Episodes
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Hello Improvisers! Mark it on your calendars: Thusday July 18th, 2024, The Lesher Center in Walnut Creek welcomes Synergy Theater's latest show: SPONTANEOUS SOAP! In this episode, Val Jord and I sit down with Lynn Shields - creator and director. We "sit down", IN PERSON! That's right - this is our FIRST LIVE AND IN-PERSON interview. A big thank you to Lynn and Val for taking the time to meet together. We created an incredible episode!
We talk about the SPONTANEOUS SOAP'S origin, challenges, and unique format. You're not going to want to miss one single "episode" of SPONTANEOUS SOAP!
Tickets
SynergryTheater.com
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Hello Friends! Do you have your My Dearest Love - Synergy's newest show - tickets yet? If yes, then Valerie Jord and I look forward to seeing you April 18 - April 28th, Thursdays - Sundays at the Lesher Center for the Arts. Our show's guest today is Rachel Kumaar. Rachel joined the Synergy Theater cast not long ago. We talk about interesting transitions in life, surprises in Improv, and much more. You're going to LOVE this interview. Be sure to check out the Kumaar Family on YouTube. Have a listen and you'll see what I mean!
SynergyTheater.com
The Kumaar Family on You Tube
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Missing episodes?
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Adventure Serial awaits! In this episode we talk about Synergy Theater's newest show based on the adventure-genre storytelling that we all love. Adventure Serial kicks off February 1st, 2024, and runs to February 11th. Get your season tickets now!
SynergyTheater.com
Griffen Bier
Addam Ledamyen
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Hello Friends!
Synergy Theater's "Z is for Zombie" is at the Lesher Center now to October 29th! "Z is for Zombie" kicks off Synergy Theater's new season of 2023-2024 shows. Visit SynergyTheater.com to get your tickets and to check out classes and programs.
Justin Carns is a long-time performing member of Synergy Theater. For our interview with Justin, Val and I are excited to present you with something other than our usual interview format. We hope that you enjoy! See the link below for a hint!
Write Away with Freestyle Rep and Synergy Theater
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Valerie Jord and I are happy to present to you - Adrián Bosada, a performing member of Synergy Theater. We talk about Adrián's experiences in Improv, his journey from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and (from his study of animation to...) how Adrián uses physicality in Improv.
Synergy Theater's "Z is for... Zombie" - An Improvised Zombie Apocalypse - begins October 19th, 2023, and runs through October 29th, at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek California. Get your tickets now! Go to SynergyTheater.com, and click on Performances.
Val and I hope that this interview with Adrián inspires you to take risks and give weight to your imagination as you create your worlds. Don't forget to do your Improv homework assigned in the intro! We'll see you in the theater!
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Yet another great reason for you to take a Synergy Theater improv class: you get to meet people like Rev. Beth Carroll and Actor/Writer/Artisic Director Rich Perez! We talk first to Beth about her journey from mild-mannered Sales Manager to Sr. Pastor at Oakland City Church. Then we talk with Rich about his career in The Arts and friendship with Kenn Adams. Beth and Rich each talk about how Kenn's Improv teachings help them in their daily adventures and aspirations.
Find out more about Beth's leadership at Oakland City Church at OaklandCityChurch.org.
See Rich onstage in The Birds before 9/9/23 at the Altarena Playhouse - Altarena.org.
Synergy Theater has a new season of shows starting 10/19/23, with "Z is for... ZOMBIE"! Visit SynergyTheater.com, to get your tickets. Season tickets are available! See you there!
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Who is Ben Piper? Is Ben a mythical forest-dwelling creature who is elusive when it comes to interviews? Not really. Ben is a Synergy Theater performer, Improviser, Dad, and all-around great guy! In our Interview with Ben, we discuss Ben's Improv "origin story" and roll from there right into Synergy's new show: A ROLL OF THE DICE. Each scene is created by chance! What are the challenges? What are the thrills? Ben tells all.
Get your tickets now for Synergy Theater's A ROLL OF THE DICE! Performances begin July 13th, 2023! Head to synergytheater.com and click on Performances. Valerie and I will see you there!
