78 episodes

The Improv Obsession Podcast is the ideal place to hear fun and thoughtful improv discussion. Your host Stephen Perlstein brings you new guests from the improvisation community to have an enlightening talk about improv comedy.

Improv Obsession - Conversations About Improvising Better Boardwalk Audio

    • Comedy
    • 4.8 • 163 Ratings

The Improv Obsession Podcast is the ideal place to hear fun and thoughtful improv discussion. Your host Stephen Perlstein brings you new guests from the improvisation community to have an enlightening talk about improv comedy.

    76. Dave Theune & Doing Comedy On Your Own Terms

    76. Dave Theune & Doing Comedy On Your Own Terms

    We’re back! 2017! Will this be the only podcast I record all year? Who knows! Today on the show, it’s Dave Theune. Los Angeles improvisers may know Dave from the legendary Bangarang, or Sassy Bluff, or Midbest, or his run with Bonafide on Maude Night. And, all the TV watchers may have seen dave on Brooklyn 99, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Michael Bolton’s Big Sexy Valentine’s Day Special, or in 1000 commercials. Dave flips the script on me today, and starts asking me questions. And in turn, I divulge too much information about my life and this podcast. But, not before taking a second to have Dave talk to me about straight manning, and doing comedy on your own terms. Plus, we talk a bit about Dave’s personal journey in improv, and the merits of short form improv, which Dave wants you to know, he loves. 
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    • 1 hr 29 min
    75. Mike McLendon & Finding Your Place in Improv

    75. Mike McLendon & Finding Your Place in Improv

    Mike McLendon is on the show! You may know Mike from his incredible teams, Outside Dog, Orpheus Roy, Tatertown, Second City, Mission Improvable, and more! Mike talked to me in this one about how he found his way in improv, and maybe some of the trials and tribulations that go along with it. And, as always, we talk about HOW to do good improv. Is it easy? You bet it is. HA. This is another in the series of, whoops why didn’t I release this. So, if you have the chance, reach out to Mike, and tell him how much you liked this one, I’m sure he’d appreciate it. 
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    • 1 hr 40 min
    74. James Bachman & The Indie Improv Scene Is Completely Broken and Needs to Be Destroyed and Rebuilt from Scratch

    74. James Bachman & The Indie Improv Scene Is Completely Broken and Needs to Be Destroyed and Rebuilt from Scratch

    James Bachman is on the show today to talk about the indie improv scene, and how it’s completely broken, and needs to be destroyed and rebuilt from scratch. LA improvisers may know James from his Mess Hall Team Green Light Go, or if you’re a fan of comedy, you might know him from The IT Crowd, The Mighty Boosh, Saxondale, and more! James and I have a lively debate on the state of indie improv, with which, the real goal is to make the whole improv community better. Did we achieve it? Who knows?! Let us know what you think. For further show notes and past episodes, go http://boardwalkaudio.com/improvobsession/ 
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    • 3 hr 2 min
    73. Carl Tart (MADtv, White Women, Comedy Bang Bang) & Performing to the Max

    73. Carl Tart (MADtv, White Women, Comedy Bang Bang) & Performing to the Max

    Carl Tart is on the show! You may know Carl from UCB Harold Teams Queen George & Six Killer, as well as his Maude Team, The Bus, OR maybe his improv and sketch group White Women. Carl’s also an alumni of Second City and Boom Chicago, so yeah, Carl’s got quite the performance history. I pick Carl’s brain for as long as I possibly can to learn how he performs. And I figured it all out, so if you wanna be good listen to this. 

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    • 2 hr 21 min
    72. Jake Jabbour (Shapeshift, The Meat, We’re Gross with Gilli Nissim) & How To Be a Good Coach

    72. Jake Jabbour (Shapeshift, The Meat, We’re Gross with Gilli Nissim) & How To Be a Good Coach

    Jake Jabbour (Shapeshift, We're Gross with Gilli Nissim) is on the show! Improv fans will know Jake from hosting 4,3,2,1 and Shapeshift. Podcast fans will know his podcast, The MEAT Improv with Josh Simpson and Jake Jabbour, in my opinion the best improv podcast ever. He’s also on the teams Puddy, Church, and Squeeze, who are all funny and incredible. In this episode Jake and I talk about how to coach teams, how to improv, and some of our favorite things to see in improv. Also, Listen! Rate! Review! Share! Enjoy!
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    • 1 hr 35 min
    71. Rebecca Drysdale & Doing It Your Own Way

    71. Rebecca Drysdale & Doing It Your Own Way

    Becky Drysdale is on the show! Improv fans will know Becky from the Hebecky Drysbell, Elephants Gerald, Baby Wants Candy, and Brand New Ball. You may also know Becky as the benevolent landlord of The Clubhouse. Plus, she’s written for Baskets, and Key And Peele. Becky talks about finding her place in improv, writing and keeping her career growing, her goals and wants for The Clubhouse, and even a good bit on how to actually DO improv. Guys, this was a great episode, if you liked this episode, tell a friend about it! Listen! Rate! Review! Share! Enjoy! 
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    • 2 hr

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
163 Ratings

163 Ratings

Nick Sk. ,

Highly impactful

I have luckily only listened to a few episodes so far, so I still have a lot of this great podcast to listen to. I have jumped around a bit, but there are a lot of “real” moments in this podcast. Talk of insecurities and personal weaknesses that is helpful for a person like me in their first year of improv.
Thank you, Stephen. I would love if there were more episodes, but I am thankful for what is here.

Lizzykatmc ,

2018

Episodes are old but I love it and it's super helpful for people taking improv classes. ❤

overoverunder ,

Insightful and thoughtful

Love this podcast and all the guests. Real, honest talks about some of the biggest questions in improv.

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