Building Bridges Improv Podcast

Ian joins Jennifer and David on a Bridge to discuss LA Improv and Standup, how he got started, and how his imdb page displays his degree status. Ian Zandi is an LA-based comedian jack-of-all-trades. With origins based in improv/sketch training, Ian uses those skills in his current pursuits as a standup comic. Ian’s work has been featured at various comedy theaters such as Second City and Pack Theater, satire sites including The Onion, and numerous festivals. instagram.com/ianzandi

Zach joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to talk about his long journey through improv, his ideal performance style, and how he's creating a streaming platform for improvised specials! Zach Atherton is a 20-year improv comedy veteran who started his performing career with the ComedySportz High School League in Los Angeles. His professional improv comedy journey began with ComedySportz Utah which led to him to create the world’s first musical improv theater in 2014 called ImprovBroadway. He is currently partnered with Colin Mochrie from Whose Line is it Anyway? and Dry Bar Comedy to create the world’s first platform for improv comedy called Dry Bar Unscripted. drybarunscripted.com tiktok.com/@theimprovguy

Jeffrey joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to talk about his journey, hecklers and video games in relation to improv. Jeffrey Thompson, MA, MBA, EA, is a writer, actor, magician, psychology professor, and tax professional from Los Angeles and currently serves as one of the four artistic directors of Impro Theatre. He has a roster of over 300 tax and accounting clients in the entertainment industry including actors, dancers, writers, and cinematographers. Jeffrey also teaches improv at the Westside Comedy Theater, teaches psychology at Citrus College, and has given tax talks for CalArts and the California Lawyers for the Arts. He also acts as a board member for The Ruby LA (a non-profit theatre in LA) and The Improv Network (an international non-profit organization), and produces short films with his production company, Great Hair Productions.

Stacey joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to talk about her first improv experience in NYC, the source of her creativity, and how improv has greatly affected her life. Stacey Reed Hanlon is originally from Akron, Ohio. She began her improvisational career in New York City in 1999, where she studied with The Upright Citizens Brigade, Armando Diaz and Gary Austin. In NYC she co-founded improv troupe Late Night Ritalin, wrote for and appeared in Saturday Night Rewritten, and was a performer in Manhattan Comedy Collective’s Character Dog Run. She has performed in improv festivals in New York, Austin, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Albuquerque & Phoenix. Stacey can currently be seen performing with improv troupes Light Rail Pirates and JaxN Reed. Her local theatre credits include Jenna in Tangelico, ensemble performance in the world premiere of Greg Kotis’ The Unhappiness Plays and Mabel in A Bloody Mary Christmas, a role that she created through improvisation along with co-creators Jacqueline Arend, Shawna Franks and Denny Guge. Stacey is a founding member of The Torch Theatre and the co-founder of Conducted Stories Improv, a Phoenix-based organization that uses improvisational theatre to foster communication and social skills with neurodivergent populations, including youth on the Autism spectrum and people with Dementia and their caregivers. Stacey is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and studied abroad with the Institute for American Universities in Avignon, France. https://secondbeatimprov.com/ https://www.bridgeimprovtheater.com/

Michelle joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to talk about her improv start, mono scenes, and her move to LA. Michelle Gilliam, is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and recently relocated to Los Angeles, CA. Michelle has over 20 years of expertise and experience in improv, and is the Owner and Artistic Director of Improv MKE. Michelle specializes in leading corporate teams, medical teams, and various university departments to success by helping them to harness the power of improv as a tool and resource for DEI, creativity, empowerment, communication, fun, and much more. Michelle has had the opportunity to facilitate all over the world in Improv. She has worked with teams from: Scotland, Liverpool, Nottingham, Chester, London, India, Africa, Singapore, The Philippines, Norway, Copenhagen, Canada, Lithuania, New Zealand, and the list goes on. A few companies Michelle has worked with recently: Marywood University Marquette University Concordia University US BANK, Wealth Management ComedySportz Manchester, UK SoftWareOne

Ally joins Jen and David on a bridge to discuss their improv journey, improv in Tucson, and who exactly Uncle Roger is. Ally Tanzillo ( She/They) is the Creative Director of Etcetera, the Late Night Series of Live Theatre Workshop in Tucson. She is an actor, director, and improvisor, formerly of the improv duo Ex-Boyfriend, who performed in festivals across the country. instagram.com/armazillo

Shaun joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to talk about her journey through improv, performing with her husband, and what starting a new theatre was like. Shaun Landry is the Founder of Los Angeles’ new theatre The Ledge Theatre. She also co-created the first African American Improv Ensemble in the country OBN, and co-created The San Francisco Improv Festival. She performs with her husband Hans Summers as Landry & Summers since 1986, teaches at The Pack Theatre and has done a large amount of acting and improv things. She also is finding it hard to write in the third person the older she gets. www.ledgetheatre.org and www.shaunlandry.com

