improvcast

This week we welcome back a previous guest of the show, the Mayor of Improv himself Mark Turpin! Iain and Mark discuss the effect of improv on well-being and it’s basically just a fly on the wall experience, listening to two friends having a good old chin wag about something they are both incredibly passionate about.

This week we welcome Guy Ridgway to the show and we can’t wait for you to hear his story. Guy is incredibly open about the struggles he has faced in life and is an inspirational character who is very driven and focused on building others up. He speaks very highly about many of the LCI regulars and we know that lots of you will be smiling when you hear just how highly you are thought of. Guy is only just rediscovering improv again after sitting out improv online over the last 18 months or so, but he’s now back where he belongs and we can’t wait for you to hear his true story about making stuff up.

Frank is a lovely man who has lived a varied and interesting life, which leads to having many great stories to tell. In this chat we hear all about he started off his working life as a primary school teacher and then went through several career changes before coming back full circle as he now finds himself back in education. He is passionate about performing and is involved in many great groups that allow him to follow his passions. It’s another truly fascinating chat and we can’t wait for you to hear Frank’s true story about making stuff up.

Jen is a real improv connoisseur and she is full of really interesting nuggets of information that will really help to boost your improv game. She is a lover of long-form and has some great stories to tell about her time touring a show with her troupe. She breaks down the format they performed and discusses how to deal with situations that don’t seem to be going as hoped. She stresses the importance of making connections with like minded people and discusses how improv skills can help to improve your everyday life. It’s a fascinating chat and we can’t wait for you to hear Jen’s true story about making stuff up.

Neve is a young lady with a very bright future ahead of her and we are excited for you all to hear this wonderful improv centric chat. Neve discovered improv at a very young age and it has helped to shape the life she is living today by helping her to say yes to situations she has been presented with. During this chat we hear what led her to living in Spain for a period of time and why she opted for the degree she chose. We hear how YouTube introduced her to improv and how LCI was her gateway to getting involved. We discuss the importance of nailing down your troupe’s format and rehearsing your show because we may not know what we are going to do, but we do know what we are doing and the only way to properly prepare is to rehearse. It’s a really positive chat about improv and life and we can’t wait for you to hear Neve’s true story about making stuff up.

Andy is a positive and inspirational person who sees the true value of improv and how it can unlock our true selves in the best way. He’s had an interesting life that led him to living in Belarus for five years and we hear all about how that came to be during this chat. He gives us an insight into his work as a therapist and speaks in depth about hypnotherapy and how it works, as well as how impactful it can be. There’s some great discussion about how we determine our own self value and there’s lots of really great take away questions for you to ponder. Much like Emma Bird, Andy’s improv roots lie in Brighton, but he is originally from up north. Andy has a lovely, calming presence about him and we know you are going to absolutely love hearing his true story about making stuff up

Laxmi has a really positive energy that is as infectious as it is inspirational. She has been a fantastic presence in the online improv scene and it was a delightful experience to hear the journey she has been on to get to where she is today. She is incredibly humble and talks about the constant need to learn and improve and she gives some really useful advice that can definitely be added to yourimprov tool belt. She is somebody that truly loves improv and believes in it's power to improve wellbeing and we can’t wait for you to hear her true story about making stuff up.

Anki is a big ball of positive energy that is bound to put a smile on your face. In this chat we hear about her improv journey and how it led to her setting up Improvshine, which is a wonderful international improv jam and so much more. LCI played a big part in Anki developing as an improviser, especially during the pandemic and we are delighted to share her story with you. We could all definitely do with a little Improvshine in our lives.

Eilish is an improviser who discovered the joys of improv online during the pandemic and since she took the plunge and gave it a go, she has never looked back. It has given her a whole new creative outlet and helped her to fill the void left by the pandemic taking her usual hobbies away. Speaking of those hobbies, this chat goes deep into the ins and outs of sea shanties and clog dancing and we find out some really fascinating information about these traditional art forms. Eilish is a solicitor by trade and that in itself is an interesting story. Find out what led her into becoming a solicitor and how there is a real need for people who have very serious jobs to find a fun way to let loose and focus on their creative side. This is another great chat that gives a wonderful insight into so many things and we can’t wait for you to hear it.

This week we welcome the founder of Liverpool Comedy Improv to the show! Emma Bird is the person we all have to thank for there being such an incredible community of improvisers that those of us in it really love being a part of. In this interview we find out all about Emma’s career as an actor, director and even as a high school drama teacher! We hear about her improv journey and what led her to starting LCI in the first place and it’s a really fascinating chat, full of priceless nuggets of information that anybody in the creative community will really enjoy hearing. If you’ve ever attended an LCI session then you’ll know Emma, but now we finally get to peel back the layers and discover Emma’s true story about making stuff up.

