UCB has recently shut down its last permanent theater and training center. I asked people to share what UCB NY meant to them. Featuring Molly Gaebe, Ian Dyer, Ryan Barker, Rachel Taenzler, Pat Baer, Sonya Saepoff, Ray Cordova, Harsha Vardhan Dasarathy, Bert James, Elisa Ballou, Paris Adkins, Liz Noth, Alex French, Jon Marballi, Betsy Helmer, Dan LoPreto, Joe Leonardo, Jaime Lutz, Alejandro Cardona, Brett White, Aaron Kheifets, Johnna Scrabis, Mark Dowling, Maritza Montanez, Billy Galante, and Nicholas Guestella. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

UCB has recently shut down its last permanent theater and training center. I asked people to share what UCB NY meant to them. Featuring Molly Gaebe, Ian Dyer, Ryan Barker, Rachel Taenzler, Pat Baer, Sonya Saepoff, Ray Cordova, Harsha Vardhan Dasarathy, Bert James, Elisa Ballou, Paris Adkins, Liz Noth, Alex French, Jon Marballi, Betsy Helmer, Dan LoPreto, Joe Leonardo, Jaime Lutz, Alejandro Cardona, Brett White, Aaron Kheifets, Johnna Scrabis, Mark Dowling, Maritza Montanez, Billy Galante, and Nicholas Guestella. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

27 – Goodbye, UCB NY

I asked many of the people I interviewed the same question: what advice would you give an improvisor in their first year doing improv? Featuring Maritza Montañez, Liz Noth, Chris Scott, Morgan Phillips, Will Hines, Bill DiPiero, Achilles Stamatelaky, Ashley Ward, Ray Cordova, Sebastian Conelli, Joey Price, Patrick Noth, Kevin Mullaney, Lily Du, Nicole Drespel, Lou Gonzalez, Kevin Hines, Kelsey Bailey, Beth Appel, Molly Thomas, Alex Dickson, Jessica Morgan, Jesse Lee, John Timothy, James Dwyer, and Lydia Hensler. Hosted by Curtis Retherford, edited by Alejandro Cardona, written by Alejandro Cardona and Curtis Retherford.

I asked many of the people I interviewed the same question: what advice would you give an improvisor in their first year doing improv? Featuring Maritza Montañez, Liz Noth, Chris Scott, Morgan Phillips, Will Hines, Bill DiPiero, Achilles Stamatelaky, Ashley Ward, Ray Cordova, Sebastian Conelli, Joey Price, Patrick Noth, Kevin Mullaney, Lily Du, Nicole Drespel, Lou Gonzalez, Kevin Hines, Kelsey Bailey, Beth Appel, Molly Thomas, Alex Dickson, Jessica Morgan, Jesse Lee, John Timothy, James Dwyer, and Lydia Hensler. Hosted by Curtis Retherford, edited by Alejandro Cardona, written by Alejandro Cardona and Curtis Retherford.

26 – Advice

This episode focuses on a fun, but often difficult form, the Movie. One of the original forms developed by Del Close, the Movie is not performed as regularly as some other forms, but it can be rewarding to learn and get good at, and it’s easy for audiences to follow. Featuring David Bluvband, James Dwyer, John Timothy, Rudy Behrens, and Kevin Mullaney. Hosted by Liz Noth and Curtis Retherford.

This episode focuses on a fun, but often difficult form, the Movie. One of the original forms developed by Del Close, the Movie is not performed as regularly as some other forms, but it can be rewarding to learn and get good at, and it’s easy for audiences to follow. Featuring David Bluvband, James Dwyer, John Timothy, Rudy Behrens, and Kevin Mullaney. Hosted by Liz Noth and Curtis Retherford.

25 – The Movie

This episode focuses on the form of many names, the Spokane / Pretty Flower / Delicate Little Flower / Gadget / Family Guy / so on and so on. We discuss how to do the form, and why it may be a great fit for your team or why it may not be. Featuring Sebastian Conelli, Jake Cornell, Patrick Noth, Maritza Montañez, Kelsey Bailey, Jesse Lee, and Lindsay Calleran. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

This episode focuses on the form of many names, the Spokane / Pretty Flower / Delicate Little Flower / Gadget / Family Guy / so on and so on. We discuss how to do the form, and why it may be a great fit for your team or why it may not be. Featuring Sebastian Conelli, Jake Cornell, Patrick Noth, Maritza Montañez, Kelsey Bailey, Jesse Lee, and Lindsay Calleran. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

24 – The Spokane aka the Pretty Flower

How should a coach structure a practice session? What are some exercises to use? How is coaching a house team different from coaching a practice group? These are all questions? Featuring Jenny St. Angelo, Sebastian Conelli, Lindsay Calleran, Johnna Scrabis, Liz Noth, and Will Hines. Co-produced by Alejandro Cardona, and hosted by Curtis Retherford.

