We are happy to announce that Improvisor Ryan Nallen will be joining the NIN team. Ryan has been contributing very resourceful blogs for the last year and will now join our NIN team helping spread the word and making the site even better. I had a chance to interview Ryan:

Tell us about your improv background…What schools have you gone to?

I’ve been improvising now for around 7 years. I originally went to college to wrestle at the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana. I had taken a theater class because I was told it was a blow off (easy) class by my student advisor. For the final exam we had to do a student written play and half way through I forgot my lines. I just started rambling and making things up to justify what was happening. The class laughed at the nonsense coming out of my mouth and afterward my teacher pulled me aside and said, “You should look into doing this. You have a natural talent.” After the season finished, I decided to take that teacher’s advice and quit the team. I have been acting and improvising ever since. As for my training, I am a graduate of iO Chicago, the Second City Conservatory, and the Annoyance Theatre.

Who are you favorite improv instructors?

Thats a tough question for me because I feel like every teacher I have had has taught me something valuable or has provided me with great insight based on their own experiences. You can always learn something from somebody and I try to maintain that belief with every class or workshop I take.

Switch Committee

Switch Committee had originally formed out of iO. Dave Karasik and I were in level 1 together and enjoyed playing together so we decided to form a group inviting other people we’d played with who we felt we had good playing chemistry with. Since the group has formed, we have had 2 runs at iO, performed at almost every venue in Chicago, and have traveled to and taught at over 10 festivals around the country. I really love traveling to festivals because I enjoy meeting new people who love doing the same thing I love to do. It’s something very special to get people from all over the country together to sit and watch each other do make believe. Traveling to new places to meet and see how other people are improvising is very exciting to me. Also, it’s like a vacation and who doesn’t love a vacation?

You’re becoming a part of the NIN team. What has NIN meant to you?

First of all. Thank you! This is awesome and I’m honored! I think NIN is an invaluable resource to the improv community. The purpose of it and how the people involved work so hard to bring performers and teachers from all over the country together speak volumes about the kind of support and collaboration that exists in our small world. Through NIN I have been able to connect with people and festivals that I might not have been able to connect with otherwise. It’s given me a central place to go to find festivals and more importantly groups and people with shared interests. It is because of NIN that I can say I have improv friends in almost every state in the country.

Where do you see improv heading?

We are in a weird, but GOOD, growth phase right now. A lot of theaters are growing, moving, and getting larger, which is fantastic for the performing arts community in which we belong. For example, in Chicago, iO and the Annoyance recently moved to new locations, Second City is expanding, and multiple other theaters like The Playground and M.C.L. (Music Comedy Live – formerly Studio Be) are rebranding and establishing new programs. Then you’ve got other shows popping up in attics and garages (the S%$& hole) generating the entire support of the community simply because they’ve created a judgement-free environment inviting pretty much anyone (sketch, stand-up, improv, musicians, etc.) to come and play free of charge.

With that, there will always be a show to see. I’ve seen it first hand here in Chicago. You don’t need thousands of dollars or a theater license. All you need is a space to play in and people who want to play in it.

How do you feel about the national improv scene?

I think its great. I absolutely love traveling to festivals and seeing what other people are doing in terms of their form and playing style. It’s also great to see the support that everyone has for one another. Rather than “oh I don’t know you you’re from another state” its “hey we love doing the same thing tell me more about you and your group.” It’s like a family and everyone is eager to watch each other play. Nationally its continuing to grow as well with more theaters and festivals popping up and existing theaters moving/expanding. I see it continuing to grow and people continuing to try new things. I see it getting bigger with more opportunities for people to perform both locally and nationally. It’s very exciting!

Nick is Camp Director and Founder of Improv Utopia an improv retreat for adults in California and Pennsylvania. He is also one of the founding members of the National Improv Network and performer and teacher at iO West as well as member of The Sunday Company at The Groundlings. He has also taught many workshops around the country.

The Phoenix Improv Festival celebrates it’s 14th year in 2015! I had a chance to interview Executive Director and NIN Co-Founder Bill Binder to chat with him about what we can expect this year.

What makes PIF 14 different than other improv festivals?

Last year we shared the building with another event. I’m sure the other event was great and I heard good things about it, but I overheard a conversation between two of the ushers. The first usher was concerned about sending people to the correct event and the head usher said “If they’re here to see art, send them to the Improv Festival.”

That’s something I didn’t ever think I’d hear. Your question was how we’re different than other festivals, and certainly we’re not unique at all in celebrating the art of improv. But what is unique here is how much our city celebrates it as art. We play in a beautiful venue that seats about 400 people and – of course – there are performers in the audience. But there are also hundreds of people who may or may not see improv throughout the year, but they come to the festival to celebrate the cultural landscape of their city. Our audience members see improv in rotation with the opera and the ballet in town. And let me tell you, you know that old saying, “Treat your audience like poets…” it works the other way. This audience will treats us like professionals and artists and the work we get to do in response lives up to that. It feels great to play in that kind of environment.

What can we expect from PIF 14 this year?

Kind of tagging onto the last question, this is our 14th year and our audiences are coming to a grown-up event, so we are going to act like grown-ups. There will defiitely be some parties, but the performances themselves, we’re going to try to treat the festival and performers like we’re there on purpose, not some kids who stumbled into a theatre. I think this year we’re going to go even further in treating our visitors like the professionals they deserve to be treated as.

What can an improvisor get if they are accepted into PIF 14?

