It had to happen! For 4 seasons The Perfectionists (Dennis and Ellen) have danced around it, referenced it, alluded to it, even performed it… but they’ve never actually devoted an entire episode to it. Until now! Saddle up, improv nerds, ‘cuz this episode we are talking all! Things! Improv!
Ellen and Dennis sit down with a very special guest – internationally trained improviser (and PoP Pod producer extraordinaire) Richard Krysztoforski – and hash it out. Improv! What is it? Why do we do it? What are the rules? Are there any? Should there be? And is there such a thing as “the perfect improviser”? (SPOILER: there is not.)
Like the show? Leave us a review and tell your friends!
Richard is an internationally trained improviser, comedian, and professional development expert. His creative projects are focused around building community and rejuvenating outdated modes of creation. Most recently he founded the Let’s Hear It Network, an independent artist-owned podcast network (the network Pursuit of Perfectness is part of!). You can find out more about him at rjk.nyc.
It’s the episode YOU demanded! Strap in folks, ’cause we’re talking about Wordle, the digital word game that’s taking America by storm! Fan favorite guest Rob Penty returns to gab about his essay on his complicated and sometimes heated relationship with our favorite daily word puzzle. The Perfectionists (Ellen and Dennis) commiserate… and maybe do a little bragging, too.
Tell your friends! It’s the WORDLE episode, baby! If this one don’t have it, you don’t want it! You paid for the whole seat, but you’ll only use… THE EDGE!!!
Richard is an internationally trained improviser, comedian, and professional development expert. His creative projects are focused around building community and rejuvenating outdated modes of creation. Most recently he founded the Let’s Hear It Network, an independent artist-owned podcast network (the network Pursuit of Perfectness is part of!). You can find out more about him at rjk.nyc.
Is there anybody out there who regularly gets a perfect night’s sleep? Your hosts Ellen and Dennis sure don’t. This episode, we try to crack the code. We share our tips, tricks, and personal stories—plus we hear from our listeners about their experiences trying (and sometimes succeeding!) to get perfect sleep.
Subscribe, rate us, write a review and tell your friends!
It’s hard to make friends as an adult. Right? It’s not just us? Okay, cool.
So what’s the secret?
Join us this episode as we explore the perfect way to make friends as an adult. Plus, hear from our very insightful listeners who write in with their own advice for making new friends.
Look out your window – the sky’s a little bluer, the birds are singing… We’re changing the world, baby!
Find us on all the socials @PursuitofPerfectness. Rate us, write us a review and tell your friends!
Is it a day, a week, a month of celebrations? Do you have an annual tradition or ritual? Is it a time of somber reflection or a wild bacchanalia? Do you try to ignore it? We hear from listeners and share our own personal stories of perfect birthdays.
If you like the pod, tell your friends! Subscribe! Give us a review and rate us! We might just read your review on the air.
Oh boy, do we get into it this episode! Rude strangers. They’re out there! And sometimes you can’t avoid them. What do you do? Ignore them? Lead with compassion? Do you get aggressive, or do you practice kindness and patience? Folks, we’ve tried all strategies and we’re here to share our real-world takeaways.
Also, listeners write in with their stories of dealing with rude strangers, and we tell them how they did.
If you want to hear your story on the podcast, write to us at PursuitOfPerfectness@gmail.com or follow us on Instagram @PursuitOfPerfectness to find out what our next topic will be.
If you like the show, tell your friends and rate and review us on your favorite podcast app. It would simply be rude not to!
What is coolness? When do you got it? When do you not?
From their rarefied position as two of the coolest average Joes in Podland, Ellen and Dennis peel back the mysteries of cool and reveal how anyone can achieve perfect coolness. Also, listeners of the PoD write in and relate the times in their lives when they felt the most cool.
Hey, you know what else is really cool? Rating and reviewing, liking and subscribing, and telling your friends about the Pursuit of Perfectness! Be cool, man!
It’s time to check in with our New Year’s Resolutions. How are we doing? Perfect? Probably not, and that’s okay!
In this episode, Ellen and Dennis dig in to the mentality of New Year’s self improvement pledges and talk about out how to make those life changes we all want to make—without beating ourselves up when we fall short. Also, our beloved listeners write in with their NYR stories and advice.
Resolve to listen and tell your friends!
Have a comment or question? Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @pursuitofperfectness and write to us at PursuitOfPerfectness@gmail.com.
Ever been embarrassed? Yeah, us too! This episode, your intrepid hosts Ellen and Dennis focus on listener input about how to handle embarrassing moments perfectly.
It’s Season 4: Overthinking with Dennis and Ellen! This season will be cozier and more intimate, focusing on stories and opinions from you, the listeners. Each episode we’ll drill down into one topic and share thoughts and advice filtered through the experiences of two average joes who do improv in New York City. Have a question you’d like to ask? A comment you want us to read on the air? Write to us at PursuitOfPerfectness@gmail.com, follow us on Instagram @PursuitOfPerfectness, and find us on Facebook!
This week on the pod we’ve got legendary improv instructor and founder of the Magnet Theater Armando Diaz!
Armando talks to us about his improv journey from Chicago to New York, where he became the Johnny Appleseed of New York improv theaters—from UCB in its earliest days, to the PIT, and finally to founding the Magnet (where your intrepid hosts Ellen and Dennis trained and flourished)!
Sure, this is a must-listen for improv philosophy and improv history nerds, but we’ve also got a lot to chew on for everyone else—including ruminations on what it means to come into your own and become an adult. Folks, this is a good one. But don’t take our word for it—listen now!
Armando is widely regarded as one of the best improv teachers in New York City and beyond. His list of teaching credits is a long one: the ImprovOlympic Theater, Victory Gardens Theater, The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, NYU and Michael Howard Studios. He has trained dozens of actors who have performed or written for Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Mad TV, and The Daily Show.
A Chicago native, Armando studied improv under Del Close at the ImprovOlympic, Mick Napier at the Annoyance, and graduated from the Second City Conservatory. He performed in and helped create one of the most popular improvised longforms in Chicago, "The Armando Diaz Experience...." For the last decade, "the Armando" has been performed weekly in Chicago, and is now taught and performed in many other cities including Los Angeles and New York.
In addition to writing and producing short films, Armando wrote sketches for the show Upright Citizens Brigade on Comedy Central, and has performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