Carole is a vibrant individual who keeps herself very busy with all things theatre. She tells us all about her love of acting and directing and gives us some wonderful insight into what goes on behind the scenes in the world of entertainment. She is somebody who has embraced improv during the pandemic and has fallen in love with how positive and energising it can be. 'It’s not so much the games themselves but the people who you are playing them with' is a strong message that Carole gets across in this chat and we can’t wait for you to hear this fantastic conversation about all things improv and life.

James is an autistic improviser who gives us an open and insightful look into what it’s like to be an improviser with autism. He is a regular at Glossop Improv (which is the place he feels most comfortable), but he has tested the water at Liverpool Comedy Improv in recent times and he tells us all about how hard that was for him and why it’s such an achievement that he felt like he could spread his wings in the first place. James tells us how improv just seemed to find him when he needed it most and how it has positively impacted his life in the time he has been doing it. The improv community has really embraced him and given him a place to be open and honest about who is truly is and hopefully this chat can help to inspire you to do the same.

This week we are delighted to welcome Helen Jones to the show. Helen is a wonderfully creatiive individual who feels she has been surpressing her creative side for many years. Now she has reached a point in her life where she finally feels she has the freedom to be herself and she revelas how improv comedy has played a big role in her shifting her mindset. She is recently retired and is ready to start a new and exciting chapter in her life full of improv, writing and maybe even some stand up comedy! It’s another fascinating chat and we can't wait for you to hear all about what she has in store.

Andri is a slick performer who lights up the stage whenever she performs. She does not have an extensive background in performing, but with somebody who is bursting at the seams with so much talent, it isn’t t difficult to see how she ended up on the stage eventually. She is somebody who has embraced Zoomprov during the pandemic, but is definitely somebody who is yearning to get back to improv in real life on a more permanent basis. She is a Boss Bird and a member Broken Chair Improv who enjoys the silly side of life and we are delighted to give you all this insight into what makes her tick.

This week we are celebrating 25 episodes by flipping things around and putting our host in the guest hot seat. We welcome back Geoff Head to the podcast to fill in as host and he delves deep into all things improv and life with Iain Luke Jones. Have you ever wondered what led Iain to improv to begin with, what influences him and why he has so many hats? These are just some of the topics Geoff digs into with Iain and as always the show is full of fascinating stories and plenty of positivity. We know our regular listeners think you know Iain, but how well do you really know him?

This week we welcome the other co-founder of Glossop Improv and LCI Online regular, Sekki Tabasuares. Sekki is a passionate performer with many strings to her bow. In fact she has so many strings to her bow that we didn’t even get around to talking about the fact that she is a very musical person who plays the Ukulele and sings among many other talents. During the interview we find out why improv means so much to her and how the skills of improv can be transferred into our everyday life. It’s a fascinating chat full of really good tidbits of information worth making notes about and we can’t wait for you to hear it!

David is a talented individual and a thoroughly lovely chap. This interview takes us on a journey from improv, to art, back to improv and comedy influences and then ends up with a chat about languages. David does not come from a performing arts background but you wouldn’t know it if you ever saw him in action. He discusses what he has learned during his time in improv and how his style has changed overr time as he learns more about the art and feels more comfortable as a performer. He has an art exhibition coming up soon and the dates are mentioned during the interview, so please take a note of those as he really is a very talented artist who’s work will definitely leave you feeling in awe of his talents.

Mart is a truly lovely person who just oozes goodness with every word that he speaks. He is a very talented improviser and also has many other great talents that you can hear all about during this episode. He is a member of ‘Broken Chair Improv’ who are a very talented improv troupe that you should definitely seek out online (and hopefully in the not too distant future) in person. We advise you check their Facebook page every Thursday if you want something to put a smile on your face! In this interview you can find out how the latest LCI logo came about and where the name ‘Broken Chair Improv’ came from amongst many other topics. Mart has a really chilled vibe about him and he is sure to leave you feeling positive and excited for all things improv.

Isaac is a passionate performer with a real love for improv. In this interview he talks us through his struggles as a stand up comedian and how it was that experience that led him to his happy place of improv. He is a big fan of horror and Funko Pops and he goes into detail about his passions, which leads to a really great discussion about Disney villains and how they are mostly just misunderstood. It’s another awesome interview that starts off with a chat about improv and then takes us on a whole other kind of adventure.

Jess is a passionate improviser with a true love for the art of improv. She is the co-founder of Glossop Improv and the founder of Brain Fog Improv, and you can hear all about those two great organisations in this episode of the podcast. Jess keeps herself very busy on the improv circuit both as a performer and a facilitator and she goes back to her roots in this interview to tell us where it all began and how she ended up where she is right now on her improv journey.