The Nursery Podcast

Sylvia Bishop is a former Oxford Imp, current member of Impromptu Shakespeare and one half of the Peablossom Cabaret. She is also the author of The Bookshop girl, Erica's Elephant and several other children's books. In this podcast, she talks about how the two things relate to each other, and how many books she has actually published.

Liz is an Artistic Director of the Maydays with twenty years of performance experience. She is a certified embodiment facilitator, leadership and agility trainer, as well as being and improviser, teacher and coach. In this podcast she talks about what brought her to embodiment, what is means and how to use it in improv.

This podcast's guests Laura and Gael are recently wed, and we are very pleased that this podcast didn't get lost as we thought it did. That's why it is so late being published. Gael founded Strasbourg’s main improv group La Carpe Haute, and spends his time teaching and performing improv in and outside of France. He is known for his sound effects -even in silent scenes- and his incomparable mimed fishing skills. When Laura is not travelling the world, she can be found cycling the Amsterdam...

Kevin is the founder of three renowned improv ensembles- Chicago's Bang Bang, Burn Manhattan and Centralia. Kevin has been an educator and director for The Second City Training Center and People's Improv Theater.

Jonathan Pitts is a creator, director, improviser, performer, producer, and teacher who co-founded the Chicago Improv Festival and produced it for 20 years. He also created and produced the College Improv Tournament for 10 years, and created and produced the Chicago Podcast Festival for the last 2 years. Jonathan taught improv at The Second City for 16 years and he’s a contributing writer to The Second City’s book on improvisation. For 3 consecutive years he was selected by New City magazine...

The first of three mis-ordered podcasts recorded at the Mount Olymprov Festival 2019, this highly personal podcast Joe Bill currently teaches, performs and is the Director of Corporate Training at iO Chicago. He is also on the faculty at The Second City Training Center where he teaches intensives in Duo Improvisation and Improvisation for Actors. He is one of the founding members of Annoyance Theater Chicago where, for 12 years, he performed in and/or directed more than 60 different shows....

Holly started her improvisation training with the Groundlings in Los Angeles. After becoming a Main Company Member, she began teaching and directing, eventually becoming a Senior Instructor of the school and Main Company director. She created LA’s longest running longform show, THE CRAZY UNCLE JOE SHOW, still going strong after 16 years. She then headed to New York City where she started her own improv school in 2002, Improvolution, bringing the character-based approach to thousands of...

As co-founder and Producing Artistic Director of Impro Theatre, Dan has overseen the company’s growth from a successful short form improv troupe to a critically acclaimed, nationally recognized improvisational theatre company. For Impro, he is the director of Chekhov UnScripted and the co-director of Jane Austen UnScripted, Fairytales UnScripted, The Western UnScripted, Shakespeare UnScripted and Sondheim UnScripted. Collectively, these shows have been performed at The Broad Stage, Oregon...

Armando's list of teaching credits is a long one: the Improv Olympic Theater, Victory Gardens Theater, The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, NYU and Michael Howard Studios. He has trained dozens of actors who have performed or written for Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Mad TV, and The Daily Show. A Chicago native, Armando studied improv under Del Close at the ImprovOlympic, Mick Napier at the Annoyance, and graduated from the Second City Conservatory. He performed in and...

The second in a new series of the Nursery Podcast. In the 'Making a show' specials, Jules will be talking to people involved in the shows that have inspired an influenced ad inspired him about how to make an improv show. In this podcast, Neil talks about the history of the Comedy Store Players, why it's easier to make it up than write it down and why audiences will never believe you. Besides being a member of the Comedy Store Players, Neil was a president of the Cambridge Footlights and has...

The first in a new series of the Nursery Podcast. In the 'Making a show' specials, Jules will be talking to people involved in the shows that have inspired an influenced ad inspired him about how to make an improv show. In this podcast, Lee talks about working with Keith Johnstone on 'Lifegame', removing 'the' from its title, the difference between people and roles and how tiny details and unexpected events can hold the secret to the show. Besides being a member of the Comedy Store Players,...

Recorded live at the Nursery Theatre Broadgate as part of Slapdash 2017, this chat between Armando Diaz and Molly Merwin ranges through the history of improvisation, a history which Armando seems to have been at every single significant event of... Armando's list of teaching credits is a long one: the Improv Olympic Theater, Victory Gardens Theater, The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, NYU and Michael Howard Studios. He has trained dozens of actors who have performed or written for Saturday...

The first half of an Armando double-header. This podcast will be followed with a recording of Armando in conversation with Slapdash Producer Molly Merwin. In this recording, Jules and Armando talk about making a new form, the history and future of the UK scene and the Armando Diaz Hootenany and Theatrical Experience Armando's list of teaching credits is a long one: the Improv Olympic Theater, Victory Gardens Theater, The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, NYU and Michael Howard Studios. He...

We are celebrating the new year by releasing our Slapdash 2017 podcasts. OTS performed on Thurday night and if you haven't seen it, watch their show below. It's magic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2ukDFdRGX4&t=2140s On the Spot Improv On The Spot Improv is Hawaii’s longest running improv group. Established 2001, the group has been called one of the most innovative improv groups in the world by Chicago Improv Festival Executive Producer Jonathan Pitts. Their signature style incorporates...

In the first Nursery podcast of 2017 (What have we been doing? Oh yes, opening a theatre...), Jules talks to Chicago legend Joe Bill about narrative, duos and doing battle onstage. Joe Bill currently teaches, performs and is the Director of Corporate Training at iO Chicago. He is also on the faculty at The Second City Training Center where he teaches intensives in Duo Improvisation and Improvisation for Actors. He is one of the founding members of Annoyance Theater Chicago where, for 12...

Dummy are Coleen Doyle and Jason Shotts are Dummy, an LA-based duo with Chicago roots. They headlined the Slapdash festival in 2014 and were in London in February to teach the iO intensive. They both teach at iO West, where Colleen is currently Artistic Director. In this podcast, they talk about what kind of improvisers they are, Yiddish words, diversity and acting.

In the last of the long-awaited Slapdash Specials, Jules talks to Will and Dave from Big Bang about empowerment, play and the origins of Freeform Improv. Dave Sawyer is an improviser and producer based in Boston, Massachusetts. He has performed at over 40 comedy festivals around the world and is a touring member of the internationally renowned Big Bang Improv. Dave currently performs in the Mainstage cast at ImprovBoston and is also an Associate Producer of the Women in Comedy Festival...

Trent is the man for English Speaking Improv is Finland. He is head of Improv International and founded the Finland International Improvisation Festival. In this podcast he talks to Jules about improvising in other languages, what Finnish humour looks like and why some people want training to hurt. They also re-open the 'It it art?' debate.

In the second of this year's Slapdash Specials, we caught up with Alex Berg to talk about negative experience, his military history of Game of Thrones and why he has problems with the word 'art'. Alex spends the bulk of his waking hours writing, acting, and improvising. Currently, he performs with UCB house teams Sentimental Lady and Convoy, as well as guesting with other shows. Occasionally, he shows up on television, in shows like Terriers, Reno! 911, and MANswers. Recently, he played a...

Kevin Scott was here for Slapdash and we grabbed him for a chat. Kevin is the founder of three renowned improv ensembles- Chicago's Bang Bang, Burn Manhattan and Centralia. Kevin has been an educator and director for The Second City Training Center and People's Improv Theater. He is also a thoroughly nice guy. In this podcast, he talks about The Rules, community and how to act in improv. Plus, he tries out his British Accent. It doesn't go well.