UCB Long-Form Conversations

Brennan Lee Mulligan sits down with NY OG, screenwriter, show runner, & director Scot Armstrong (Soundtrack, Mother). They cover his early days studying in Chicago at Second City under Del Close, the Chicago scene, the very first days of UCB New York, helping invite the Soundtrack format, and more.

Anna Rajo / Brennan Lee Mulligan by UCB Comedy

UCB resident smarty pants, Alex Fernie sits down with UCB Diversity Coordinator Anna Rajo (Thirst Trap, Gringos) about discovering comedy, making the jump to improv, her desire to be an improv teacher, and how performing for Maude has influenced her improv character work.

Sarah Claspell / Alex Fernie by UCB Comedy

Palate Cleanser: Brian Huskey by UCB Comedy

Native comedians Joey Clif, Lucas BrownEyes, Kelly Lynne D’Angelo, and Jenny Marlowe, talk navigating the comedy & entertainment scenes, creating outlets for native creative voices, their backgrounds, non-natives writing native stories & consulting, the power of diverse native voices, and more

Jacob Wysocki / Sarah Claspell by UCB Comedy

In this palate cleanser episode, Will Choi (Asian AF creator) talks with fellow Asian performers Alex Song (Asian AF NY Producer), Ally Pintal (Harold Team & Maude Team. Pilipino AF), Dhruv Singh (Queen John, Benton, Too Effin High, South East Asian AF) to talk about representation of Asian performs in the improv & UCB community, the differences between NY & LA scenes, overcoming the idea of needing to compete against fellow Asian performers. learning to own the stage, and more.

We're ending our NYC round with a delightful conversation between Lloyd night teammates Jo Roueiheb and Frank Marasco! Frank tells Jo about starting improv in Boston, his somewhat inexplicable love for Andy Daly, how to lean on your strengths in improv and enjoy the harder notes. We also learn that improv is actually just like bobsledding and baseball!

This week’s guest is the fabulous Jo Roueiheb! Jo chats with James Folta about her love of Lucille Ball and Amy Sedaris, how important it is to “not be afraid to get weird” and her experiences on Lloyd teams Seventeen and Doing Hugs.

Corin Wells is our fantastic host this week and her guest is Harold Night's James Folta! James tells us about his start in improv back in San Fransisco at End Games Theater, his background in mime, and how his passion for writing is influenced by improv. And of course we hear about his amazing Harold team, Too Damn Much!

Our Harold Night host Stefan Schuette is joined by Corin Wells of the Lloyd team Promises and Maude night sketch team, The Gift. Corin tells us about her improv journey, from its start as a love for Will Ferrell to her time as a teacher and performer at the Philly Improv Theater, to her experiences in ASP's and now Lloyd night. She also sprinkles in some delightful stories of auditioning to be an Eagles cheerleader, and the time she hung out with Beyonce's dancers.

New York Harold Night performer Beth Slack interviews fellow Harold player Stefan Schuette about his journey in improv, from short-form to long-form. Stefan tells us about his improv inspirations like TJ and Dave, the scenes he feels best about, and even provides a little wisdom with a salad metaphor.

Another palate cleanser for your ears and hearts! The four hosts of UCBNY's monthly Lady Jam chat about what makes the lady jam a great space to perform and share stories of their shared experiences as women in the New York improv community. Featuring Molly Thomas, Lily Du, Jessica Morgan and Monique Moses.

In this NYC Palate Cleanser, The Mannequin Room joins us to talk about why YOU should come to Indie Cage Match at UCB East, and why you should also submit your team to perform! They also offer advice on growing as performers and as a team, talk about their team's journey and decide which diva represents them (hint: more than one).

Jon Mackey chats with improv prince Jacob Wysocki to talk transitioning from short form to long form, the need for a comedic outlet, learning to take the note, & more.

Friends Peter Banifaz & Jon Mackey talk how Jon discovered comedy, the formation & evolution of his team Winslow, personal challenges his struggled, his approach to humor & improv, and more!

Old friends Ruha & Peter chat about what initially following in love with the structure of UCB's improv, the moment things "clicked", "writer's brain vs actor's brain", his role on an improv team, & more

Marissa Strickland sits down with Ruha Taslimi to talk creating characters and using them in improv scenes, Ruha finding a home at the UCB community, using improv as a form of therapy, performing as a “non-writer’s brain”, having clear emotion in scenes, and more.

Kimia Behpoornia (Leroy) chats with Marissa Strickland (Yeti) to talk what got them into improv, using a creativity outlet as therapy, play styles, the first time she understood game, how it’s affect her day to day interactions, and more.