How should a coach structure a practice session? What are some exercises to use? How is coaching a house team different from coaching a practice group? These are all questions? Featuring Jenny St. Angelo, Sebastian Conelli, Lindsay Calleran, Johnna Scrabis, Liz Noth, and Will Hines. Co-produced by Alejandro Cardona, and hosted by Curtis Retherford.

23 – Coaching, Part 2

What makes a great coach? How do you become a great coach? How do you give helpful notes? None of those questions get answered. Featuring Bill DiPiero, Achilles Stametalaky, Lily Du, Devin Ritchie, Chris Scott, Jenny St. Angelo, Liz Noth, Lou Gonzalez, Sebastian Conelli, Ray Cordova, Nicole Drespel, co-produced by Alejandro Cardona, and hosted by Curtis Retherford.

What makes a great coach? How do you become a great coach? How do you give helpful notes? None of those questions get answered. Featuring Bill DiPiero, Achilles Stametalaky, Lily Du, Devin Ritchie, Chris Scott, Jenny St. Angelo, Liz Noth, Lou Gonzalez, Sebastian Conelli, Ray Cordova, Nicole Drespel, co-produced by Alejandro Cardona, and hosted by Curtis Retherford.

22 – Coaching, Part 1

Once again, each improvisor recounts the notes that shaped their understanding of improv or their understanding of themselves as improvisors. Featuring John Timothy, Beth Appel, Ashley Ward, Jake Cornell, X Mayo, Terry Withers, Maritza Montañez, Kevin Mullaney, David Bluvband, Lindsay Calleran, Rudy Behrens, and Cathryn Mudon. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

Once again, each improvisor recounts the notes that shaped their understanding of improv or their understanding of themselves as improvisors. Featuring John Timothy, Beth Appel, Ashley Ward, Jake Cornell, X Mayo, Terry Withers, Maritza Montañez, Kevin Mullaney, David Bluvband, Lindsay Calleran, Rudy Behrens, and Cathryn Mudon. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

21 – Best Notes, Part 2

I asked a bunch of improvisors a simple question: “Why do you do improv?” Featuring answers from Nicole Drespel, Kevin Hines, Devin Ritchie, Achilles Stamatelaky, David Bluvband, Lily Du, Chris Scott, Molly Thomas, Morgan Phillips, James Dwyer, Liz Noth, Alex Dickson, Lydia Hensler, Will Hines, and Sebastian Conelli. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

I asked a bunch of improvisors a simple question: “Why do you do improv?” Featuring answers from Nicole Drespel, Kevin Hines, Devin Ritchie, Achilles Stamatelaky, David Bluvband, Lily Du, Chris Scott, Molly Thomas, Morgan Phillips, James Dwyer, Liz Noth, Alex Dickson, Lydia Hensler, Will Hines, and Sebastian Conelli. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

20 – Why Do You Do Improv?

19 different improvisors discuss the cliches they are tired of seeing and the gaps between the improvised worlds we create and the world we live in. What do they see too much of, and what do they not see enough of? Featuring Achilles Stamatelaky, Will Hines, Jenny St. Angelo, Kevin Mullaney, Kevin Hines, Bill DiPiero, Molly Thomas, Morgan Phillips, Jesse Lee, Kelsey Bailey, Jessica Morgan, Lydia Hensler, Liz Noth, Lou Gonzalez, Devin Ritchie, Lily Du, Johnna Scrabis, Lindsay Calleran, &amp; Sebastian Conelli. Co-produced by Alejandro Cardona. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

19 different improvisors discuss the cliches they are tired of seeing and the gaps between the improvised worlds we create and the world we live in. What do they see too much of, and what do they not see enough of? Featuring Achilles Stamatelaky, Will Hines, Jenny St. Angelo, Kevin Mullaney, Kevin Hines, Bill DiPiero, Molly Thomas, Morgan Phillips, Jesse Lee, Kelsey Bailey, Jessica Morgan, Lydia Hensler, Liz Noth, Lou Gonzalez, Devin Ritchie, Lily Du, Johnna Scrabis, Lindsay Calleran, &amp; Sebastian Conelli. Co-produced by Alejandro Cardona. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

19 – Cliches and Gaps

An improv jam is basically an open mic for improv: anyone who goes can throw their name in a bucket to do scenes with the jam hosts. They can be stressful and intimidating, but they’re also a great way to get over nervousness over being on stage, to learn how to play with people of many different skill levels, and to get to know more people in your improv community. Featuring Devin Ritchie, X Mayo, Lydia Hensler, Kelsey Bailey, and Cathryn Mudon. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

An improv jam is basically an open mic for improv: anyone who goes can throw their name in a bucket to do scenes with the jam hosts. They can be stressful and intimidating, but they’re also a great way to get over nervousness over being on stage, to learn how to play with people of many different skill levels, and to get to know more people in your improv community. Featuring Devin Ritchie, X Mayo, Lydia Hensler, Kelsey Bailey, and Cathryn Mudon. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

18 – Jams

A podcast about improv, explored one piece at a time.

