the renowned Maydays for many years and an artistic director at the Nursery. Chris authors a fabulous weekly newsletter, Improv Fables. His newsletter is chock full of great info for improvisers and other really interesting things, like music, film and media reviews. His faithful dog, Radio, is also featured every week. In August he's be teaching a Mockumentary Class which I highly endorse - https://improvtheatre.co.uk/upcoming-show/mockumentary-now-with-chris-mead/ You can get In touch with Chris at: https://buttondown.email/mrchrismead/ Or read his improv stories at: https://chrismead.notion.site/Improv-Fables-794d77df30dc47d585b7db519c7d48b0

Meet the very funny and prolific writer, Matt Fotis. Matt is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Albright College, where he teaches improvisation, comedy studies, and writing for performance. He is the author of Satire & The State: Sketch Comedy and the Presidency (Routledge 2020), Long Form Improvisation and American Comedy: The Harold (Palgrave Macmillan 2014), and co-author of The Comedy Improv Handbook (Routledge 2016). His latest book, Fifty Key Improv Performers will be released September 2024. He has published or presented on various topics, including improvisational theatre, new play development, political theatre, solo-performance, comedy studies, folklore studies, popular culture and more. His work has appeared in Theatre Journal, Theatre Topics, Theatre/Practice, The Journal of American Drama & Theatre, Academic Minute, The Encyclopedia of Humor Studies, The Encyclopedia of American Studies, McSweeney's, and MLB.com, among others. He is an award-winning playwright and the co-founder and co-executive director of The First Thursday Comedy Series in Reading, PA. Be sure to check out his very funny videos at: PSA corona virus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7SV20XJBpU Late (Date) night with Matt Fotis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FoUYYjzJ9U Matt Fotis Teaches Online https://www.youtube.com/@mattteachesonline7350 Visit my website where I speak to today's leading innovators of improv. My guests are improvisers and therapists from all over the world who share their stories and offer insight into the unique ways they use improv. margotescott.com/podcast/