S2E2:

Environment of mutual trust: Teaching improv across generations with Bill Hillsman and Emery Whitiker

Host: Mike Garvin

Guests: Bill Hillsman and Emery Whitiker

This episode is part of a series of episodes interviewing leaders of identity-affirming improv workshops as a part of an Unscripted initiative called Changing the Face of Improv Leadership, funded in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission.

In this episode, Mike Garvin interviews Bill Hillsman and Emery Whitiker about their experience working together to teach improv in the senior community and having a younger improv teacher mentor and teach a generation with more lived experience than himself. The two met and began their improv teaching partnership through an Unscripted improv club at Fifty Forward, a senior community center in the Donelson area of Nashville, Tennessee. Bill was paired with Emery to mentor her on creating a workshop to teach to the senior community at a local library. The two discuss creating an “environment of mutual trust” as part of what it’s like to experience cross-generational improv.

About the Guests:

Bill Hillsman is a Nashville based improviser for the last 14 years. Over the last decade he's immersed himself in the teaching side of improv, directing dozens of groups and writing curriculums for classes and workshops that shape the local scene. What Bill lacks in follow-through, he makes up for.

Emery Whitiker is a Nashville improviser who can be found performing with troupes such as Laugh Lines and Improv Works, and when she's not improving, she's playing some shady character in a murder mystery with the Immersion Theater Group. Emery splits time between performing and teaching others how to use improv as a tool for mental, emotional, and physical health with the help of The Unscripted Leadership Program and Fifty Foward. With much time and growth, Emery is pegged to become a pillar in the improv relm brandishing herself as a "Conductor of Fun who leads from experience and with an open pallet!" While comedy has been a part of her life from childhood, Emery now understands the benefits of laughter stating "I believe life is an adventure and doing things the right way is honorable, but there is much to learn from failing"

Improvised Ad by several Nashville improvisers.

Executive Producers: Christina Ashworth + Emma Supica

Editing: Cammie York

Mixing: Dave Strumfeld

Graphic Design: Cammie York

A project of Unscripted, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Nashville, TN. We heal, empower, and connect our community through equitable and accessible improv programs.

Play as Liberation: Improv in BIPOC spaces with John Gebratatose and Christina Ashworth

Host: Mike Garvin

Guests: John Gebratatose and Christina Ashworth

This episode kicks off a series of episodes interviewing leaders of identity-affirming improv workshops as a part of an Unscripted initiative called Changing the Face of Improv Leadership, funded in part by the Tennessee Arts Commission.

In this episode, Mike Garvin interviews John Gebratatose and Christina Ashworth about what it’s like to improvise and to lead improv workshops and jams in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Color) spaces. John was paired as Christina’s mentor to help foster her growth as a BIPOC improv teacher, and the two engaged in deep discussions about identity, community organizing, and the importance of play and community during such a harrowing time for BIPOC. Mike, John, and Christina discuss the radical approach to improv that is often found in BIPOC spaces and how having more viewpoints and demographics in the room transforms the art of improv as a whole.

About the Guests:

John Gebretatose is the Founder and Executive Director of Good Camel Comedy Theater in Minneapolis, an arts company using humor to speak truth to power and foster diverse voices. Its name, “Good Camel,” symbolizes resilience, inspired by his mother’s 30-day desert journey from Eritrea to Sudan.

With over 15 years in comedy, John previously served as the Co-Executive Director and Director of Diversity and Inclusion at HUGE Theater. He also co-founded the Black and Funny Improv Festival and Blackout Improv, spotlighting underrepresented artists. John is an award-winning podcast host for “MinneCulture” on KFAI radio. A sought-after global performer and teacher, he promotes inclusivity through comedy in diverse settings.

Christina Ashworth is a Nashville improviser who can be found on several teams performing throughout the city. She is the co-producer of Improv Saves! World Agrees and is a teacher with Unscripted for Improv in Recovery and BIPOC Joy. As she grows her improv resume, one of her goalsl is to find the intersectionality between the structure of “big improv” and the radical approach in more fringe spaces and learn to live in the in-between just as she has with her racial identity.

Improvised Ad by Christina Ashworth and Luke Watson

Executive Producers: Christina Ashworth + Emma Supica

Editing: Cammie York

Mixing: Dave Strumfeld

Graphic Design: Cammie York

A project of Unscripted, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Nashville, TN. We heal, empower, and connect our community through equitable and accessible improv programs.

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S1E5: Improv for Personal Growth: Managing Anxiety with Jessica Morrison

Host: Mike Garvin

Guest: Jessica Morrison

In this episode, Mike chats with Jessica Morrison, a jack-of-all-trades who took Unscripted’s “Improv for Anxiety” class via Zoom during the pandemic and then in person when classes resumed, and then kept taking more improv classes afterwards. At the time of the interview, Jessica was still taking improv classes, so they spend some time discussing what she’s learned in classes.

