Yes But Why Podcast

This week, Yes But Why Podcast talks to Feña Ortalli, an improv teacher and performer based out of Madrid, Spain. Feña Ortalli has been obsessed with improvisational acting since the early 2000s. After the first impro show he saw in Buenos Aires, he studied Keith Johnstone books and youtube videos from the LIQ. Since 2001, Feña has taught and performed around the world in such countries as Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Canada, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece and South Africa. In 2006, Feña created Global Impro, an improv troupe dedicated to national and international collaboration and exchange. He’s currently based in Madrid where he performs and teaches with Impromadrid and El Club de la Impro. In this conversation, we talk about theater sports, physical comedy and making friends. Feña Ortalli shares stories about starting out in the impro community of Buenos Aires. Feña talks about being inspired by the international improv festival community and the breadth of different styles he has witnessed over the y

This week, Yes But Why Podcast talks to New York City stand-up comic, Carie Karavas. Carie Karavas is a tough, wisecracking New York City comic who has been performing standup comedy for 30 years. She is a regular in the New York City comedy club scene and she tours across the country as well. Carie is so busy with gigs that we had to do this interview in the moments before she went onstage! You can hear the action of the green room behind her during our whole chat.In this conversation, Carie talks about falling in love with comedy at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. She muses on the adventures she had performing at the Comedy Cellar in NYC. Carie compares her experience in both the New York City and Los Angeles comedy scenes. She shares the well-earned wisdom of the benefits of being nice to people and working on your craft. Carie is the real deal and she has great stories!You can support Carie Karavas by checking out the shows she does with Patty Rosborough on Facebook – Chick Chat and Two Tired Twats! For

This week, Yes But Why Podcast talks to improviser and community psychologist, Ronald Harvey. Ronald Harvey is a professor of Psychology at the American University in Bulgaria. He is also the faculty co-sponsor for the student improv troupe, the 1st English language improv club in the Balkans. This is the 3rd conversation that Ronald and I have had about improv. Unfortunately, technology has twice lost the recordings. Thankfully, Ronald is a kind and understanding man who rescheduled with me and had 3 different conversations with me. We talk about his improv journey and how he has used it in his career as a psychologist. In this conversation, we discuss that Ronald’s love of improv started in the 1990s at the iO theater in Chicago, where he saw the very first Armando Diaz Experience (WHOA). He also mentions that he uses the “Failure Bow” exercise with his improv students and that he learned it at The Hideout Theater in Austin when he came one summer for their intensive. Ronald grew up in America and he is cu

This week, Yes But Why Podcast talks to singer-songwriter Daisy O’Connor. Daisy O’Connor is an Austin indie rock musician who tours the country regularly. Daisy’s music style mixes folk, Americana and country influences with psychedelic rock and pop. She is sweet and caring and I’m glad we are friends. We met in the improv community of Austin and so we have warm fuzzies for each other because of our Yes And beginnings. This conversation takes place in a library and so we talked in hushed tones. We might be talking quietly but the topics are still BIG. In this interview, we talk about activism, loneliness and teen angst. Daisy shares her experiences of her conservative Christian upbringing in Washington state. We discuss the intensity of the social work she did at domestic violence shelters while she was in college. Daisy tells us how she got into music and how she fell in love with the Austin music community when she got here. I love Daisy and I was glad to sit down and connect with her. Support Daisy O’Conno

This week, Yes But Why Podcast talks to improv performers, Chloe and Lane Ingram. Chloe and Lane Ingram are Austin-based improv and sketch comedians. Together they perform in a sketch comedy duo called Chlane and they produce the podcast, “Yeah But Are You Happy?”In this conversation, we talk about being married and how the comedy they do is the glue of their relationship. They tell the story of how they connected through their mutual love of The Simpsons. We talk about the leap they took to start taking improv classes together. They share the amazing journey they had learning from such improv conservatories as Four Day Weekend in Fort Worth, IO and Second City in Chicago and Dallas Comedy House in Dallas. We talk about how they found an open and kind improv community here in Austin. Chloe and Lane discuss the joy of working together on Chlane shows. Support Chloe and Lane Ingram by watching them perform as Chlane! They guest on varios variety shows around town and they will have a new show coming this sprin