In the palate cleaner episode, Edgar Momplaisir (Leroy, Arcade Currency) sits down with fellow black performers Ego Nwodim (Queen George, Benetton), Ashleigh Holston (Dollhouse, Obama's Other Daughters), and Carl Tart (Queen George, White Women) to discuss settling into the improv scene & UCB community, the power of representation, their peers & influences, being afraid of playing "too black", and more.

This week we have Harold night's Beth Slack as a guest! Beth delights us with her journey from the theater world to UCB, her audition process and why it's important, favorite performers and teachers, and her passion for musical improv. Check out Beth on Harold night, or performing with her musical improv duo Hansbury and Slack around the city!

This week's host Jon Wan sits down with Harold night's Matt Starr! Matt talks about his evolution as an improviser, starting all the way back in college right up to his current team, Mermaids. He describes the types of notes he's received and how they helped him grow, and also details how his improv approach changed after being cut from Harold night some years ago.

Lloyd Night's Jon Wan is in the studio chatting with this week's host, Nicole Pasquale. Jon dives into his audition approach, the ways that solo work as enriched his improv, and both he and Nicole chat about Asian AF, a monthly improv show at UCBT that everyone should go see.

This week's host, James Dwyer, chats with Lloyd Night's Nicole Pasquale! Nicole takes us through her studious start at UCB, some of her early indie teams, and her experience hosting the long-running NYC indie show Kaleidescope. They also dig into improv approaches, and why sometimes it's good to start things before being ready.

Welcome back to New York City, LaRonde! Host Kelsey Bailey sits down with The Law Firm's James Dwyer, who details his audition failures and successes, how teaching has made him a better improviser, and his approach to noting.

Mike McLendon speaks with Kimia Behpoornia (Leroy, Sugar) to discuss her first year on Harold, how doing sketch & performing on Maud night informs her improv, what she gets out of improv, and more! This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

Jacquis Neal talks with UCBTLA mainstay Mike McLendon (Outside Dog, Too Effin’ High) to talk Mike’s moving to LA on a whim & diving head-first into the UCB improv scene & forming his first friendships, the importance of embracing failure, laying the groundwork so you can break the rules, the formation of his team Outside Dog, the growing pains of being on a new team, and more.This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

Zeke Nicholson chats with Jacquis Neal (Dollhouse, Some Kinda Monster) to talk Jacquis first months on Harold Night, his origins in Chicago theater scene, becoming a black performer and learning that embrace his culture & upbringing, representation in comedy, and more. This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

Will Hines chats with Zeke Nicholson (Cardinal Redbird, White Women) to talk what came easy to Zeke & what were his huddles, his improv strengths, the importance of representation & the formation of his all black team White Women, his role on a team, and more. This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

Kevin Hines and Molly Thomas listen back to scenes recorded by NYC improvisers from our last round of the LaRonde. They chat about how their notes might differ, and what their approaches are to noting certain types of scenes. Coaches, teachers and note-heads are going to love this one! This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

UCB founder Matt Walsh (ASSSSCAT, Veep) talks with UCB mainstay Will Hines (The Smokes, Fuckable) about early days of UCB in NY & Will’s time navigating the fledgling scene, share stories of old bits, Matt’s time living about the theater, their process, the “a-ha improv” moment, writing improv books, Will’s approach to teaching & coaching, and more. This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

UCB Comedy podcast producers Cody Ziglar and Sophie Yalkezian choose a few of their favorite moments from the last year to share with listeners. Looking forward to another year of nerding out over improv! This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

In this special palate cleanser episode, we have digital content creators Zach Oyama (College Humor), Carmen Angelica (Cracked), & Jessica Ross (College Humor) to talk writing & directing comedy for digital platforms.

In this palate cleanser episode, musical improvers Zora Bikangaga (Dopetown 3000), Zach Reino (Off Book podcast, Baby Wants Candy), Shilpa Das (Kaboombox), & Jiavani Linyao (Baby Wants Candy) gather to talk musical improv; the challenges of rap & hip-hop improv, the numerous different muscles needed for music improve as opposed to short form & long form, tips for becoming a better performer, and more.This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

In this palate cleanser episode, UCB Maude Night writers Zora Bikangaga , Jess Ross, Zed Cutsinger, & Gerald Grissette talk all things sketch! How they formulate ideas, the pitching & writing process when it comes to interacting with their fellow teammates, applying game & lessons from improv to their sketch writing, and more!

