Improv in Practice with Synergy Theater – Details, episodes & analysis

Hello Improvised Theater and Alfred Hitchcock fans!

In this episode we host Professor Denah Johnston, who teaches The Films of Alfred Hitchcock at San Francisco City College. We also host a virtual Alfred Hitchcock plumbed from the depths of the ethereal world of Artificial Intelligence. If you could ask Alfred Hitchcok anything, would you take his answers as the whole truth? Or would you wonder what ol' Hitch "hallucintated"? We invite you to join us as we explore this notion with (the real) Professor Denah Johsnton and the (ghostly?) Master of Suspense.

Synergy Theater's Improvised Hitchcock opens at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek CA Thursday 7/17/25. Get your tickets now for what will be a sold-out run. See you there!

https://www.synergytheater.com/ 

Hello Improvisers!  Synergy Theater's Improvised Dungeons and Dragons begins April 3rd, 2025 and runs through April 13th, Thursday's through Sundays, at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California. Don't be left out of the epic adventure! Get your tickets now at SynergyTheater.com. In this our 31st episode, Val and I sit down with Adrián Bousada, creator and director of Improvised D & D, and Addam Ledmyen, writer, actor, and Synergy Theater player. We talk about the origin and challenges of Improvised D&D, and Adrián's and Addam's hopes for the the show. You can find more about Adrián and Addam on Synergy Theater's website. Just click on About Us.

Who is Ben Piper? Is Ben a mythical forest-dwelling creature who is elusive when it comes to interviews? Not really. Ben is a Synergy Theater performer, Improviser, Dad, and all-around great guy! In our Interview with Ben, we discuss Ben's Improv "origin story" and roll from there right into Synergy's new show: A ROLL OF THE DICE. Each scene is created by chance! What are the challenges? What are the thrills? Ben tells all.

Get your tickets now for Synergy Theater's A ROLL OF THE DICE! Performances begin July 13th, 2023! Head to synergytheater.com and click on Performances. Valerie and I will see you there!

It's here! It's here! Synergy Theater's THE MATING GAME opens at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA, this week, Thursday April 13th! Visit SyngeryTheater.com and look for "Performances" to get your tickets now. In this interview - which took longer than expected to schedule (Benny explains why) - Benjamin "Benny" Garcia joins us for the first time. Benny is an incredible Improviser and the newest performer to join Synergy Theater's cast. We talk about about 11-year-old Benny's experience with an Italian youth-theater director, ("You're all RATS!"), how Benny first found Improvised Theater, and the dating show Benny would design if he could. If that were'nt enough, Benny's cat Carl makes a guest appearance and we play a game during which Valerie asks Benny a question I never could have expected. Once again, THE MATING GAME opens at The Lesher Center for the Arts Thursday April 13, 2023, and runs to April 23, 2023. See you there!

What's The Mating Game, you ask? Well, Valerie Regalia, creator and director of Synergy Theater's upcoming new show The Mating Game, answers all your(my) questions. And for the first time Kenn Adams, Synergy Theater's Artistic Director, joins us! We talk about what stands out when improvising a play about relationships. We also discuss The Mating Game's dreamlike and metaphoric qualities. By the end of this episode you'll think: I MUST SEE THIS SHOW! You can! Head to SynergyTheater.com, and click on Performances. If you reside outside the Bay Area in Northern California, The Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, (where Synergy Theater performs), is a great place to spend a spring vacation! Come see The Mating Game April 13th-23rd, 2023.

Welcome to The Mating Game! Valerie Jord and I discuss Synergy Theater's upcoming show based on the 1970's game show The Dating Game. The MATING Game begins April 13th, 2023, at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek California. Valerie and I also talk about our memories of the 70s, the origins of this podcast, and why Valerie hasn't taken any Improv classes yet -- even though she's Synergy's #1 fan, videographer, and Mom to Griffen Bier, Synergy player. Also, Valerie's question about what Improvisers should do when their character is confronted with a question that they don't know how to answer sparks an incredible conversation about character work!

The Mating Game is created and directed by Valerie Regalia, Synergy Theater player and past guest of the podcast. If you are in or around the Bay Area April 13th to April 23rd, 2023, head over to SynergyTheater.com for tickets and showtimes. While you're there check out the in-person and online classes starting every six weeks!

Hello Friends!

Valerie Jord and I are happy to let you know that Synergy Theater is back at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA, with a new show: Spontaneous Myth & Magic. If you could help rewrite ancient myths, what suggestions would you make? What new stories would you prompt about the origins of everything?

Visit SynergyTheater.com, click on Performances, and get a front-row seat to the remaking of epic legends. Lynn Shields, this episode's fantastic guest, and the rest of the Synergy Theater players look forward to your suggestions!

Spontaneous Myth & Magic is on stage now, January 12-22, 2023. If you miss Myth & Magic - there are more shows on the way. Visit SynergyTheater.com to learn more.

Eileen Tumlin is here! Eileen is a teacher, architect, improviser, aspiring puppeteer and more! Valerie Jord brings wonderful questions to the interview and we talk about Eileen's first foray into Improvised Theater, introverts, Hitchcock, why Hitchcock chose to film Psycho in black and white, and what Eileen (and Hitchcock) find creepy that others may not.

Spontaneous Hitchcock ends October 30, 2022, but there are more Synergy Theater shows on the way. If you haven't already, become a subscriber - not just to the podcast, but as a ticket-holder too! Find out more at SynergyTheater.com.

In this episode, Valerie Jord and I are joined by Paul Hansen - Synergy Theater student, Hitchcock fan, and more. Paul's knowledge of Hitchcock, Shakespeare, and the snack habits of Singapore monkeys is a treat!

Spontaneous Hitchcock is here and the rest of Synergy Theater's 2022-2023 season is on the way! Get your tickets now at SynergyTheater.com. 

In this interview with Nikki Vilas, Synergy Theater performer, we have fun talking about costumes for Spontaneous Hitchcock. How does the cast find the right period-appropriate pieces? What styles do they adapt? What about period-appropriate set pieces? Also, Valerie Jord shares what she enjoys about the pictures and video she takes - including what she captures of the stage sets before a Synergy Theater show even begins!

Have a listen and find out why we're so excited to see what the cast will be wearing for Synergy Theater's Improvised Hitchcock! Hope to see you there, or at a future Synergy Theater show. Visit SynergyTheater.com to find showtimes and more!