Gael Doorneweed-Perry is a fabulous improviser and co-founder of Flock Theatre Amsterdam. https://flock-theatre.com/venue/flock-studio-treehouse/ He loves traveling and creating formats to explore and share, including with his partner on and off-stage, Laura Doorneweerd-Perry. After their tour around the world to teach and to perform their show Object of Affection in 2019-2020, he settled back in Amsterdam where they created Flock Theatre together. Gael is originally from France, near Strasbourg, and describes his childhood as introverted and observant. Gael's first contact with art was through his parents' love for music, especially his mother's singing. Gael played the clarinet from a young age, inspired by the story "Peter and the Wolf.""The Little Prince" is a favorite book that has impacted his throughout her life. He also recalls falling in love with the Disney classic "Fantasia". He didn't discover improv until University where a friend, Cedric, invited him to a class. And he was hooked! Gael discusses his teaching style, emphasizing the importance of physicality and nonverbal communication in improv. He has created workshops on various topics, including Moliere and sound effects. Gael is truly a creative and brilliant person.
Meet my friend Kitty Parker. We met at the online Queen City Comedy School and I knew I wanted to get to know her better. I was fascinated by her writing about improv which you can find at https://medium.com/@kittyparker_8532 She moved from Europe to New Zealand where she discovered improv! Kitty Parker shares her journey in improv, starting with weekly classes and progressing to jam sessions with higher-level improvisers. She discussed her experiences at the New Zealand Improv Festival and the impact of different teachers. Kitty also talked about her children, including her non-binary daughter, and her work as an early childhood educator. She emphasized the importance of life experience in improv and the joy of teaching newcomers. Kitty has an ebook on Amazon , Improv Impressions, be sure to check it out! She concluded by advising older improvisers to embrace their life experience and be open to new roles.
Wow! What a fabulous trip chatting with Anděl We laughed so much and she reminded me how playful improv really is! She is a highly sought after improv coach and director and her performances are truly inspiring! Anděl Sudik is a director, improviser, actor and writer based in L.A. and Chicago known for her explosive energy onstage and in the classroom as well as her experiential teaching style. She considers herself proactively pessimistic and infused all her work-no matter how abstract- with organic honesty and emotional grounding. She was born in Chicago, raised in California and moved back to Chicago at the tender age of 17 to study comedy and improvisation. She is a faculty member of the Second City Training Center programs; A-E, Conservatory, Health and Wellness, Advanced and Teen and Youth program and has taught her workshops all over the states and the world(The Nest OH, The Improv Shop St. Louis, Monkey Business Institute Madison, OLLIE Northwestern, CLIP U of C, OKC, The Improv Retreat, WI, Improv Utopia East, Providence Fest, Red Rocks Fest, Gladstone Fest, The New Movement NOLA, Iceland, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Ireland, N. Ireland, BIG IF, Neverending, Oslo Fest etc.) As an actor she is an alum of Boom Chicago in Amsterdam, the Second City Touring Company and performed in the Jeff Award award winning Second City ETC revue “We’re All in this Room Together.” She has also produced countless successful two-man shows as Arch&Anděl(The Public House, Annoyance, OoB Festival) and improvisational experiences(Obits a theatrical experience exploring the lives of those that have passed) as well as directed in Chicago at Second City, iO and the Annoyance. Anděl’s deep well of performance experience and her hands-on, in depth work within the disciplines of long form improvisation, short form, sketch and theater make her a thoroughly well-rounded and open minded conduit for art, creation, polish and playfulness. She values time efficiency, and recognizes that the most powerful thing we bring to the table is us. Whatever we are. She does not update her website enough. Connect with her at: website: https://www.yesandel.com insta @the_proactive_pessimist
What an incredible delight to spend an hour with Singer/Songwriter Harold Payne! Harold is also known as an Improvised Songwriter and wherever he performs he uses audience suggestions to create an incredible improvised song! In fact, Harold creates a song in this podcast! Harold has an impressive career of songwriting for such diverse artists as Rod Stewart, Patti LaBelle, the Temptations, and long time collaborator, Bobby Womack—literally from Peter Paul and Mary to Snoop Dogg. Most recently, Rudimental reached #1 on the UK album charts containing the Womack/Payne song “New Day”, “Daylight” charted with Kelly Rowland plus the CD “Bravest Man in the Universe” which was co-written by Payne, Bobby Womack, Damon Albarn (Gorillaz) & Richard Russell (XL Recordings) received the prestigious “Q” award in the UK for “Best Album of the Year.” You can learn more about Harold at https://haroldpaynemusic.com/news/