While some improv students dream of the stage, Jessica’s motivation was more toward personal growth. After a terrible job interview where she “felt like [she] couldn’t talk unless it was scripted,” Jessica signed up for “Improv for Anxiety” to help her with her anxiety around re-entering the workforce after a burnout-inspired sabbatical. Listen in to hear about being a student of improv from the perspective of someone without a performance background and who’s in it for the growth more than the stage.

About the Guest: Jessica Morrison is a journalist and nonprofit leader with a doctorate in geochemistry and a collection of increasingly cool hobbies. She's a baker, a drummer, an improviser, and in her spare time, she runs the Baking Notification Project with her husband, Brandon (https://www.thebakingnotificationproject.com/)

Improvised Ad by Christina Ashworth and Luke Watson

Executive Producers: Christina Ashworth + Emma Supica Editing: Cammie York Mixing: Dave Strumfeld Graphic Design: Cammie York

Connection with the Audience and Storytelling with Brian Jones

Host: Mike Garvin

Guest: Brian Jones

In this episode, host Mike Garvin chats with Brian Jones, an accomplished performer of countless disciplines, and they discuss the importance and power of connecting with your audience, honesty in play, and how improv saved Brian when he was mugged.

While many improvisers choose to ignore the audience as a form of chasing more honest play, Brian firmly believes that the greatest tool to get out of your head is to reconnect with the audience. He believes the #1 thing in improv is “the honesty of being thrown in the moment and changing on a dime” and that the audience can smell when a player is not being honest. Throughout the episode, Brian reveals his improv philosophy through his varied experiences from high school all the way through playing with cast members of Whose Line Is It Anyway.

About the Guest: Actor/ improvisor/ Puppeteer/ Mime

Brian Michael Jones (SAG-AFTRA) has been an actor and performer for most of his life. He’s performed on TV, in films, on stage both in touring and regional productions. He’s a professional Henson puppeteer, Motion Capture performer, and has provided voice over, for many shows and even sometimes he’s even a mime for commercials and TV episodes. But through it all he’s always been an improvisor.

Improvised Ad by Owen Sullivan

Executive Producers: Christina Ashworth + Emma Supica Editing: Cammie York Mixing: Dave Strumfeld Graphic Design: Cammie York

A project of Unscripted, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Nashville, TN. We heal, empower, and connect our community through equitable and accessible improv programs.

For the Love of the Game: Patient, Slow Improv with Ashley Rube and Ryan Myers of Touch Baseball

Host: Mike Garvin

Guests: Ashley Rube and Ryan Myers (Touch Baseball)

In this episode, Ashley Rube and Ryan Myers of Touch Baseball sit down with host Mike Garvin and talk all things duoprov (or “twosies”), Group Mind, teaching improv, and what it means to slow down and be present with your scene partner. Based in St. Louis, Ashley and Ryan are performers and teachers at The Improv Shop.

Twosies to these two involves something they call “the secret agreement” as well as a shared vocabulary and trust that you won’t get lost. They discuss being present and embodied in their characters and supporting your scene partner. It’s clear that collaboration and teamwork is crucial for these two, because as Ryan states, "if you take the batter out, or the pitcher out, then no one's playing baseball."

About the Guests: Ashley Rube is a St. Louis-based improviser, teacher, coach, and commercial actor. Alongside her longtime improv partner, Ryan Myers, Ashley serves as The Improv Shop’s Co-Director of Business Services in St. Louis, helping businesses, non-profits, and professional teams overcome challenges through applied improvisation. Ashley is also a faculty member of The Improv Shop (STL) Training Center and a regular House Team player. She has participated in The Compass Improv Festival, STL Shakespeare Festival, The Flyover Comedy Festival, COMOtion Improv Festival, Third Coast Improv Festival, Omaha Comedy Fest, and Missouri Thespians Conference as a performer or instructor (or sometimes both!). Ashley holds a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and earned her Master of Theological Studies Degree right here in Nashville from Vanderbilt Divinity School. Before improv, she worked in a variety of fields including non-profit advocacy, marketing, and dairy farming. —----- Ryan Myers is an improviser, teacher, actor, and writer based in St. Louis, Missouri. He received his BA in Vocal Performance (Opera) from The University of Missouri - St. Louis. Ryan is currently a teacher and coach at the Improv Shop in St. Louis, and co-directs the Improv Shop Means Business, which helps organizations and professional teams overcome challenges through applied improvisation. Ryan has taught and performed all over this great land in festivals such as: Flyover Comedy Festival, Compass Improv Festival, Third Coast Improv Festival, Grand Rapids Improv Fest, Omaha Comedy Fest, COMOtion, Missouri Thespians, STL Shakespeare, and more. Producer’s note: This episode was recorded November 2023

Executive Producers: Christina Ashworth + Emma Supica Editing: Cammie York Mixing: Dave Strumfeld Graphic Design: Cammie York

A project of Unscripted, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Nashville, TN. We heal, empower, and connect our community through equitable and accessible improv programs.

