Improv and Magic LD Madera

Today I got to talk to one of the most respected and celebrated names in magic.  He’s the most versatile magician in the world.  He is Dan Harlan.

Dan has invented, performed, and taught more magic than any other magician... ever!  In fact, he even updated the entire Tarbell Course in Magic, which is an eight-volume encyclopedia containing over 1200 tricks!  Dan is one of the most innovative modern magicians, and his cutting-edge miracles have delighted audiences in over 20 countries around the world. He has been featured at Caesar's Magical Empire in Las Vegas, headlined at the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, and guest-starred at Masters of Magic in Saint-Vincent, Italy.  Dan has also consulted for top professional magicians, including Kevin James, Jeff McBride, Keith Barry, and David Copperfield.  He is also co-founder of The Mystic Tower, which produces brand-new, mind blowing magic.

If you love magic you’re definitely going to love what Dan Harlan has to say.  Whether you’re a magician or not, you’re going to be amazed by all of the incredible wisdom shared in this interview.

Visit Dan’s website, danharlanmagic.com to learn more about him and his shows.  Be sure to also visit themystictower.com for unique, mind-blowing magic, as well as Dan’s Masterworks book project.

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My guest today is Patti Stiles.

Patti is an actor, director, playwright and teacher who specializes in improvisational theatre. She is a former Artistic Director of Rapid Fire Theatre in California, and a founding member of the award winning show Die Nasty – the live improvised soap opera.  She is known as the “Queen of Improvisation” by the Canadian press.  Patti has been featured on the cover of the Spanish improv magazine Status; she is a contributor to the book The Art of Making Mistakes and has been interviewed for the books Something Like A Drug and The Improv Handbook. She’s also been interviewed for numerous podcasts and University papers, and her blog has been translated into French, Italian, German and Portuguese.

Patti Stiles released her first book in 2021 titled Improvise Freely, which has received an enthusiastic response from improvisors, teachers and impro companies around the globe, and was even translated into Italian in 2022.  In Improvise Freely, Patti talks about throwing away the typical improv rulebooks, and encourages performers to be free to unleash their creativity.

I highly encourage you to learn more about this fantastic person by visiting her website, pattistiles.com.  And be sure to also pick up a copy of her book Improvise Freely, which is available at Barnes & Nobel, Good Reads, Book Depository, Bokus, and Amazon.

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Today’s guest is beyond talented and a true inspiration to so many.  My guest today is Lisa Lynn.

Lisa Lynn is a multi-talented performer.  She is an actor, singer, improviser, director, writer, and voiceover artist.  After receiving her Honours Degree in Musical Theatre in 2009, Lisa moved to London and has been working as a performer there, and around the world, ever since.  Lisa has been teaching and performing improv since 2015.  According to her she is a story teller; all of her emotions are readily available to her, always bubbling below the surface; and she loves the work. In 2018, Lisa brought her love of improv and musical theater together with the creation of Acaprov, an improvised a cappella musical show.  Every performance is unique. Acaprov takes a location and title from the audience before spontaneously creating a non-stop musical that will make you laugh, cry, dance in your seat, and sing all the way home!

Visit Lisa’s website at lisalynn.co.uk, and learn all about the incredible show Acaprov by visiting acaprov.com.

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My guest is someone who’s loads of fun to talk to and learn from.  Today, I’m talking to Chris Alvarado.

He’s an amazing improv teacher and performer, and trained at The Second City Conservatory in Chicago, iO West, and UCB LA.  Chris created his workshops to provide a space for work that is fun, but also meaningful.  He believes in exploring beyond the rules so performers can find their own source of inspiration and make meaningful connections with others, which I’m also all about.  Chris currently performs at the Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica, California, and has also appeared two shows on HBO Max called “Minx” and “Hacks”.  He also co-created the web series "7p10e," about a couple who begin dating long distance.

You’ll be able to tell how much he cares about what he does, and how fulfilled he gets in sharing this artform with his students.  There’s a lot of fun, and lots of great words of wisdom shared in this episode.  I really hope you all enjoy this as much as I did.

Learn more about Chris and his workshops by visiting his website, chris-alvarado.com.  Find out how you can book him for workshops and sign up for his amazing classes.  And feel free to learn more about West Side Comedy Theater at their website, westsidecomedy.com.

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I’m very excited to share that today’s guest is none other than Brad Sherwood!

Of course you all know Brad from the Emmy nominated show Whose Line Is It Anyway where he performed for over 18 seasons as a regular.  He is truly one of the greatest living American improvisers, and also has many other television credits like the Drew Carey Show, Talk Soup, The Newz, Improv-a-ganza, VH-1’s: I Love The 80s & 90s, and The Tonight Show.  Brad also tours comedy clubs around the US with his fast and furious comedy show, and has also been touring with fellow Whose Line member Colin Mochrie in a live two-man improv show.

I still can’t believe I had the chance to talk to this man!  If you’re a fan of Whose Line, you’ve definitely seen this guy before.  Brad was so cool to talk to.  He was very open and had a lot of great things to share.

If you want to find out more about him and see what he’s up to, visit his website bradsherwood.com.  You can also follow Brad on Twitter and Instagram.  And, you can watch all episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway on Pluto TV, Sling TV, Max, Amazon Prime, YouTube TV and Google Play, as well as new episode on The CW Network.

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Today's guest is one of the busiest working magicians in the world, and his name is Nick Locapo.

Nick Locapo is an internationally celebrated magician, instructor, and lecturer, and is also a regular performer at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, California.  Nick also performs at other well-known magic venues, like Chicago Magic Lounge, House of Cards, Mystique Dining, and Kellars.  Nick currently stars in his own show called Masterpiece Magic, which NBC Universal calls “Absolutely Mind Blowing”.  In Masterpiece Magic, Nick performs impossible levitations, flawless sleight of hand, and super-powered mind tricks that blur the line between what's possible, and impossible.  Nick is also the official magician for Penguin Magic, one of the largest and most well-known magic shops in the world.

I really enjoyed my talk with Nick today, and I was very fortunate to get him on a day where he wasn’t so busy.  We had fun talking about magic, as well as his process for creating his performances and how he continues to push himself to be at his best.

Check out Nick Locapo's show Masterpiece Magic, now performing at the P3 Magic Theater in Columbus, Ohio. Learn more about Nick as his website, nicklocapo.com, and find tickets and info for his show at masterpiecemagic.com. And, if you’re magician looking for some great magic tricks, visit the world’s largest magic shop Penguin Magic at penguinmagic.com where you’ll find some of the greatest tricks, books, and lectures.

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