Meet my sketch writing buddy, Debby Bloom! Debby is a fantastic writer and we've been in many of the same classes and writer's rooms at The Sketch School with Marc Warzecha. She has spent a lot of her life in finance and accounting but several years ago she decided to spread her wings and learn new things. A very funny lady, she braved stand-up comedy, which you can see on her YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQmBJcuxb7w&t=51s. But the grueling schedule of a stand up comedian wasn't exactly her thing. She heard about this "improv" thing and was immediately drawn in taking all levels. During the pandemic she was looking at comedy classes, joke writing and saw Marc Watzecha's Sketch School. She has been a dedicated student since then. Debby is multi-talented and has presented workshops on using AI in sketch comedy. She maintains her position as a professor teaching math. I know you'll love her sense of humor and enthusiasm as much as I do!
Show Notes: Welcome to a milestone celebration — our 200th (well… 203rd!) episode of Improv Interviews with Margot Escott! Since 2016, this podcast has been sharing the joy of improv with listeners around the world, and today we turn the spotlight on Margot herself. With Jay Sukow as guest host, Margot reflects on her journey through improv, therapy, teaching, and creativity. Along the way, nine past guests share warm congratulatory messages, and we debut a special theme song: Yes And Around the World. Originally planned for episode 200, this party arrived a few episodes later — and in true improv spirit, there are no mistakes! This special episode was lovingly produced and edited by Bright Su, with a little AI magic helping create the theme song. Big thanks to our team — Producer & Host: Margot Escott; Producer & Editor: Bright Su; Engineer: James Sitton; and Super Connector: Jay Sukow. And most of all, thank you to our listeners for supporting us through 200+ inspiring episodes. Here’s to many more adventures in Improv!
Liz Thompson is a vivacious and engaging screenwriter, puzzle/game creator, and development and mystery consultant, and this interview was so much fun! She fell in love with improv and storytelling in middle school and went on to perform, teach and found an improv comedy club in Chicago before moving to Los Angeles and has since sold both sitcoms and mysteries to CBS and NBC. She currently has a TV series in development and she is also in production on filming her own episodic pilot for a project called DOUBLE TAKE with her partner and the co-creator, Brendan Connelly. She offers several classes and consulting that you can find on her website at: https://www.howtoliz.com I think you'll love Liz as much as I do!
Get to know the incredibly enthusiastic improv player/coach Yael Schy. We explore her improv journey from dreams of being a dancer to becoming a wonderful improv teacher. Yael is truly unsinkable! Yael Schy, Founder, Zoomers to Boomers Improv, is a leader in using expressive arts in organizational learning and development, and a pioneer in leading Intergenerational Improv classes. She is principal of Dramatic Strides® Consulting, specializing in leadership development, communication skills, teambuilding and innovative decision-making techniques that help people and organizations move forward together. Yael is also a founding member of the Applied Improvisation Network, an international community of Applied Improvisation practitioners. Yael brings a unique perspective by combining decades of management and facilitation experience with Somatic Coaching certification and 50 years of teaching improvisational theater and dance, to create dynamic interpersonal skills training, coaching, and consulting services. She empowers individuals, teams, and organizations by helping people use their whole selves—body, mind, and heart—to connect with their true passion and creativity, producing extraordinary results. She is passionate about using improv .Check out more about Yael at https://zoomerstoboomersimprov.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/yael-schy/ yael@zoomerstoboomersimprov.com
Meet the wonderful Laura Doorneweerd-Perry! She is an improviser from Amsterdam and we had a laugh-filled chat in this episode. Laura is co-founder and co-director of Flock Theatre, but she has also been a member of the cast of multiple productions, as well as directing and producing fabulous shows! She met her husband, Gael Doorneweerd-Perry, at an improv festival and they felling love! They planned a Global World Honeymoon Tour but the pandemic got in the way of completing. They have performed all over the world and delight audiences everywhere.