Finding Your Personal Rhythm: Reducing Avoidance with Jack Henderson

Host: Mike Garvin

Guest: Jack Henderson

Jack Henderson is his name, and in this episode of Improv Saves: World Agrees, host Mike Garvin and producer Emma Supica sit down with him to discuss the intersection of being someone who “stutters across a lifespan” and being an improviser. Jack experienced two formative experiences at the same point in his teenage years: starting improv at Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC and seeing a speech pathologist who told him that avoiding stuttering was not helpful. The conversation then opens up to the similar philosophies behind good improv and Jack’s view of the progressively evolving approach to speech pathology. Jack states that “the struggle people experience isn’t the stutter itself, it’s what we feel and think to try to NOT stutter.” Both improv and a positive relationship with stuttering require opening yourself up to potentially being embarrassed or feeling shame–but that’s all part of the experience. That said, Jack and Mike also talk about the similar importance of being a good audience member or scene partner as well as being a person in the life of someone who stutters. They both require saying "I'm actively listening to you and I'm not going to let you fall right now."

About the Guest: Jack Henderson M.S., CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and owner of Henderson Stuttering Therapy in Nashville, TN. He is a person who stutters and credits improv as being a catalyst for finding his voice, embracing spontaneity, and reducing avoidance. He grew up in New York City and stumbled upon the UCB theatre in 2004 while in 9th grade. He and his friends quickly haunted the theatre almost weekly and took classes there throughout high school. He studied theatre in undergraduate at Vanderbilt and then performed with LOL Nashville for several years. While he has not performed on stage in several years, the principles of improv suffuse his clinical work in many ways.

Improvised Ad by Owen Sullivan

Executive Producers: Christina Ashworth + Emma Supica Editing: Cammie York Mixing: Dave Strumfeld Graphic Design: Cammie York

A project of Unscripted, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Nashville, TN. We heal, empower, and connect our community through equitable and accessible improv programs.

Unbreak Your Imagination: Finding What's Possible with Jordan Scott

Host: Mike Garvin

Guest: Jordan Scott

In this episode of Improv Saves: World Agrees, host Mike Garvin and producer Emma Supica sit down with Jordan Scott — Program Director of Backlight Productions, a theatre company that works with adults with disabilities. Backlight works to pair professional performing artists with their students to then put on productions that “backlight” the students into the foreground and make them the stars. Unscripted partners with Backlight to teach “Comedy Club” - improv classes for Backlight students. Mike, Emma, and Jordan discuss Jordan’s journey from being a “struggling” actress to working behind the scenes with Backlight and her discovery that improv and theatre is more enjoyable for her when it’s putting others first and “not about me.” Emma highlights that both Unscripted and Backlight aim to meet people where they are and work with what they have to create art. Though it can be challenging at times to find inclusive ways to work with their students’ varying needs within the bounds of a single show/project, Jordan’s examples highlight why doing so is so rewarding. In her own words, “we all have abilities, and we’re all worth that spotlight.”

About the Guest: Jordan Scott is the Program Director of Backlight Productions, a theatre arts program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is head of the New Works Writers Program for Playwrights. She holds a BA in Drama from the University of Arkansas with an emphasis in Acting. Jordan has worked as both a teaching artist and actor for various organizations across the country. She is incredibly proud of all the members of Comedy Club for saying, "Yes!" to Improv.

Improvised Ad by Sebastian Posey and Owen

Executive Producers: Christina Ashworth + Emma Supica Editing: Cammie York Mixing: Dave Strumfeld Graphic Design: Cammie York

A project of Unscripted, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Nashville, TN. We heal, empower, and connect our community through equitable and accessible improv programs.

Lifelong Improv: Hustle, Heart, and Glitter with Lynda Drewry

Host: Mike Garvin

Guest: Lynda Drewry

In this episode of Improv Saves: World Agrees, host Mike Garvin sits down with Lynda Drewry — a powerhouse of heart, humor, and resilience. Growing up in rural West Tennessee under tough, patriarchal conditions, Lynda carved her own path through grit, creativity, and a refusal to stay boxed in. From running children's theaters and cafés to launching a murder mystery company and gracing the improv stages of Nashville, Lynda shares her journey of saying "yes" to life's wild twists and turns. Mike and Lynda explore everything from early improv scenes, to the real stories behind singing telegram gigs, to the joy and grit of making space for yourself — and others — in the creative world. Lynda's story is a celebration of persistence, play, and living life with sequins, spirit, and a mischievous smile.

"You are only alive right this minute."

About the Guest: Lynda Drewry (Laughing Corpse, Laugh Lines) is a Nashville-based improviser, producer, and longtime performer who has worn countless hats — from café owner to children's theater director to improv mentor. Known for her wit, generosity, and her trademark rainbow sequin hat, Linda continues to build creative community spaces that uplift and connect people across generations.

Editor's note: This episode was recorded September 2024

Executive Producers: Christina Ashworth + Emma Supica Editing: Cammie York Mixing: Dave Strumfeld Graphic Design: Cammie York

A project of Unscripted, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Nashville, TN. We heal, empower, and connect our community through equitable and accessible improv programs.