In honor of the UCB Theater's move from from Chelsea to Hell’s Kitchen, Artistic Director Shannon O’Neill gives listeners a very special audio tour of the Chelsea Theater space. She’s accompanied by UCBT performers Connor Ratliff and JD Amato, who simultaneously record for their podcast 12 Hour Day. To see Shannon's photos that accompany the audio tour, go to our album on the UCB Comedy Facebook page.

This week's guest is Kelsey Bailey (Sleuth, Fluffty)! She chats with Caroline Martin about how improv helped her build confidence in her identity, and how she still deals with nerves on stage. She also details her favorite openings, exercises, and show moments with house teams and her indie team, Future Wives. This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

This week our NYC guest is the lovely Caroline Martin (The Curfew, Obama Daughters, Let’s Talk About Race Baby). She chats with Alex Dickson about her experience getting on Lloyd night with Astronomy Club and her progression from Harold teams Coworkers and Mermaids to her current team, The Curfew. She also explains her approach to improv not only as a UCBT improviser but a teacher, and the ways that she deals with self-doubt on stage. This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

This week's guest is veteran improviser Alex Dickson (The Stepfathers). Alex chats with host Joe Leonardo about her her time in Chicago on the Second City touring company and subsequent move to New York for theater school. She takes us through her experiences on UCBT house teams Detroit and The Enemy, and describes how she's inspired by her current teammates on The Stepfathers.

This week's guest is UCBT Lloyd night performer Joe Leonardo! Joe tells host David Bluvband how he and his friends founded a long-form improv program in Hartford, Connecticut and eventually moved to New York at the suggestion of Kevin Hines. He also describes how his mindset towards improv changed after getting cut from a house team and then put back on.

David Bluvband (GOAT, The Chris Gethard Show) is in the New York guest chair this week! David chats with host Adrian Frimpong about his experiences on Harold teams including The Enemy, Good Girl and Brightlight. He explains how he admired the theater before even stepping foot inside it, and tells us about his worst-ever Harold night show. He also tries really hard not to forget any teammates' names! This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

This week our LaRonde loops back to New York City, where we kick things off with a palate cleanser episode from Kevin Hines. Kevin invites fellow UCB teacher Alex Dickson and veteran improviser and coach Chris Scott to discuss the ins and outs of coaching improv. What makes a good coach? How does it differ from teaching? When are people ready to start coaching? This episode was made in partnership with the Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

Paul Scheer talks with friend & fellow UCB improv OG Jason Mantzoukas’ to talk their early days coming up in the NY scene, watching early ASSSSCAT shows in 5 story walk ups, early Cage Match beef, to Jason’s personal approach to improv & scene work. They also talk the nuisances of performing improv on stage vs improv for camera & the working & writing process for their show The League, as well the importance of improving for narrative vs. improving for jokes.

Kale Hills / Paul ScheerKale Hills sits down with UCB OG Paul Scheer to talk the early days on at improv at UCB & why he continues to do shows, the early struggles of producing shows & finding a workable voice, the very real importance of using improv on stage vs using it on a film set & the nuisances of filming an improvised scene, improving from a character’s POV, and more.

Nina Concepcion (Zoo Zoo) sits down with Kale Hills (Nomi Malone) to talk his improv origin story, his growth in both the LA indie scene & his years on Harold Nights, how his sketch has influenced his improv, his short form background, finding the right opening, and more. This week’s episode is in partnership with Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

Nina Concepcion (Zoo Zoo) joins Matt Apodaca (DiCaprio) to discuss organic improv, patience, the importance of representation of latino voices on stage, the indie scene, POC in improv, importance of diversity, & more. This week’s episode is in partnership with Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network

Dave Theune (Bangarang!) sits with Harold newcomer Matt Apodaca (DiCaprio) to talk his early days of short form leading to long form, the pros & cons of each, his first year on Harold Night, the mentality of “passing of the torch”, & more. This week’s episode is in partnership with Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

With LA Harold & Mess Hall auditions around the corner, current & former Mess Hall performers Jonny Svarzbein, Wes Martinez, Anna Raja, & Laci Mosley reflect on their time & experiences on Mess Hall. They share tips for auditioning, what to expect, pros & cons, and more. This week’s episode is in partnership with Bronx Brewery, the official house beer of the UCB Comedy Podcast Network.

This week Adrian Frimpong (Ice Cold Bev) sits down with host Jonathan Braylock (Astronomy Club). They chat about how Adrian discovered theatre through plays at his church and his first time seeing UCB TourCo perform. He also explains how Shaun Diston's Textbook Harolds class helped him improve as an improviser, and the feeling of imposter syndrome on a house team.