Improv

Groundlings Share Their Time and Insight with Pepperdine Improv Troupe

To my left: David Crabb, Erin Berry, Julian Gant, Matt Cook, Tru Valentino, Anthony Guerino, Eilise Patton, and Ashley Bell.

Hollywood, CA — One of the rewarding parts of being in The Groundlings Sunday Company is getting to share that world with my students.

For the past four years, I’ve been directing the Pepperdine Improv Troupe, and recently I brought the group to see a show at The Groundlings Theatre. Seeing improv live at The Groundlings is always special, and I was excited for them to experience it.

The show was fantastic, and the students were already buzzing afterward. But then something really nice happened.

After the show, eight cast members came out to meet the students and answer questions. It turned into a relaxed, really generous conversation about improv, performing, writing characters—everything.

The Groundlings who came out to meet the students were David Crabb, Erin Berry, Julian Gant, Matt Cook, Tru Valentino, Anthony Guerino, Eilise Patton, and Ashley Bell. All superstars! It was amazing.

The students asked thoughtful questions, and the Groundlings were incredibly generous with their time. They shared stories about performing, talked about what it’s like to work on characters and sketches, and gave some great advice to the group.

For the Pepperdine students, it was such a cool opportunity to talk with people doing exactly the kind of work they’re interested in. And for me, it was really fun to see those two worlds come together.

It ended up being one of those simple but memorable nights—great show, great conversation, and a lot of inspiration for the next generation of improv performers.

To my left: David Crabb, Erin Berry, Julian Gant, Matt Cook, Tru Valentino, Anthony Guerino, Eilise Patton, and Ashley Bell.

The Groundlings perform regularly at their theatre in Hollywood. To see upcoming shows and purchase tickets, visit https://www.groundlings.com/shows.

Isabel Klein

Isabel Klein is an actress and writer from Portland—keepin’ it weird. She's in the Sunday Company at The Groundlings. Isabel trained at RADA in London. Her solo show, SHOWSTOPPER, sold out at the Gilded Balloon during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She has performed at The Comedy Store and The Hollywood Improv. She holds a BFA from Pepperdine. She has more than a dozen film and video credits, including clinging to life as OD Girl #2 in On Call (Amazon Prime), and she’s also part of an upcoming project with Trey Parker and Matt Stone. An experienced stage actor, she's had lead roles in notable productions. Her commercial credits include Airheads, Dave & Buster’s, Sonic (the drive-thru, not the hedgehog), Ring, and Visa—so odds are you’ve skipped her on YouTube.