Episode Details

Send us Fan Mail

I sit down with Alice Garriga, a performer in the Atlanta improv scene and a member of the indie team French Improv. Alice takes us through her journey from comedy classes at the Alliance Theater in third grade, to a professional play in eighth grade, to performing arts high school, to joining the improv troupe KISS at Kennesaw State University, where she jumped straight into long form narrative under the coaching of Andy Cohen.

Alice opens up about graduating into the pandemic and losing improv for three years, and how taking a level one class at Dad's Garage pulled her out of a dark place and reconnected her with community and creativity. We talk about why every person needs a creative outlet and community to feel whole, and how improv is essential to our humanity.

We get into the full story of how French Improv was born, from KSU alumni rehearsing in living rooms and sunrooms to landing a free weekly show in the hallway of a coffee shop bar in Little Five Points. Alice shares what it takes to run a sustainable team, from Google calendars to the tough conversations that keep friendships and improv groups alive.

Alice and I also have an important and honest conversation about keeping women safe in improv spaces. She shares a personal experience of being called a slur on stage at a jam and what it felt like, and we talk about whose responsibility it is to step in, how to check in without speaking on someone's behalf, and why setting the tone at the top of every jam and class matters more than most people realize.

Follow us on Instagram - @thejoyofimprovpod

Support the podcast with a small tip - https://ko-fi.com/thejoyofimprov

Email any questions or ideas to joel@thejoyofimprov.com

Host: Joel Camargo - Insta - @joelc1225
Audio Editor: Matt Issacs - Insta - @mattisaacs20