Lavender joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to discuss her mom tricking her into an improv audition, what she likes about long form improv, and the rich history of the Flaming Hot Cheetos brand. Lavender has been doing improv for about 7 years. She started when she was 13 in middle school. Since then she has done many shows, featuring various different styles of improv. She currently does improv at Improvmania and occasionally teaches kids and teens. improvmania.net bridgeimprovtheater.com

Carla joins Jen and David on a bridge to discuss how she got started doing improv, her duo with her husband Craig, and how much the pandemic has affected improv in general. www.instagram.com/carlacackowski/ twitter.com/carlacackowski

Paul joins Jen and David on a bridge to talk about his tenure in improv, moving west, and his absolute pure joy and love for the craft. Paul Vaillancourt is the co-founder of the iO West and the Revolution Theater and has been teaching and performing improv for close to 30 years. As a teacher, he has worked with a wide variety of audiences from high school students looking to augment their suicide, depression and substance abuse peer out reach to corporations looking to free up creativity, improve communication and strengthen their teams to actors and actress on a professional performer track. As a performer, he has appeared all over the country including such notable venues as HBO’s Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Chicago’s iO (where he studied with the immortal Del Close), New York’s UCB Theater, and Austin's Out of Bounds Festival to name a few. Paul has also had success as a writer and producer, co-creating and serving as supervising writer for the MTV hit “The Blame Game” as well as lending his writing, producing and consulting talents to a score of other shows for MTV, VH1, USA, Oxygen, Bravo, AMC and MGM. He published a book about improv called “The Triangle of the Scene” (available on Amazon) and produces a weekly series of videos called “Improv Tips” available on his YouTube channel PVImprov. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whatsupwithpv/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/pvimprov “Triangle of the Scene” on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xDMrMh

Dave joins David and Jennifer on a Bridge to discuss ImprovMANIA's new location, wrestling, and what he loves teaching about improv. David & Colleen Specht own and operate ImprovMANIA Comedy Club in Historic Downtown Chandler, Arizona. Colleen is a Chandler native and David moved to Chandler from Chicago. They met while performing improv and opened their boutique theatre in 2014. ImprovMANIA provides shows, classes, corporate entertainment and teambuilding workshops. https://improvmania.net/ https://www.bridgeimprovtheater.com/

Gabe and Ryder join Jennifer and David on a bridge to discuss the move from Denver to LA, what's important for their duo, and how insanely strong Gabe is. = = = Links: = = = www.YouTube.com/TVunscripted www.TVunscripted.com = = = TVunscripted Bio: = = = Based out of Los Angeles, TVunscripted is an improv and sketch comedy duo with a love of fast-paced, highly-physical comedy. Ryder and Gabe are originally from Denver, and their creativity and chemistry have sold out shows across Colorado and beyond. A few of their original shows include TV-scripted a Sketch Show, Dungeons & Dragons Unscripted, Star Wars Unscripted, and Lethal Weapon Live. TVunscripted brings a diverse spin to their comedic outlook with representation of Asian American, Hispanic, and LGBTQ groups. As seen on: Improfest International Comedy Festival (Gothenburg, Sweden) Trill Comedy Festival (Headlining Act - Houston, TX) Westside Comedy Festival (Santa Monica, CA) Denver Improv Festival (Denver, CO) North Carolina Comedy Festival (Greensboro) As well as at Impro Theater (LA), 3E's Comedy Club, The Colorado Springs Independent, ENT Center for the Arts, and KCME Radio. = = = Ryder Bio: = = = Ryder Tam is a tall palm tree from Honolulu, Hawaii. As an aerospace engineer, he launched three satellites and loves to bring a science spin to his comedy. Ryder has taught for Rise Comedy (Denver) and Bird City Improv (Baltimore), including his original curriculum for Improvised Dungeons & Dragons and Improv for Scientists. Ryder brings an Asian-American perspective to his standup, and loves exploring science in comedy. Ryder is an Upright Citizens Brigade alumn, and also trained at iO Chicago, The Groundlings, and Second City. A self-professed nerd, Ryder would love to show you just how much fun you can have with your imagination. = = = Gabe Bio: = = = Gabriel Michael Valdez is a Colorado native actor, improviser, and writer. An instructor for Rise Comedy, he is an Upright Citizens Brigade alumnus and has trained with The Groundlings and Bird City Improv (Baltimore). He is a playwright with work featured at the Denver Fringe Festival, and has over 50,000 views on his sketch comedy work. Gabe has performed internationally at the Auckland Improv Marathon (New Zealand), as well as at Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade, Westside Comedy and more. A professionally trained environmental analyst and geologist, Gabe would love to talk with you about protecting the environment and his rock collection.