This week, Yes But Why Podcast talks to improv performer and instructor, Shacottha Fields. Shacottha Fields is a career improviser, a personal development coach, and a storyteller. She does private coaching as well as corporate training in public speaking and group communication through her company, Impower Improv. In this conversation, we talk about the fearless sense of adventure that got Shacottha into theater. We discuss her improv training from The Magnet Theater, Upright Citizens Brigade, and The People's Improv Theater. We talk about the work she does to help NYC 9to5ers break down their cubicle walls with her corporate workshops. Shacottha shares the experience of creating “1 Deep,” her one-person improv show that toured internationally. She also shares some tidbits about working with Armando Diaz! Shacottha is kind and inspiring and I look forward to all of the art she will create in the future.Support Shacottha Fields by seeing her perform in The Armando Diaz Experience show at the Magnet Theater i

This week, Yes But Why Podcast talks to sci fi/ fantasy writer, E.C. Myers. E.C. Myers is the author of six young adult (YA) novels: Fair Coin, Quantum Coin, The Silence of Six, Against All Silence, RWBY: After the Fall, and RWBY: Before the Dawn (forthcoming). E.C. has also recently collaborated with the awesome new reading app, Serial Box on Orphan Black: The Next Chapter and Alternis. Serial Box blends together the best of series television and the convenience of ebooks and audiobooks to bring readers a new form of storytelling. Plus, more Orphan Black?? Yes please!In this conversation, we talk about E.C.’s experience in the Serial Box writers room and how exciting it is to develop new work this way. We talk about the formative experience he had at the Clarion West Writers Workshop. E.C. shares his advice on being persistent if you want to write professionally. We discuss the fun times he had touring conventions like Reader Con and Dragon Con when he was promoting his recent book, RWBY: After the Fall. I a

This week, Yes But Why Podcast talks to writer Traci Shannon of the “A Star In My Own Universe” blog.Traci Shannon has been writing the blog, “A Star In My Own Universe” for the past ten years. There, she calls herself “a slightly weird, very sentimental, out-of-work actress in love with her husband and two kids.” She writes articles on being a woman and being a mom and she also does interviews!Fans of the podcast will enjoy that this episode starts with me telling Traci about my 18 year theory. In our conversation, Traci told me about the various people she has been in her life. She muses about her experience getting an MFA in Acting. We giggle about the movie, Sliding Doors. We talk about the tough times. We bond about both being moms. Traci and I go deep talking about dealing with failure. We discuss creativity and the heart of imagination. Support Traci by reading her blog, “A Star In My Own Universe” available at astarinmyownuniverse.com ! Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network

This week, Yes But Why Podcast talks to Scottish actress and standup comic, Rachel Jackson!Rachel Jackson is an up-and-coming actress and standup comic from Scotland. She is currently touring the UK and Europe doing her new show, Slutty Little Goldfish. Rachel very recently won the Herald Scottish Culture Award: ‘One To Watch’ 2019! Starting on November 22nd, you can also see Rachel acting on television in the BBC Scotland comedy show, The State Of It.I happened upon Rachel’s comedy when I saw a clip of her on Twitter. A joke from this set at the Comedy Underground had gone viral and it had to do with my total favorite, The Rock. And she said yes to talking to me, you guys, cause here it is. In our conversation, Rachel shares the moment she felt her calling to be a performer and all the uphill battles that followed. Rachel is an actress with a positive outlook – she loves the travel that comes with standup and she loves working on films! We chat about theater snobs and cancel culture but then it gets much hap

This week, Yes But Why Podcast talks to comedian and actor, Michael Monsour!Michael Monsour is a hardworking and passionate comedian who currently produces the standup show, “A Comedy Show LA.” Before he moved to Los Angeles to act in movies and TV, I knew him from the standup circuit in Austin. Michael used to perform and produce shows at my theater five or so years ago. As you can hear, he is a kind soul, and so we kept in touch! In this conversation, we talk about show promotion magic, insecurities and the gig economy. Michael shares stories about his experience on Richard Linklater’s “Everybody Wants Some.” We talk about the celebrity impressions we both did for our parents when we were kids. We discuss the importance of making connections and maintaining a good attitude. There is also a #Nebraska tangent that happens suddenly and just as quickly fades away! We had fun. Enjoy!Support Michael Monsour by attending his monthly standup show, “A Comedy Show LA”! You can also see Michael play a fun and wild cha