All performers play the mainstage. There is no sidestage or second smaller venue. Each group gets put up for one night at the Holiday Inn across the street from the venue. Each group gets a den mother who is available 24 hours for them to give them rides, get them food, show them around town, get them to the festival, etc. There are two parties with transportation to and from. There will be a photoshoot on Saturday. All groups get a video of their performance for submitting to other festivals. We have workshops on Saturday as well as our third unconference to discuss the art and business of improv. We will have panels and possibly a return of Jam City.

Besides the Improv Festival, why else should a troupe take a trip out to Phoenix. What’s the Valley of the Sun have to offer?

Well, Oprah’s favorite pizza place for one. people always ask about that. But if you really want good pizza, there are plenty of other places we can get you. Downtown Phoenix has plenty of museums, and many of them are great, but I won’t list them all because the names mean nothing. But the Musical Instrument Museum and Butterfly Wonderland are pretty self-explanitory. There are no baseball games in town that weekend, but there are plenty of places nearby to watch games. The Roosevelt Row area is a more Bohemian neighborhood right next to the hotel where many small local bands, galleries and restaraunts are within walking distance. If you really want to experience “the old west”, there are plenty of scenic parks and fairly inauthentic ghost towns your den mother can get you to. And of course, the hotel has a pool.

You’ve been at it for 14 years. What have you seen change in improv from year 1 to year 14 in your community?

In 2002, the love of improv was huge, but in a very small circle of people who didn’t have the knowledge or the skill to share that love. Only seven years ago, I ran a listing for classes and the person running the mailing list kept insisting that I put the words “zany” and “wacky” in the listings. When I refused she said “OK, but you’ll be yelling into the wind.” We’re not yelling in the wind anymore. There are six great improv theatres in the area and many smaller groups. The community knows what improv is and there are hundreds, not dozens, of people meeting each week to practice, or just discuss the craft. There are a dozen great shows every week somewhere in Phoenix, and those folks come together to put on an amazing event each April.

Nick Armstrong

Nick Armstrong is Founder and Camp Director of Improv Utopia an improv retreat for adults in California and Pennsylvania. He is also one of the founding members of the National Improv Network and performer and teacher at iO West as well as member of The Sunday Company at The Groundlings. He has also taught many workshops around the country.

I would like to start this by saying I grew up in the desert. December for me is 60s and a cactus with some lights. May not sound as romantic to you, but to me it’s the bees knees. It was also that December when I got a Facebook message from Rick Grove and Lauren Corl telling me we must go to Wisconsin (which was under piles and piles of snow) for the Improv Retreat with the one and only Tara DeFrancisco – who I had met for the first time on stage as a part of her show DeFrancisco. While I would like to say I thought long and hard about the snow, before I knew it, I clicked the link to pay and off my pay check went.

I was more than happy to spend my weekend in the woods with 275 other improvisors at B’nai B’rith Beber Camp in Mukwonago Wisconsin. The Improv Retreat started as a dream of Tara’s to help bring improvisors to the Midwest for a weekend of workshops, art, and the love of improv. It’s summer camp for adults who like to make things up. And maybe dance in the woods. And hug.
The weekend finally came as Lauren, Brandon and I picked up Rick from the airport and drove towards the land of cheese. Armed with snacks, cider (did not drink it on the way there mom), and Starbucks, we spent the ride trying to guess who was teaching what, where we were sleeping, and how much bug spray we may need. Rick, Lauren, and I came from The Torch Threatre in Phoenix, so we were even more excited/nervous of the different improvisors we were going to meet.

Upon arrival, I was in awe of how green and big the camp was as we walked to Crown Hall to receive our bunks and schedules. To greet us was Tara, looking excited and happy to see everyone. If you don’t know Tara, she has the ability to make you feel like a rockstar with just a hug. She made us all feel welcomed as we walked up the hill to our bunks. On the way down the 72 steps (which we walked up and down every morning), I started running into familiar faces from my last summer in Chicago, including my level 1 teacher Higbee (who had the same whit and charisma. Big fan.)

Lauren and I quickly got situated in our bunks, covered ourselves with bug spray, and went back to Crown Hall for announcements. During camp, everyone would meet one to two times a day to talk about events, policies, and to laugh. The camp had everything schedule from the moment we got there, to the moment we left. While it left us little time for free time, it also gave you the option to stay active and enjoy your surroundings.

Joe Bill

The camp experience is something I will not forget mainly because it took you out of your comfort zone. From each of my workshops they emphasized being here in this moment-this is what matters. And I know we say this over and over again as improvisors, but we sometimes need to be reminded to get out of our comfort zones. In Fear No More, Nnamdi Ngwe told us to look in our fellow actor’s eyes and fall in love. In the past, I’ve had trouble with eye contact and this was intimidating. However, in this moment, you are here and can’t look away.

In Organic Games with Higbee, we literally played childhood games to find patterns in the play happening and how we were going to support it without saying HEY SUPPORT THIS. For a moment, I had to remind myself how to play leapfrog. In Fireball Theory with Jill Bernard, we focused on reacting without telling your partner their nana is crazy, and saying the first thing to come to mind (banana banana) by remaining active in your play.

Stepping out of your comfort zone spilled over in other areas of camp. With a large group, it can be intimating at times to go up and talk to people. In reality, everyone at camp was very welcoming and said hey jump right in! For me I got to be a part of my first rap jam, play with improvisors from all over the world, do handstands by the lake, and play Merlin (sorry Robert and Colin if I messed up the name).

Camp gave me the refresher boost I needed. It rocked its first year and can’t wait to go back to the woods. It was awesome.

#Gablesup

Born and raised in Phoenix Arizona. Runner. Improvisor. Traveler. I play well with others in my fancy shoes, and I love Space Jam.