Tell us a little about your improvisation and theatre background.
I haven’t actually done actually much since my son was born three years ago, but I was heavily involved in Chicago doing Improv Olympic. I was a founding member of an improv group in college called Freudian Slip, which is just getting ready to have its 10 year reunion this year.
A lot of the people that I was doing that with I’m now involved with out here. [It's in] something called The Furious Theatre, which is in its second season. They just won Best Debut Theatre Award and we’re actually getting ready to do a British play called Mojo by Jez Butterworth.
What is the secret of improvised comedy?
Some people do extreme sports - improv is my extreme sport. It’s the adrenaline of not knowing what’s going to happen next. As far as the mind set goes, it’s so much about the people who you’re on stage with. I think the golden rule of improv is, "Yes, and". [That means] taking whatever somebody gives you, saying yes to it, and building on it.
It's almost like you’re battling with the people you're on stage with, not even trying to see who can be funnier but who can take the scene to the next level - how high, how ridiculous, how witty, how great can you get this scene to become. To me that’s the greatest thing about improv, you never know what’s going to happen next.