Musical improv is exactly what it sounds like: an improvised musical. A bit of dialogue, and then a lot of singing and dancing. In addition to having its own challenges (such as song structure, rhyming, and narrative structure), a musical improv show still has to have great improv. In this episode, we discuss the challenges […]

17 – Musical Improv

A house team is a team that is created to perform regularly at a particular theater. At UCB NY, there are 3 levels of improv house teams: Lloyd, Harold, and the weekend. This episode talks about each level: why being on a house team can be frustrating and nerve-wracking, why it can be amazing and […]

16 – House Teams

Your first several years of learning long form improv will likely focus on scenework, the Harold, montages, and perhaps another form or two. In this episode, we discuss the other forms: why they’re important to learn and how they’re created. With Lily Du, Chris Scott, Kevin Mullaney, and Kevin Hines. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

15 – Forms

The Monoscene is a form in which the location never changes: there are no edits. In this episode, we talk about how it was developed and what to keep in mind while performing one. Featuring Kevin Mullaney, Lily Du, and Jenny St. Angelo. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

14 – The Monoscene

Improv scenes should be more than just reciting lines. In this episode, we talk about how acting influences improv, and how to become better at it. Featuring Jessica Morgan, Molly Thomas, Morgan Phillips, Alex Dickson, Sebastian Conelli, Liz Noth, and Will Hines. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

13 – Acting

In a Harold, after the first beats and the first group game, the team returns to the first 3 games for second beats, and then does another group game, and then returns again for third beats. These scenes are chances to play more fun versions of the games from the first beats. Featuring Chris Scott, […]

12 – The Harold: 2nd and 3rd Beats

Most theaters hold auditions to add people to their house teams. Every year around 600 people audition for UCBNY house teams. Molly Thomas, Chris Scott, and Morgan Phillips share their experiences with auditioning. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

11 – Auditioning

In a Harold, in between each set of beats is a group scene. These scenes can be tough if the entire team isn’t listening and playing together, but they can also be incredibly fun and change the direction and tempo of your entire Harold. Featuring Johnna Scrabis, Joey Price, Devin Ritchie, Lydia Hensler, and Molly […]

10 – The Harold: Group Games

Each improvisor recounts the notes that shaped their understanding of improv or their understanding of themselves as improvisors. Featuring Jessica Morgan, Lydia Hensler, Jesse Lee, Jenny St. Angelo, Lily Du, Molly Thomas, Chris Scott, James Dwyer, Nicole Drespel, Morgan Phillips, Achilles Stamatelaky, Liz Noth, Sebastian Conelli, Alex Dickson, Devin Ritchie, Will Hines, Bill DiPiero, Kevin Hines, Joey Price, and Ray Cordova. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

09 – Best Notes

The 1st beats of the Harold are the most important part of the Harold. In each 1st beat, the ideas from the pattern game are transformed into characters, games, and worlds that will return throughout the Harold. Featuring Alex Dickson, Jenny St. Angelo, and Bill DiPiero. Hosted by Curtis Retherford.

08 – The Harold: 1st Beats

Is Curtis the Ira Glass of Improv podcasts? Yes, yes he is.

The People Demand More Episodes

It doesn’t get nerdier than this podcast when it comes to improv and I LOVE it!

My favorite improv podcast

Improv, Beat by Beat

The next several episodes will focus on the Harold, one piece at a time. This episode focuses on what happens before the Harold, either at the beginning of practice or right before a show: Warm Ups. Featuring interviews with Devin Ritchie, Chris Scott, Sebastian Conelli, Johnna Scrabis, Achilles Stamatelaky, Jessica Morgan, Molly Thomas, Jesse Lee, Kelsey Bailey, Joey Price, Bill DiPiero, Morgan Phillips, and Jenny St. […]

03 – Warm Ups

The Harold is one of the fundamental longform improv structures, but it isn’t easy, at least at first. But once it’s mastered, it is a framework that gives an extraordinary amount of flexibility. This episode focuses on the Harold as a whole: subsequent episodes will go through each particular section. Featuring Will Hines, Kevin Hines, […]

04 – The Harold

The Pattern Game is one of the fundamental Harold openings. It can seem intimidating at first, but once mastered it can be an effective, clean way of getting clear premises for your Harold. Featuring Achilles Stamatelaky, James Dwyer, Nicole Drespel, Will Hines, Johnna Scrabis, Molly Thomas, Kelsey Bailey, Jesse Lee, Devin Ritchie, and Lily Du. […]

07 – The Pattern Game

The best podcast episodes on Startups. For anyone working in a startup, or anyone interested in the incredible stories behind how people built companies like Instagram, and Facebook. Offering both practical advice and insights, as well as the stories for how many of the biggest startups got to where they are today. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!

OwlTail

Best Startups Podcasts

The best podcast episodes on physical health. Episodes talk about your diet, sleep, exercise and all the things that people do to improve their physical health and live a healthier life. This topic is for everyone, with applications in all of our everyday lives. Add episodes you're interested into your queue below!