Improv Interviews

Roy Janik · Post by **Roy Janik** » May 21st, 2007, 9:02 pm

As a public service, here are the links to the interviews on ImprovInterviews.com. The actual site is rather hard to navigate:

As payment, someone please tell me who all these people are.

Asaf · Post by **Asaf** » May 21st, 2007, 10:54 pm

Armando Diaz - one of the founding members of the UCB (and was head writer of the Comedy Central show) and founder of both The PIT and The Magnet in NYC. Heavily involved in IO when he was in Chicago. And, of course, the person that the format, the Armando, was named after.

Billy Merrit - Teacher at UCB for many many years and one of the members of their top house team, The Swarm. He appears very often on the various VH1 talking heads shows (like Best Week Ever) as well as the various improv-related prank shows that keep popping up like Sledgehammer and Boiling Points on MTV.

Bob Dassie - I believe we all know Dassie from Dassiriski and he also performs in WeirDass with his wife Stephnie Weir. He was Second City and IO in Chicago and now teaches, I believe, at IO West in L.A.

Brian Stack - IO and Second City in Chicago and is now one of the writers for Conan O'Brien. He is the redhead who plays Frankenstein as well as the fast talking bad salesman.

Craig Cackowski - Also in Dassiriski, also Second City and IO in Chicago, and now is in COG in L.A.

Dan Bakkedahl - Second City in Chicago from which he infamously left while denouncing publicly in the Chicago Reader the Second City system. Now is a correspondent on Daily Show.

David Pasquesi - One half of Chicago's greatest duo, Tj and Dave, with Tj Jagadowski, he is Second City and IO in Chicago. Does a lot of small roles in films, such as butcher Amy Sedaris' mother is dating in the Strangers with Candy movie.

Ed Herbstman - Originally IO and Second City, I believe, in Chicago. Now lives in NYC and is one of the main teachers at The Magnet.

Joe Bill - One of the founders of the Annoyance Theater, also a big part of IO. One half of Bassprov with Mark Sutton.

JTS Brown was one of IO's biggest house teams.

Matt Besser, Matt Walsh, Ian Roberts - Three of the four founders and performers, along with Amy Poehler of the UCB and UCB-L.A. Theaters. They are all direct disciples of Del Close.

Miles Stroth - Another of Del's disciples at IO in Chicago, now teaching at IO in L.A. One half of the acclaimed duo, Zumpf with Dan Bakkedahl. Infamously able to do the raunchiest possible improv ever, when challenged to.

Peter Gwinn - IO Chicago and now part of the UCB in New York. One of the founders of the Chicago/NYC musical improv group Baby Wants Candy. Author of Group Improvisation.

Rob Huebel - Was a performer and teacher at UCB-NY, member of one of their best house teams, Respecto Montalban and now of third of the Comedy Central sketch show Human Giant (which is very funny).

Tami Sagher - Second City Mainstager who went on to be writer on MadTV.

Thomas Middleditch - Candian born improviser, IO Chicago, member of Baby Wants Candy.

Todd Stashwick - Chicago Second City trained. Moved to New York City and was a part of Burn Manhattan, one of the first big longform improv troupes in the city. Moved to L.A. and founded the Hothouse which focuses on organic improv, working closely from the Spolin ideas. Currently plays Dale Malloy on The Riches.

David Razowsky - Artistic Director of L.A. Second City and one half of Razowsky and Clifford, an awesome duo.

Eric Hunicutt - Was artistic director at IO West, believe he still is. Member of Trophy Wife, one of the house teams, and was a founder of The Reckoning which is one of the most ballyhooed teams to come out of Chicago IO lately.

Gary Austin - Actor, writer, director and original founder of The Groundlings though he was involved in the Committee in San Francisco before that.

Roy Janik · Post by **Roy Janik** » May 21st, 2007, 11:40 pm

Awesome. Thanks, Asaf!

kbadr · Post by **kbadr** » May 21st, 2007, 11:47 pm

Asaf wrote:Billy Merrit - Teacher at UCB for many many years and one of the members of their top house team, The Swarm.

...which means he's more or less responsible for Roy, Wes and me getting into improv. I should read that one.

York99 · Post by **York99** » May 21st, 2007, 11:57 pm

Roy Janik wrote:The actual site is rather hard to navigate:

How do you navigate at all? There are no links on the main page.

shando · Post by **shando** » May 22nd, 2007, 1:04 am

Man, just read the Razowsky interview. I'm so stoked he's coming here for OoB.

Roy Janik · Post by **Roy Janik** » May 24th, 2007, 12:47 pm

God, I've now read all of these interviews. My brain hurts.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » May 24th, 2007, 1:28 pm

Asaf wrote:JTS Brown was one of IO's biggest house teams.

This was an amazing show by an all star cast of improvisers who wanted to develop new edit techniques and scene bending ideas for longform like Jazz Freddy or Lois Kaz had done in previous generations and they did an spectatcular job of accomplishing that.

The cast was an who's who of my time at iO

TJ Jagadowski (TJ & Dave, Sonic commercials)
Ike Barinholtz (MADtv)
Jason Sudeikis (SNL)
Sarah Gee (Secodn City Vegas)
Ed Goodman (Secodn Cit Vegas)
Rob Janas (Second CIty ETC)
John Lutz (30 Rocks, SNL)
Christina Gausas (Conan, Colbert Report)
Jack McBrayer (30, Rock, Talladega Nights)
Pete Grosz (Sonic Commericals, Colbert Report)
Jed Resnik (Melvin Goes to Dinner)
Gillian Vigman (MAD tv, Sons and Daughters, 40 Year Old Virgin)
Bumper Carroll (Boom Chicago, Second City Video Director)
Director: Craig Cackowski (Dasariski)

Roy Janik · Post by **Roy Janik** » June 4th, 2007, 12:12 pm

There are new interviews up with Susan Messing and Charna Halpern:

Susan Messing, Part 1
Susan Messing, Part 2
Susan Messing, Part 3

Charna Halpern, Part 1
Charna Halpern, Part 2

Fultron · Post by **Fultron** » June 4th, 2007, 1:05 pm

You beat me to it. Thanks Roy. Thanks for checking out those interviews to everyone who reads them, and hopefully enjoys them.

Also, thanks for those links. The website is going to stay like it is, I'm imagining, for quite a while, so those can be helpful for navigation. Take it easy. Josh

mcnichol · Post by **mcnichol** » June 4th, 2007, 1:09 pm

thanks for the links, Roy (edit: and for the interviews, Josh!). Both were great, and I laughed out loud more than a few times during Susan's.

Roy Janik · Post by **Roy Janik** » June 4th, 2007, 1:10 pm

Fultron wrote:You beat me to it. Thanks Roy. Thanks for checking out those interviews to everyone who reads them, and hopefully enjoys them.

Awesome, Josh. Welcome to the Austin forums, and thanks for these insanely enlightening interviews. If you ever want any help modifying the blogger template for your website, I'd be glad to help.

Roy Janik · Post by **Roy Janik** » June 4th, 2007, 1:21 pm

My favorite thing from the Charna Halpern interview is when she's asked about her mask class, and her response could easily be a quote from Impro:

Charna Halpern wrote:Mask work is a class in possession. It really shows you how to do character. These things transform you. You start to feel. When they take off their mask, they're like 'Holy cow, I was in another world.' Then I can show them you can do that without a mask."

Awesome. I love this convergence.

erikamay · Post by **erikamay** » June 4th, 2007, 2:10 pm

i have such a long-standing improvchub for susan messing.

awesomeawesomeawesome.

thanks for posting these, roy.

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