Johnny Meeks, Sentimental Lady and Toledo Rep, discusses how he developed/learned his teaching philosophy, what being the Academic Director at UCB entails and what type of person he is delighted to teach and who he is weary about. He discusses what he learned from being coached by Seth Morris, Julie Brister, and Ian Roberts and a bit of history about the education development of UCB.

James Mastraieni, Outside Dog and I’m Too Effing High, discusses how he went about prioritizing what is most important when building his own curriculum and the differences between teaching at iO and UCB and what ultimately they could learn from each other. He also discusses consistency, setting the tone, being likeable on stage, and creating a focus through experimental exercises.

Cissy Fenwick, JV and an actual licensed therapist, was my first coach in LA. Her guidance was invaluable and she set us up for success. Cissy discusses correcting a performer’s life tendencies before addressing the technical aspects of a scene. Cissy also discusses her theory on how voice of reason relates to a performer’s real life. Cissy is the best and I love her so much. What a treat!

In three short years, Will Hines has become synonymous with teaching improv in LA. Will discusses his early coaching sessions and what his strategy was then compared what he does now and his new philosophy on how to teach improv. He discusses being taught by Armando Diaz, Jon Daly, and Jason Mantzoukas and then feels bad about name dropping. His topic, Coaching Around the World, leads him discuss coaching in China, Iceland, France, England and Portland. We close with Will describing what it’s like to play with his brothers, Nicole Byer, and Eugene Cordero.

Everybody Up keeps it rolling by interviewing the legendary performer and coach Suzi Barrett. Suzi Barrett is regarded as one of the influential coaches in the improv scene and is a pillar Upright Citizen’s Brigade. Suzi tells us why personal notes are so important and how she delivers them. We get into how Suzi flew through the UCB system and her background before she exploded on the LA scene. Suzi recants some of her most painful performances and what is to be learned from these experiences.

Everybody Up starts with a bang by interviewing improv superstar Casey Feigh. Casey Feigh is on the Mount Rushmore of the LA independent improv scene and a pillar of the Upright Citizen’s Brigade. Casey tells us about his upbringing in sports being a coach’s son, being coached by Joe Wengert, and reading student feedback. Casey Feigh’s topic, Difficult People, leads him to discuss how to handle rampant cellphone use, racism in scenes, sexism, sex focused players and coaching people you don’t like. Also, Casey discusses what makes a scene memorable.

Join comedian and newish improv coach Matt Rath as he interviews the world's best improv coaches about their approach and teaching techniques. Every episode will focus on a specific topic. First full episode will plop on September 10th.