This week on Yes But Why Podcast, we talk to eleven different filmmakers about their craft, their journey and their process. Listen in as they share stories from their experiences! And, since Austin Film Festival is still going on, you can check out all of these movies!Austin Film Festival was an amazing adventure for me. Yes But Why was invited to join the press corps and I spent the better part of Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th doing interviews in and around the Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin. I am excited to share them with you now! MARK WILSON & CHRIS RETTS (start 00:00:57)My first interview is with Mark Wilson and Chris Retts, the director and writer, respectively, of the film, Wade in the Water! They told me about how they have been working as a filmmaking team for 6 years and how they channel their creative flow to make movies together. Check out Wade in the Water tonight, Monday October 28th at 6:15pm at the Alamo Drafthouse Village. GUILLAUME LEVIL (start 00:18:47)Next up, I spoke with

This week on Yes But Why Podcast, Amy talks to Austin improviser Kenny Madison.Kenny Madison is an improviser and improv coach from Oklahoma. Kenny currently performs improv all around Austin and he is beloved by every one of the theaters. Kenny also produces a podcast called Shame Watch, in which he and co-hosts review guilty pleasure movies!We met at a busy hotel café to chat and the action underscores a really great conversation with Kenny about anxiety, shame, and the benign violation theory. Kenny talks about his tumultuous trip to Austin improv. We discuss improv coaching and the benefits of emotional mapping. Kenny and Amy also geek out about Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek: The Next Generation. This was a delightful conversation!Support Kenny by listening to his podcast, Shame Watch on iTunes! And if you are an Austin improviser, you should take advantage of Kenny’s great coaching skills!Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal

This week on Yes But Why Podcast, Amy talks to writer, producer, director, improviser Mike D’Alonzo. Mike is the Digital Executive Producer at Spectrum News Austin. Mike is also an important part of the Austin improv scene. Mike first appeared on the Austin Improv Live show we did a few weeks ago and now he is returning to tell his own story. In this interview, Mike talks about his career producing sketch comedy for television. Mike shares stories of his early days in Austin improv, including the origin story of Out of Bounds. We also hear how a joke video he and Jeremy Sweetlamb made ended up on tour with Boyz II Men!Support Mike D’Alonzo by watching him perform with his troupe, Knuckleball Now, all around Austin. You can also see Mike at his show called "Grandslam Comedy" on the third Friday of every month at The Hideout at 7:30!Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalN

This week on Yes But Why Podcast, Amy talks to actor, director and writer, Larry Hankin. Larry Hankin is an everpresent face in the landscape of comedy for the past 60 years. He is is in everything you love to watch! You know him as Officer Balzak in Home Alone, as Tom Pepper in Seinfeld, as Mr. Heckles in Friends, and as Stovka in Barry. You will even be able to see him reprise his role in the Breaking Bad franchise when “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” comes out this Friday, October 11th. Larry Hankin is a lifelong performer – everything he does is in service of the creative projects he has and will work on. Larry talks about how he got started doing standup comedy in New York City and how he ended up doing improv with Second City in New York, St, Louis and Chicago. He tells stories about taking a class taught by Viola Spolin alongside fellow student, Del Close. Larry is also one of the founding members of The Committee in San Francisco. Once Larry got an agent and started doing movies and TV, he was hooke

This week on Yes But Why Podcast, Amy talks to San Francisco improvisers, Jill Eickman & Steven J Burnett. This interview happened when they brought their absurdist duo improv troupe, Magic, to Austin for the Out of Bounds festival. Jill Eickman is the founder and artistic director of Leela Improv Theater Company in San Francisco, CA. She is also a Producer/Board Member for The San Francisco Improv Festival and Founder/Executive Producer for Femprovisor Fest: SF’s all womxn’s improv festival. Since 2003, Jill has directed hundreds of original improvisational theatre productions at Leela; and, in the training center, she has taught her signature style of improvisation to thousands of improvisers of all ages and walks of life. Steven J Burnett is the associate artistic director of Leela. Steven joined Leela in 2013 and was a founding member of Leela’s resident Harold Team, Sketchy Alley. He plays regularly in many troupes but he especially loves playing in Magic with Jill. In this episode, Jill and Stev

