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DC improv royalty Eva Lewis sits down with podcast hosts Puss and Kooch to talk about starting improv in Chicago, what bad shows feel like, and what she’s still learning.

Eva Lewis on Heavy Flo with Puss and Kooch

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. To hear everything Eva has to say, listen to her podcast episode.

Starting out in Chicago

I took my first class when I was studying for the bar in Chicago. All through law school, I would go out to Second City, iO, and some other theater places with some good friends. My friend Mike wanted to take an improv class before he left to practice law in New York, so I said if he signed up, I would sign up. He did, and we took the class, and it was fantastic.

So in 2009, I went through Second City, then did two levels at iO. As I was studying for the bar, once a week there was this nice highlight, taking level one at Second City. Then we’d go drinking with the class afterwards every week. It was a ton of fun. And I’ve stuck with it, and so has my friend Mike. But that’s how I got into improv. 

Then I moved back to the Washington, DC, area and started in level one at WIT. I went through that curriculum and started joining teams and Harold and special projects. 

Eva Lewis gets ready to start from level one so she can learn some new things

I don’t think most people would have come here from Chicago with the experience you had and started at level one. I think most people think they can jump in at higher levels.

I think most people do that. But I felt like I was still learning, and I knew I could learn something from level one. Even though I’d been through the Second City curriculum and had taken classes at iO, I loved the craft, and I wanted to learn more. I didn’t mind going into level one. Most people in my level one class didn’t have any improv experience. Some probably had theater experience. But you can always learn something.

Watching improv as an experienced improviser

I‘ve noticed some more experienced improvisers don’t particularly like going to shows. And I understand why they don’t like going, because they already know how the sausage is made. 

If you’re watching new-ish people or beginners, it can be difficult watching improv when it’s not done well. But I do like the little nuggets people throw out there. I love surprises, so anytime someone does something I don’t see coming, that’s comedy gold for me.