What a delight speaking with Fena Ortalli, known around the world as a brilliant improviser/teacher. He is the founder and editor of STATUS (Revisita de Improvisation) the foremost journal about all things impro around the world. This impro magazine has been published sine 2001Originally from Argentina, where he discovered Impro, and had a sideline as a birthday party entertainer! He has been improvising since 2001. In 2006 he created Global Impro, an improv troupe dedicated to national and international collaboration and exchange. He resides in Madrid and is a frequent guest at Impro Festivals around the world. For more information contact him: https://www.globalimpro.com/ https://payhip.com/status
Meet legendary improviser Tim Orr based in San Francisco. We had a fabulous chat about his life in improv, international travels and favorite movie. We spoke about his philosophy on improv and the importance of connections. He even gave me a tour of his home! He has been improvising since 1988 with many San Francisco and international groups, including BATS Improv, True Fiction Magazine, Awkward Dinner Party, and with the acclaimed troupe 3 For All. In 2009, he founded Improv Playhouse of San Francisco. Since 2015, he has toured Europe with Inbal Lori from Berlin performing their duo show Click. Tim has also appeared in numerous plays in the San Francisco Bay Area, and received critical acclaim for his leading roles in the improvised feature films, Suckerfish and Security. Nationally, Tim has performed and taught improvisation at the American Conservatory Theatre, BATS Improv, Stanford University, and many other venues (Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Austin, Louisville, Atlanta, etc.). Internationally, he has performed and taught at numerous festivals and/or as an invited guest artist in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Beirut, Belgium, Berlin, Bucharest, Dubai, Hamburg, Helsinki, Lisbon, London, Lyon, Mallorca, Oslo, Paris, Saudi Arabia, Shanghai, Sofia, Stockholm, Tel Aviv and more. Tim has consulted with numerous groups both nationally and internationally in their formation of improvisation groups and also the development of new improvisation formats.
Meet the fabulous Tim Yeo! He is from Singapore and has a fantastic improv theater at Ask Auntie Productions. He studied law in Bristol, UK and there he discovered improv at the Bristol Improv Society. He quickly joined the cast and has been improvising since 2011. He returned to Singapore in 2014 to practice law and began improv groups there. His teams ASAP improv and Les Musicables perform Musical Improv as well as other forms. He has traveled to Improv Festivals around the globe. In our chat he describes his teaching style. He is a fabulous spirit and we had so much joy getting to know each other! You can learn more about him at www.askauntie.sg and connect via Instagram @savingtimmy
Ashton Keys is a delightful therapist in Orlando, Florida. She is currently working on her Ph.D. and exploring ways that improv can be used in training therapists. I know you'll love getting to know Ashton!
Meet the incredible Rebecca Sohn! She is originally a New Jersey girl but has had so many adventures since leaving home at age 18. She describes her father and how he fostered her creativity by building a stage in their basement for her to give dancing performances. Her dad involved the whole family in co-writing a play, which was basically improvised and was produced at two local schools. Her passion and love was ballet until age 16 when she tragically "grew out of a dancer’s body" and gave up her dream of being the Prima Ballerina of the World. She remembers her high school English teacher, Ms Bartow, who nurtured her students’ artistic sides. At 18 she moved to Boston and recalled seeing an Improv Touring Company Show, but didn’t walk away thinking “This is what I want to do.” A few years later she moved to the Bay Area of California and was able to attend school and knew she wanted to be an actor. But the acting classes were full so she enrolled in an improv class, with the thought it would help her acting. While in SF she met Charna Halpern of the IO and was invited to Chicago and the rest was history! It was Charna who persuaded her to date Rebecca’s (now) husband, Rich Sohn! To learn more you’ll have to listen to the podcast. You can find out even more about Rebecca at her website www.rebeccasohn.com
Meet the talented Rich Sohn! After being introduced to improv in college, he moved to Chicago in 1987, so he's definitely a seasoned pro in the Improv world. He studied, taught and directed at the Annoyance Theatre, IO and, Second City. As a teacher, he was at The Annoyance Theatre where Rich primarily found his voice and approach. His teaching style is highly influenced by Mick Napier. He moved to LA in 2017 and now teaches at The Pack Theater. He has directed, written and performed hours and hours of comedy content. Designed curriculum to help professionals and students find and perfect their voice. And improvisation has remained at the root of everything he does. We talked about what he looks for in his students and his teaching style. I think you'll admire Rich as much as I do!