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It's here! It's here! Synergy Theater's THE MATING GAME opens at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA, this week, Thursday April 13th! Visit SyngeryTheater.com and look for "Performances" to get your tickets now. In this interview - which took longer than expected to schedule (Benny explains why) - Benjamin "Benny" Garcia joins us for the first time. Benny is an incredible Improviser and the newest performer to join Synergy Theater's cast. We talk about about 11-year-old Benny's experience with an Italian youth-theater director, ("You're all RATS!"), how Benny first found Improvised Theater, and the dating show Benny would design if he could. If that were'nt enough, Benny's cat Carl makes a guest appearance and we play a game during which Valerie asks Benny a question I never could have expected. Once again, THE MATING GAME opens at The Lesher Center for the Arts Thursday April 13, 2023, and runs to April 23, 2023. See you there!
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What's The Mating Game, you ask? Well, Valerie Regalia, creator and director of Synergy Theater's upcoming new show The Mating Game, answers all your(my) questions. And for the first time Kenn Adams, Synergy Theater's Artistic Director, joins us! We talk about what stands out when improvising a play about relationships. We also discuss The Mating Game's dreamlike and metaphoric qualities. By the end of this episode you'll think: I MUST SEE THIS SHOW! You can! Head to SynergyTheater.com, and click on Performances. If you reside outside the Bay Area in Northern California, The Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, (where Synergy Theater performs), is a great place to spend a spring vacation! Come see The Mating Game April 13th-23rd, 2023.
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Welcome to The Mating Game! Valerie Jord and I discuss Synergy Theater's upcoming show based on the 1970's game show The Dating Game. The MATING Game begins April 13th, 2023, at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek California. Valerie and I also talk about our memories of the 70s, the origins of this podcast, and why Valerie hasn't taken any Improv classes yet -- even though she's Synergy's #1 fan, videographer, and Mom to Griffen Bier, Synergy player. Also, Valerie's question about what Improvisers should do when their character is confronted with a question that they don't know how to answer sparks an incredible conversation about character work!
The Mating Game is created and directed by Valerie Regalia, Synergy Theater player and past guest of the podcast. If you are in or around the Bay Area April 13th to April 23rd, 2023, head over to SynergyTheater.com for tickets and showtimes. While you're there check out the in-person and online classes starting every six weeks!
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Hello Friends!
Valerie Jord and I are happy to let you know that Synergy Theater is back at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA, with a new show: Spontaneous Myth & Magic. If you could help rewrite ancient myths, what suggestions would you make? What new stories would you prompt about the origins of everything?
Visit SynergyTheater.com, click on Performances, and get a front-row seat to the remaking of epic legends. Lynn Shields, this episode's fantastic guest, and the rest of the Synergy Theater players look forward to your suggestions!
Spontaneous Myth & Magic is on stage now, January 12-22, 2023. If you miss Myth & Magic - there are more shows on the way. Visit SynergyTheater.com to learn more.
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Eileen Tumlin is here! Eileen is a teacher, architect, improviser, aspiring puppeteer and more! Valerie Jord brings wonderful questions to the interview and we talk about Eileen's first foray into Improvised Theater, introverts, Hitchcock, why Hitchcock chose to film Psycho in black and white, and what Eileen (and Hitchcock) find creepy that others may not.
Spontaneous Hitchcock ends October 30, 2022, but there are more Synergy Theater shows on the way. If you haven't already, become a subscriber - not just to the podcast, but as a ticket-holder too! Find out more at SynergyTheater.com.
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In this episode, Valerie Jord and I are joined by Paul Hansen - Synergy Theater student, Hitchcock fan, and more. Paul's knowledge of Hitchcock, Shakespeare, and the snack habits of Singapore monkeys is a treat!
Spontaneous Hitchcock is here and the rest of Synergy Theater's 2022-2023 season is on the way! Get your tickets now at SynergyTheater.com.