This week, Yes But Why Podcast features stand-up comedian, Ella Gale. Ella is a hardworking stand-up and comedy writer that is currently living in Los Angeles. Amy watched Ella perform her wonderful version of stand-up in Austin and she was really intimidated to talk to her for this interview!In this episode, Ella tells Amy about writing satire articles and how to submit them to online publications like Reductress. Ella shares how she performed musical improv with Merlin Works in Austin. She talks about the tough crowd that has been stand-up comedy in Los Angeles since she’s been there. Amy and Ella chat about writing and Ella mentions that she is working now with a writing group to develop TV pilots. Support Ella Gale by reading her satire articles on McSweeney’s, Hard Drive, and Medium. Also, if you’re in the LA area, you should watch her perform comedy!Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices

This week on Yes But Why, Amy talks to New York City-based performer, Noel Dinneen. Noel is currently co-host of the popular radio show “Get Rich Quick with Josh & Noel” on Radio Free Brooklyn. Amy and Noel knew each other in the early 2000s when they went to the same open mics: The O’Debra Twins “Show and Tell”, Faceboyz Open Mic, and Reverend Jen’s Anti-Slam.In this interview, Noel shares his beginnings in improv at iO in Chicago in the mid 1990s. He reminisces how the landscape of improv comedy has changed over the years. Noel and Amy discuss New York City, Surf Reality, and the experimental performance scene they both played in. Noel tells stories about the experience of doing the play, Charlie Victor Romeo with Collective: Unconscious. Listen in as Noel talks about taking acting classes, doing the podcast, and finding his way as a storyteller. Support Noel by listening to “Get Rich Quick with Josh & Noel” every Saturday night at 8pm on Radio Free Brooklyn or on the following week via Apple Podca

This week on Yes But Why, Amy talks to filmmaker and friend, Andy Young. Andy is a comedy writer and director. He is currently in Los Angeles working as a Film Editor at Motion Picture Editors Guild, I.A.T.S.E. Local 700 . In this interview, Andy talks about interviewing people for Moviemaker Magazine. Andy shares his excitement about a recent video that he edited: “Frank’s 2KTV” featuring Jonah Ray. Andy discusses the hard work of networking and making friends in LA. Andy and Amy chat about making comedy, creating your own work, and examining the underlying message in a movie. Support Andy by watching videos he is working on right now! Also, you should watch Andy’s movie “Keith & Heath” that features our host Amy!Yes But Why Podcast is a proud member of the HC Universal Network family of podcasts. Download the FREE HC Universal Network app for Android and iDevices or visit us at HCUniversalNetwork.com and join the fun.This episode of Yes But Why podcast is sponsored by audible - get your FREE audiobook d

This week’s episode of Yes But Why features Norway-based improviser and scientist, Aree Witoelar!Aree Witoelar is the founder and artistic director of Impro Neuf International - Oslo, Norway’s first English-speaking improv comedy theater. Aree is also a neuroscience teacher at the University of Oslo. Aree is part of the team that runs the Oslo Impro Festival. He performs with The Improv Speakeasy and other fun improv projects as well as touring Denmark, Canada, Romania and the US. He also writes the improv blog, On Cloud Nine, where he chats about life, love and Impro Neuf.In this interview, Aree tells the story of the journey of his improv discovery, from PHD student looking for fun to committed artist excited about teaching his craft! Aree tells Amy about how he balances his science academia life with his improv comedy life. Aree and Amy discuss multilingual improv shows and their effect on the audience. Aree shares his personal goal as a performer to work on doing more slow, grounded improv. Support Aree b

This week’s episode of Yes But Why features UCB teacher and performer, Billy Merritt. Billy Merritt has been with the UCB Theatre since it first opened in New York. He teaches and performs in both the New York and Los Angeles theaters. As a teacher, Billy has developed many improvised longform shows. Billy is also an actor on TV (Parks and Rec, Brooklyn Nine Nine, and Another Period) and a voiceover artist (Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe). In this interview, Billy talks about his love of comedy as a kid. Billy shares his journey as a performer looking for a community and all the odd rooms he found before UCB. Billy talks about when the original UCB crew first came to NYC to teach improv and how he loved the strict structure of the Harold. In this conversation, Amy asks about the “UCB method” and Billy debunks quite a few misconceptions! Listen in for a great discussion on improv education and the cycle of building a show. Billy also shares how his UCB teachers Kevin Mullaney, Armando Diaz, and Amy Poehler