Improv Nerd With Jimmy Carrane – Details, episodes & analysis

Keli Semelsberger has been teaching, directing and performing improv for more than 26 years. She founded the award-winning Charlotte Comedy Theater and she is the author of her new book, Improv Shaman: The Transformative Journey of Divine Play. We talked to her about being enough, taking care of yourself and how to be more vulnerable.

Rich Sohn is a master teacher and improviser at The Pack Theater in Los Angeles. He's worked at The Annoyance Theater, iO-Chicago and Second City. We talked to him about how he found his voice as a teacher and improviser at The Annoyance, how the Annoyance style brings such freedom on stage, and what he learned from working with Del and Mick in Chicago in the '90s.

Jeff Rogers is an accomplished improviser. He started out in the '80s, was part of the National Touring Company of The Second City and understudied for the Second City resident company. He is also an actor and a best selling author and his new book is called The PLAYMaker Mindset. He recently reopened the legendary improv school The Players Workshop in Chicago. We talked to him about why it was so important to him to reopen that school, how he brings gratitude on stage with him when he improvises, and what would happen if we got paid to improvise.

Pat Finn is a member of Beer, Shark Mice who has appeared in such sitcoms as Seinfeld, Friends, The Drew Carey Show, and Curb Your Enthusiasm just to name a few. He has also done a ton of national commercials. Jimmy sat down with him to talk about his late friend Chris Farley, how he developed his physical style of improvising and what it was like to work on Seinfeld.

John Lehr and Nancy Hower create and produce sitcoms that are improvised, such as Ten Items or Less for TBS and Quick Draw for Hulu. John improvised with ED in Chicago in the late '90s. Nancy studied acting Juliard and fronted a rock band. Jimmy sits down with them to talk about why they like improvising their TV shows, how they settle creative differences, and opening for Meat Loaf.

Tim Kazurinsky is an actor who was on Saturday Night Live from 1980-84 and is best remembered as Carl Sweetchuck in the Police Academy films. He is also a screenwriter who co-wrote About Last Night. Jimmy sat down with him to talk about why he started taking improv classes at The Second City, how he got on SNL and making his Broadway debut last year in An Act of God with Jim Parsons.

Jon Favreau is a well-known writer, actor and director who has directed such films as Iron Man 1 and 2, Elf, Made, and Chef, just to name a few. He's also the director of Walt Disney's The Jungle Book, which comes out April 15. Jimmy sat down with him to discuss his comedy days in Chicago, what tools he uses from his improv training to write his films, and working with Bill Murray on The Jungle Book.

Cecily Strong is a cast member on SNL and she's in four new movies coming to theaters this spring and summer, including Ghostbusters, The Bronze, The Meddler and The Boss. Jimmy talks to her about being a ham when she was younger, why studying in Chicago was important to her career, and why she almost didn't audition for SNL.

Kristy and Jethro Nolan are the co-founders of The Arcade Comedy Theater in Pittsburgh. They are incredibly accomplished improvisers and teachers who have performed at iO-Chicago and Boom Chicago in Amsterdam and taught at the Second City. Jimmy talks to then how they met in improv, why the moved from LA to Pittsburgh, and how they have adjusted to teaching improv in a smaller market.

Kate James is an actor, improviser and writer who is best known as one of the members of the hilarious sketch comedy group Schadenfreude and from the viral video Drunk Cubs Fan. She has also written on the Jeff Award-winning The Second City Guide to the Opera. We talk to her about why most of siblings went into the arts, what it takes to be part of a successful sketch group, and the secret to having your video go viral.