66. James Mastraieni & Approaching the Harold

66. James Mastraieni & Approaching the Harold

Author: Boardwalk Audio June 13, 2016 Duration: 1:24:29
James Mastraieni comes on the show to talk about improv! You may know James from UCB house team Outside Dog, or his former harold team The Ruckus. He’s also on the iO West House Team, Orpheus Roy. James talks about his specific approach to improv including how he likes to start scenes, his great “Fancy Dinner” analogy for harolds, and we wrap it up by talking a bit about coaching.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Stephen Perlstein sits down with a different guest from the improvisation community each week on Improv Obsession-Conversations About Improvising Better. This isn't just a series of comedy tips, though you'll certainly pick those up along the way. Instead, these are deep, meandering, and genuinely funny conversations that get at the heart of why people are drawn to improv in the first place. You'll hear performers, teachers, and writers break down the subtle mechanics of a great scene, share stories of glorious failures, and discuss the philosophies that guide their work off-stage as much as on. Produced by Boardwalk Audio, the podcast thrives on the spontaneous energy and thoughtful reflection that defines the art form itself. It’s about the obsession with the craft-the tiny choices, the shared trust, and the pursuit of that elusive, perfect moment of unscripted connection. Tune in for a regular dose of insight and laughter that feels like eavesdropping on a fantastic green room conversation between friends who happen to be experts at making things up.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 78

Improv Obsession - Conversations About Improvising Better
Podcast Episodes
25: Rene Gube [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:54
RENE GUBE is on the show! You know him from the stunning UCBLA Harold Team, John Velvet. You also know him as one of the charismatic hosts of Room 101. Rene sits down and talks with me a bit about playing things real in…
24: Craig Cackowski [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:08
Craig Cackowski is on the show! You know him as the improv guru from iO West. We talk about character, and the idea that I never understood, playing yourself as a character! He talks about how doing improv right will del…
23: Zach Reino [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:01
Zach Reino who you know from Kid Grift, and his rapping improv team Murdercliff is on the show. We talk about the importance of loving your team. The challenges and fun of joining harold night. Most of all though, Zach l…
22: Steve Szlaga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:42
Steve Szlaga is here! You know him from UCBLA Harold team Scandal! He and I talk about the one thing you listen to this podcast for, Running! Seriously we talk about running for a little bit. But then we talk about the o…
21.5: Dan Oster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:08
Here's a brief Perl of Wisdom from our last guest Dan Oster. He highly recommends the Mick Napier book, Improvise: Scene from the Inside Out. Subscribe. Rate. Comment. Enjoy. Thanks for listening guys. See acast.com/priv…
Episode 20.5: Jonny Svarzbein [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:55
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
21: Dan Oster [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:39
DAN OSTER is on the show. He’s the first guest I’ve ever had who’s not mostly a UCB performer. He’s a coach and a player over at The Improv Space in Westwood. He was a player at Boom Chicago and had a stint on MadTV. We…
20: Jonny Svarzbein [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:44:07
We’re back! This episode is with Jonny Svarzbein, you know him from UCBLA’s Rough Cut, and he co-hosts The 11th Hour show and Tuesday Night Thunder. We talk about the indie LA improv scene. Jonny also talks a bit about w…
19: Tara Copeland [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:15
Tara Copeland stops by my room and we make LOVE...ly conversation about improv. We talk about loving improv, loving our teammates, loving our scene, loving in scenes, making love in scenes. Tara encourages everyone to ju…
18: Alex Fernie [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:09
Alex Fernie is the guest this week. He’s one third of the Cagematch juggernaut Convoy. He’s also a member of one of the early UCBLA harold teams Sentimental Lady. Fernie talks about the specifics of specificity, like tha…