Our producer/engineer Bright Su introduced me to an incredible human being, Matt Folliott. We had such a fun and lively conversation and when you listen you'll know why his last name foretold his career in acting! He grew up in Canada and had is own agent at ten years old! Matt is a Comedian/Actor/Writer from Toronto, Canada, and a former cast member of The Second City National Touring Company and Canadian Comedy Award Winning Sketch Group The Sketchersons. Matt was nominated for Best Male Improviser two years in a row in Toronto’s beloved NOW magazine. He was also nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Improv Troupe with his group K$M (pronounced K and M) and has had the pleasure of performing and teaching improv across the globe in festivals like NOW Improv Festival (Beijing), Manila Improv Festival, Vietnam Improv Festival, Singapore Improv Festival, Hong Kong Improv Festival, Improvaganza (Edmonton, CND), Vancouver Improv Festival, Mprov (Montreal, CND), Ottawa Improv Festival, The Winnipeg Improv Festival and The Seattle International Festival of Improv. You can hear him or see him on your TV or laptop screens in shows like Bakugan (Netflix), PJ Masks (Disney +), Clifford the Big Red Dog (Prime Video), Agent Binky: Pets of the Universe (Treehouse), Charlie’s Colorforms City (Netflix), Workin’ Moms (Netflix), Baroness Von Sketch Show (Netflix) and Odd Squad (PBS Kids). Check out his website at https://www.mattfolliott.com
I met Rebekah through Marc Warzecha at the Sketch School and knew I wanted to know more about this intriguing person! Rebekah is getting her MFA in Performance Pedagogy at Loyola Marymount University, Rebekah has been an adjunct faculty member at The Second City since 2008. She has developed comedy writing courses for SCTC, Lesly Kahn & Co, and The Sketch School. Co-creator and executive producer of Chicago's long-running LGBTQIA+ soap opera, The Ville, Rebekah is a former associate member of The Actors' Gang with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from San Jose State University. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and a founding member of the Association of International Comedy Educators (AICE-CWA Local 9505). In Part 1 we talk about her early life, interest in theater and her path that led her to Second City Chicago. Be sure to check out her website at: https://rebekahwalendzakslepski.com This summer she Rebeka perform for Shakespeare on the Bluff: https://cfa.lmu.edu/programs/theatrearts/shakespeareonthebluff/ If you'd like to study sketch writing with her she teaches at the Rodney Dangerfield Institute @LACC. https://lacitycollege.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&int_class_id=13113&int_category_id=0&int_sub_category_id=0&int_catalog_id=0
We continue our fascinating talk with Rebeka Walendzak Slepski and her journey in sketch writing and life. She spoke about her recovery from Hodgkin lymphoma and subsequent bone marrow transplant. Despite going through treatment and surgeries she persevered and went to Second City LA. She was on the faculty teaching writing and sketch. Rebekah has been an adjunct faculty member at The Second City since 2008. She has developed comedy writing courses for SCTC, Lesly Kahn & Co, and The Sketch School. Co-creator and executive producer of Chicago's long-running LGBTQIA+ soap opera, The Ville, Rebekah is a former associate member of The Actors' Gang with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from San Jose State University. She is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and a founding member of the Association of International Comedy Educators (AICE-CWA Local 9505). Be sure to check out her website at: https://rebekahwalendzakslepski.com This summer she Rebeka perform for Shakespeare on the Bluff: https://cfa.lmu.edu/programs/theatrearts/shakespeareonthebluff/ If you'd like to study sketch writing with her she teaches at the Rodney Dangerfield Institute @LACC. https://lacitycollege.augusoft.net/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&int_class_id=13113&int_category_id=0&int_sub_category_id=0&int_catalog_id=0
