Improv Yak

In Episode 60 of Improv Yak, Paul F. Tompkins is back! He and Carla do a yak in front of a live audience and as always, Paul is an absolute delight. Special thanks to Nick Armstrong and Westside Comedy Theater for producing this fun event at the 2018 Westside Comedy Festival.

In episode 59 of Improv Yak, Carla chats with her friend and Director of Improvisation at Florida Studio Theater, Will Luera! https://will-luera.com/

In episode 58 of Improv Yak, Carla chats with Rachel Rosenthal before their shows at the 2018 Stumptown Improv Festival in Portland, OR. They discuss Rachel's background and experience in Freeform & hip hop improv and get into the thick of it in regards to their thoughts on the House Team experience.

In Episode 57 of Improv Yak, Carla chats with improv teacher and performer, Laura Doorneweerd. Laura is based out of Amsterdam and she and Carla discuss the differences in the American and European improv scenes, setting healthy personal boundaries in class and rehearsal, and "Dimensions" (Laura's own improv technique).

In episode 56 of Improv Yak, Carla chats with UCB Improviser and Teacher, Cory Willis. They discuss what it was like for Cory to begin improvising at 32, saying "yes" to opportunities early on in your improv career, and what Cory loves about teaching improv to teenagers.

In Episode 55 of Improv Yak, Carla chats with Detroit Improv Festival producer and co-owner of Go Comedy! Improv Theater, PJ Jacokes. This episode was recorded live at DIF in 2017.

In Episode 54 of Improv Yak, Carla yaks with her pal, Jason Shotts. They talk about "Ownership" in improv and Jason gives Carla so many new great teaching and coaching ideas that her brain melts mid-conversation.

In Episode 53 of Improv Yak, Carla chats with her pal, writer and improviser, Patricia Villetto. They talk about Patricia's experience using her improv skills in a professional writer's room, as well as the different tools she picked up from all the various comedy schools with which she has studied and performed. They also have a pretty real convo about how they feel about short form improv. They'll do it! If they have to.

In Episode 52 of Improv Yak, Carla sits down with the creator of Drunk History, Derek Waters. They chat about his improv beginnings as a student in Toronto and how Chris Farley has long been an inspiration. Then they improvise one of Carla's favorite improv scenes she's done on the podcast yet! Read more at http://improvyak.libsyn.com/#WWxIqc3Ib8zQU6lw.99

Season three of Improv Yak begins with Craig Cackowski returning as co-host. We discuss why Carla took a break from Improv Yak for a while, as well as go through the list of festivals she and Craig have performed in over the past year and a half.

In the 50th episode of "Improv Yak", Carla shares a conversation she had with improviser Kevin Crowley at the Cincinnati Improv Festival in September. They tackle ensemble and - HEY! - this is our first live episode in front of an audience!

In Episode 49 of "Improv Yak", Carla chats with former student and Second City Hollywood graduate, Angela Getz. They discuss how improv helped Angela rediscover her voice after enduring a traumatic situation and her journey towards healing and becoming a comedic giant amongst her peers (Carla's words). 

On Episode number forty eight of "Improv Yak", Carla yak's with long time improviser and improv teacher, Jay Sukow. They focus on the ensemble and Jay throws down a couple sports metaphors that Carla does her best to keep up with!

In Episode #47 of Improv Yak, Carla shares a conversation that she had with improviser, teacher, and author, Paul Vaillancourt. They discuss Paul's book on his improv philosophy, "The Triangle of the Scene" (available on iBooks and Amazon Kindle), as well as his one man improv show, "Man Vs. Movie". For an extra bonus, check out Carla's "Improv Tip" on Paul's youtube channel PVImprov. And while you're there, check out all of his other Improv Tips too!

In Episode 45 of Improv Yak, Carla shares a recent conversation she had with LA based improviser and teacher, Julie Brister. Carla and Julie talk about Julie's start at UCB in New York, how improv has changed and grown since then, as well as Julie's take on teaching improvisation. Julie and Carla hadn't seen each other in a while when they taped this episode and they ended their Yak by improvising a scene between two friends who hadn't seen each other in a while either!

In Episode #44 of Improv Yak, Carla yaks with Detroit improviser Jaclynn Cherry. They talk about the Detroit Improv Fest and what it is about improv that Jaclynn finds so fun. Then they improvise a scene where Carla plays a parental figure (this keeps happening to them in scenes they do together!). 

In Episode #43 of Improv Yak, Carla shares the second part in a three part series of interviews she did with improvisers at Camp Improv Utopia Yosemite. The second part features improv teacher and performer, Neil Curran. Neil is from Dublin and has traveled the world performing his improv show, "Neil + 1". He is also the founder and director of Improv Fest Ireland and he and Carla yak about all of those things, plus the current culture of improv in Ireland.      

In Episode #42 of Improv Yak, Carla yaks with her old friend, Nick Armstrong. Nick is an alumni of Sunday Company at The Groundlings, founder of Camp Improv Utopia, and the new AD at M.i. Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica. They yak about genre improv, creating a summer camp for adult improvisers, and improvise a scene based on the suggestion, "black hole". 

In episode 41 of Improv Yak, Carla and Monika Smith discuss the idea of the human experience in improvisation. They talk about Monika’s recent travels to China to help set up a curriculum for improv and sketch comedy at a new school, as well as their experiences being female improvisers and teachers in the community. Then they improvise a complicated mother-daughter scene set in a movie theater!

In episode number forty of Improv Yak, Carla chats with teenage improvisers Kiernan Shipka and Isaac Spector about their experience performing in Detention Hall (AKA "Teen Troupe") at The Second City, as well as the friendship they've established over the past few years as a result of this performance experience.