September 11, 2015

015 - Susan Messing - On Doing What the F*ck She Wants and the Annoyance Philosophy

September 11, 2015/ Brian Gray

At the Detroit Improv Festival, I felt so lucky to grab a few minutes of time with 30+ year improv veteran, founding member of the Annoyance Theater, performer and teacher at iO and Second City, the ever-inspiring Susan Messing.

We chat about the three different institutions Susan performs at, dive deeper on the Susan Messing quotes that have had a big impact on me, and what gets her off on stage.

We didn't have time for a set, but we did get to record in front of a moped gang! So enjoy the street noises!

Music in the podcast:

Talking Shop Theme by Michelle Horsley
Kick Shock by Kevin MacLeod
Last Days of Disco by Fhernando

Brian Gray

I am an optimistic person. I believe the world is a beautiful place and that I am lucky to be a part of it.

I write software for a living (for Summa, an amazing Pittsburgh consultancy). I am passionate about creating self-managing teams, continually improving software process through reflection and experimentation, and keeping the needs of users and business owners in the forefront to develop software people really need.

My other life is improvisation. I am the Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Comedy Festival (coming August 2014) , and a regular performer at Arcade Comedy Theater and Steel City Improv Theater I never expected improvisation to be such a big part of my life, but I spend a lot of time thinking about how to push my own work and how to teach it more effectively.

I love and do a lot of other stuff too (movies, board games). This is where I organize it all.

Talking Shop: An Improv Podcast

015 - Susan Messing - On Doing What the F*ck She Wants and the Annoyance Philosophy

Brian Gray

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