Meet my amazing friend, Diana Brown. I've taken several Improvised Shakespeareworkshops with Diana and she is a real gem! We had so much to talk about that this is Part ! Diana is an improv artist, teaching artist, actor, producer, director and voiceover talent. She was voted Most Valuable Mentor and Teacher at the San Francisco Improv Festival. Diana was named as one of The Improv Boosts 2025 Sudden Impact Teachers. She leads the improv program at Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s School of Theatre. Diana is an instructor, producer and a member of the leadership team with Leela Improv Theatre in San Francisco. She presents the improvised Shakespeare program at All Out Comedy Theatre, is a guest teacher with BATS (Bay Area Theatre Sports) and teaches with Greater Than The Sum. Diana enjoys helping improv artists find and amplify their unique gifts! She genuinely believes everyone is infinitely fascinating and endeavors to instill that belief in her students. She believes the truth is the most compelling thing we can offer up on the stage and encourages her students to bring their truth to their characters whether they’re naturalistic or fantastical. She’s presented Improv workshops, intensives and “workshop to show” experiences at SAVI Fest, Northwest Improv Fest, Improv Fest Ireland, Belfast Improv Fest, Queen City and Comedy Experience, Uptown Improv Festival, Vancouver Improv Festival, Tucson Comedy Arts Festival, Ocean State Improv Festival, Gather Spring Improv Retreat, Cornerstone Improv, O-Town Improv festival, Countdown Improv Festival, Camp Improv Utopia West, Experience, IMPRIDE, Unscrewed Theatre, 2nd Best Comedy Fest, Denver Improv Festival, Unscrewed Theater in Tucson, AZ, All Out Comedy Theater in Oakland, CA, Sealevel, San Francisco, CA, Phoenix Theater, San Francisco, CA. Diana plays in the Shakespeare inspired, Gamesome Frolic. She’s half of the duo Bingewatch, plays in the Tennessee Williams inspired duo Fleeting Reminiscence, the trios POPTOP, Slumber Party, the duos Horrible People, DJ, Secret Lives of Villains, Salt and Pepper, Davenport & Brown, and the Twilight Zone inspired ensemble But of Mind. Diana appeared as a guest artist with BATS Improv in San Francisco and is a member of the acting pool with the San Francisco sketch comedy company Killing My Lobster. She has appeared at Impro Amsterdam, the Liverpool Improv Festival in Mark Smith’s Taxi Tales, the Vancouver Improv Festival, Uptown Improv Festival, Improv Fest Ireland, Gather Spring Improv Retreat, Rise Comedy Fest, SF Sketchfest, The Queen City Comedy Experience, San Francisco Improv Fest, Improvaganza Hawaii Festival of Improv, San Diego Improv Fest, O-Town Improv Fest, New York Improv Festival. Vintage Improv Fest, 2nd Best Comedy Fest, New Orleans Improv Fest, Twin Cities Improv Fest, Alaska State Improv Fest, Tucson Comedy Arts Fest and others. Diana also performs in scripted theater productions including Playground Solo Fest 2025 and at theaters and theatre festivals around the country. You can reach Diana at: Check out Bingewatch Improv my duo with Dan Wilson: https://www.contemporarytheatercompany.com/ocean-state-improv-festival Or her website at: https://www.dianalynnbrown.com
Meet my really cool friend and great improviser, Murph McHugh. We met at a class with Billy Merritt, one of the founders of Upright Citizen's Brigade and I was struck by how effortlessly he played! He hails from DC and is quite a Renaissance man. I don't use the word "brilliant" often but it absolutely describes Murphy. To find out more about Murphy and take a class with him here are his contacts. His comedy group is Brick Penguin (brickpenguin.com) , he teaches at Dojo Comedy (dojocomedy.com) and The Radical Agreement Project (https://www.radicalagreement.com/) and his personal site is Murphymchugh.com