Taylor joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to discuss how improv is now Dungeons and Dragons, Laughing Pig Theatre, as well as her work with the Bridge Initiative. @borntoeatcupcakes Theatres to check-out laughingpigtheatre.org bridgeinit.org

Charlie joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to discuss improv during the pandemic, where they got their start, and why large improv teams are not their favorite. Charlie James is a comedian from Los Angeles. They're known for their TikTok sketches (@nonbinarycowboy) and comedy tweets for Chicago's Field Museum. charliejamescomedy.com

David joins Jen on a bridge to discuss his start in improv, doing improv at an art show, and now what it means to own and operate a theater. David found his love for improv, like many, in high school. Pursuing it after graduating he ran a few troupes, most notably Names From a Hat in Tempe. He grew and learned performing at Torch Theatre, JesterZ, Mesa Arts Center, just a to name a few. After years of dreaming of having his own theater to run, it came true, albeit during the pandemic. The Bridge Improv Theater has now been running for the majority of 2021, and truly has been everything and more for David. His dream of building a strong and welcoming community for all, is just getting started. www.bridgeimprovtheater.com/

Brandi joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to discuss their first ever experience doing improv, their new adventure in stand up comedy, and what doing better comedy means to them. Brandi (they/them/she/her) started doing musicals when they were 14 and became addicted to theatre. Improv has helped them become a kinder and more well rounded performer. They've always wanted to do stand up and now they’re doing that too. They recently co-founded Do Better Comedy to produce anti-racist, anti-misogynist, LGBTQIA+ friendly, respectful comedy with a vision to create safe spaces for all genders to try stand-up. Follow them on social media! DoBetterComedy.com BrandiBigley.com

Anthony joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to discuss the sounds of animals dying, his improv start, and his beautiful singing voice. Anthony Thornton is a stand-up comedian, turned improvisor, turned stand up comedian (who does improv). He started his comedy journey at 18 and found some minor success on the stand-up stage. Wanting to improve, he turned to The Neighborhood Comedy Theatre in Mesa, AZ and spent 8 years performing, producing, and teaching on the NCT stage. Now, after a 3-year break, he is back in the world of comedy; splitting all of his free time between stand up and improv (though admittedly, mostly stand-up). IG: @ATComedy5 www.atcomedy.com www.bridgeimprovtheater.com

Justin joins David and Jennifer on a Bridge to discuss The Tucson Improv Movement, his improv journey, and what is important to him on stage. Justin has loved comedy since seeing Ghostbusters for the first time in the late 80s. In college Justin produced Misericordia University’s first live comedy show CougarLive. After moving to North Carolina he began an in-depth study of improv comedy. While there, Justin became an instructor, performed on several house teams, and coached the high school team. After moving to Tucson in 2012 he founded the Tucson Improv Movement, which has grown to 60+ performing company members and 500+ comedy school graduates. Justin has performed all over the country at numerous festivals including Impride, The Del Close Marathon, and Phoenix Improv Festival. Over that time he honed a fast paced, game based approach to performing. His biggest asset to improv is bringing energy and enthusiasm to any scene being performed and class being taught. Justin loves to delve into the academic logistics of why and how a scene works, with the positive energy of a roller coaster ride. Justin currently works for Greater Tucson Leadership managing their programs and leadership curriculum development. www.tucsonimprov.com https://www.instagram.com/jlukasewicz/ www.bridgeimprovtheater.com

Zahra joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to discuss the state of comedy, her improv background, and how we can work towards a better overall comedy community. Zahra Noorbakhsh is a writer, director, and comedian. Her podcast #GoodMuslimBadMuslim was deemed a “must listen” by O, The Oprah Magazine and was invited to the Obama Whitehouse to record an episode. Her solo show, “All Atheists Are Muslim” was directed by W. Kamau Bell and dubbed a highlight of the International New York City Fringe Theater Festival by the New Yorker Magazine. She’s writes for the NY Times and NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross and is a contributor to the groundbreaking anthology, Love Inshallah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women. Her viral essay, “Coming Out as Bisexual When You’re Muslim and Married,” reached 80-million people worldwide. Find out more at ZahraComedy.com.

Jason joins Jennifer and David on a bridge to discuss storytelling in improv, the parallels between acting and improv, and how they got started in the world of improv. Dr. Jason Davids Scott (they/them) is an associate professor and currently associate director at the Sidney Poitier New American Film School at Arizona State University, Dr. Scott earned an MA and PhD from UCSB, focusing on the relationship between performance, improvisation, and media. A one-time stage manager and producer for veterans of the troupe ED, Dr. Scott learned longform technique from director Jim Dennen, and later studied at workshops with Paul Sills, Sparky Johnson, Max Schaefer, Gary Schwartz, and the late Richard Schaal, specializing in the games and play technique of Viola Spolin. UCSB saw the birth of Dr. Scott's first troupe, Whole Cloth, later known in San Francisco as Revolving Madness. Dr. Scott has started and advised student improvisation clubs at Arizona State University and Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, and also created marketing materials for the Fort Worth-based company Four Day Weekend. bridgeimprovtheater.com