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In this interview with Nikki Vilas, Synergy Theater performer, we have fun talking about costumes for Spontaneous Hitchcock. How does the cast find the right period-appropriate pieces? What styles do they adapt? What about period-appropriate set pieces? Also, Valerie Jord shares what she enjoys about the pictures and video she takes - including what she captures of the stage sets before a Synergy Theater show even begins!
Have a listen and find out why we're so excited to see what the cast will be wearing for Synergy Theater's Improvised Hitchcock! Hope to see you there, or at a future Synergy Theater show. Visit SynergyTheater.com to find showtimes and more!
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Hello! There's just a few days left. Synergy Theater will be back in the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA, October 20-30, 2022, for Spontaneous Hitchcock! You'd be crazy to miss it. But if you still need more convincing, just listen to our guest and Synergy Theater performer Valerie Regalia. We talk about everything from performing improv with your mother after a freak bicycle accident to what Valerie hopes to gain from performing Spontaneous Hitchcock before the final curtain falls.
Valerie Jord is back too! Yay! And because there are two Valeries in this episode: Valerie Regalia = Valerie. Valerie Jord = Val. Got it? Good! Now on to the interview!
SynergyTheater.com
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If you're not "dying" to see Synergy Theater's Spontaneous Hitchcock by the end of this episode, then you should check your pulse! Synergy Theater will perform their Spontaneous Hitchcock - A Thriller in the Style of the Master of Suspense - at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, California, October 20-30, 2022! Grab your seat, (you'll only need the edge), by visiting SynergyTheater.com.
In this episode we welcome Arastoo Darkashan back to the podcast. Arastoo is a Synergy Theater performer, and artist, Improv teacher, and frelance musician and sound designer. We talk about rehearsing for Spontaneous Hitchcock, what suprises may be in store for the audience, and (if that weren't enough) Arastoo generously shares with us an original composition made especially for Synergy Theater's Spontaneous Hitchcock. It's chilling! Don't listen alone!
Synergy Theater
Arastoo.com
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Find out all about Synergy Theater's Improvised Hitchcock from Griffen Bier and Valerie Jord! We find out: What is a Mid-Atlantic accent? Which Hitchcock film spooked Valerie for life? How do you use silence in an improvised scene to build suspense? Which Hitchcock film would you pick to enter as a cameo appearance? Plus Hitchcock trivia!
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Part 2 of our interview with Kat and Maggie is here! We pick up where we left off last time - with the significance of inclusion in Improvised productions. Kat and Maggie's Audio Only scene is the best! Also, Synergy Theater is back at the Lesher Center. We introduce Synergy's new initiative, Theater Smarts, and tell you how you can help bring young students to live theater. And if that weren't enough, the second half of this episode honors the previous 10 (or 11, if you count the bonus) episodes. We count back through our amazing first season of Improv in Practice. Thank you, thank you - to our incredible guests and audience.
Koppet.com
MopCo.org
Introverted Improvisers
Liminal Passengers
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In this long-overdue episode, Kat, Maggie, and I discuss how Kat became a highly-successful Improv practioner and owner of an Improv theater house with a colorful past. Maggie describes what its like to be loved and snubbed by her favorite Improv partner - her cat. This episode, with all its unexpected and unintended moments, was so good that I had to make it a two-parter! Please enjoy!
For your reference:
Deifinition of a "preist hole"
Maggie from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Improv College of Montreal
The Mopco Improv Theatre
koppett.com
More links and contact info to follow in Part 2!
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Yvonne Conybeare is a director and actor and lives in New York. Robin Wiggs is a writer and improv performer and lives in London. I met them in our Improv IV class online, and I knew I had to interview them together.
Yvonne and Kenn Adams, director of synergy theater, are old friends, and so we talk about Theater Sports New York, and the origin of Kenn's Play by Play. Yvonne has insights on how our defensiveness affects our improvisation and how to overcome it.
Robin joins the interview a bit later and we talk about improv in London and how Robin prepares for performances. Make sure that you listen all the way through the show for something a little different at the end.
Robin's Links: "Moidercats", Cariad Lloyd
Yvonne's Links: conybeare.net, Thinking, Fast and Slow
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