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Alex Bonifer
Alex Bonifer 1920 1080 Alyshia Ochse

Today’s guest, Alex Bonifer, has taken a decidedly unconventional route to becoming a standout in some of television’s most unique comedies. A summer improv class, forced upon him by his father, set him on a twelve-year journey through legendary comedy institutions including iO West, UCB, and The Groundlings. Alex went from working as a furniture salesman and Uber driver to becoming a series regular, landing memorable roles in Superstore, Kevin Can F**k Himself, and most recently Jury Duty. Along the way, he developed a philosophy of taking the “big swing” while “caring but not giving a shit” about the outcome. Alex gets candid about the grit, rejection, and persistence it took to get there, the physical secrets behind his character work, and how he stayed in character for his entire audition for “Dougie Jr.”

These are the unforgettable stories that landed Alex Bonifer right here.

About Alex Bonifer:

Alex Bonifer is in the Main Company at The Groundlings. He’s a lead in Amazon’s hit show Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat as rising CEO/hopeless burnout Dougie Jr. Alex can be seen on Liz Feldman’s show No Good Deed on Netflix and recurred on NBC’s Superstore. He was a series regular on AMC’s Kevin Can F**k Himself, opposite Annie Murphy — his character traversed the classic multi-cam world and the darker single-cam world. He’s a proud LA native and a huge Chargers fan.

Credits:

  • Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat
  • Kevin Can F**k Himself
  • Superstore
  • No Good Deed

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THAT ONE AUDITION’S LINKS:

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EPISODE CREDITS:
  • HOST/PRODUCER: Alyshia Ochse
  • WRITER: Maddie McCormick
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu

Richie Moriarty
Richie Moriarty 1920 1080 Alyshia Ochse

Richie Moriarty is an actor, writer and improviser who has appeared in numerous films and television shows. Currently, he stars as Pete in CBS’s hit comedy GHOSTS, which was just renewed for two more seasons. Moriarty can also be seen in the film “Nonnas” on Netflix playing Vince Vaughn’s boss.

Moriarty began taking improv classes in 2004 in Boston and performed for years as part of Improv Asylum’s mainstage cast. After beginning to book roles in commercials and television shows in Boston, Moriarty decided to move to New York in 2013 and began writing and performing at the UCB Theatre. In 2016, he performed at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal as a prestigious New Face Character. In 2018, Moriarty starred with John Malkovich in a CBS teaser broadcast before the kickoff of the AFC Championship game, which won four Sports Emmys. In 2019, CBS Sports had him back to star with John Malkovich and Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl LIII opening.

He has been a recurring character in the television series “The Tick” and guest-starred on “What We Do in the Shadows,” “The Last O.G,” “Adam Ruins Everything,” “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “House of Cards,” “Orange Is the New Black” and “Search Party.” He is also a voice actor who voices multiple characters in “Pinkalicious & Petterific,” “Hamster and Gretel” and in the Stephen Colbert-produced animated series “Tooning Out the News.” His other film credits include “How to Be Single” and “Going in Style,” which he starred in alongside Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.

Moriarty was born and raised in Rockville, Md., and is a graduate of Boston College. He spent eight years as an architectural photographer photographing homes all over the greater Boston area. So, if you want to nerd out about lenses or f-stops or whatever, he’s totally down. He has also recently completed a massive renovation of his mid-century modern home in New Jersey and has lots of thoughts on grout color and shoe moulding. The stars of his life are his wife, Ciara, their son, Devlin, and their daughter, Loretta. His mom, dad, and sister, Colleen, continue to be his biggest fans.

Richie is a diehard Boston sports fan and a huge supporter of Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety. He and his family are also big supporters of the FSHD Society. Richie can be followed on Instagram and TikTok @richietown.

Credits:

  • GHOSTS
  • What We Do in the Shadows
  • The Tick
  • Search Party
  • Adam Ruins Everything
  • House of Cards
  • Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
  • Going in Style
  • The Last O.G.
  • Nonnas

Guest Links:

THAT ONE AUDITION’S LINKS:

For exclusive content surrounding this and all podcast episodes, sign up for our amazing newsletter at AlyshiaOchse.com. And don’t forget to snap and post a photo while listening to the show and tag me: @alyshiaochse & @thatoneaudition

EPISODE CREDITS:
  • HOST/PRODUCER: Alyshia Ochse
  • WRITER: Maddie McCormick
  • WEBSITE & GRAPHICS: Chase Jennings
  • SOCIAL: Alara Cerikcioglu
Rebekka Johnson on That One Audition with Alyshia Ochse

081: Rebekka Johnson
081: Rebekka Johnson 1500 750 Alyshia Ochse

The Improv Dream: ‘Yes, And-ing’ Yourself.

This week’s guest caught the improv bug in college and hasn’t looked back since. Rebekka Johnson began her on-screen career putting her comedy skills to good use in an MTV prank show called Boiling Point. Since then she’s been a writer, producer, director, and actress—all in the name of making an audience laugh.

She shares with us how creating the work she loves with her best friends and collaborators has lead her to countless opportunities to shine. From an audition opposite Kristen Wiig, to finally booking her series regular role in GLOW, her story is an example of an artist who puts in the work and doesn’t give up, even when success feels impossible. From negotiating her own contract for a pilot, to how her years of grinding and preparation has empowered her to step into her strength and be fearless in her comedy.

Best known for her work in the musical comedy trio The Apple Sisters and on Netflix’s wrestling comedy GLOW, Rebekka Johnson has performed in various sketch and improv shows across the country for over 10 years, including The Neutrino Video Projects which was an official selection at the HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. She is a co creator of the award winning Apple Sisters which performed in the 2008 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. Rebekka voiced many characters in the upcoming Comedy Central animated series, Ugly Americans. She currently performs with Bandit, a Mainstage Harold Team at IO West and recently directed her comedy film, CONSENT.

 

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Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“Even if you’re a good improviser, don’t leave it up to improv. Look at your script, write your jokes before, and then if something else comes up, great! The whole thing with improve is, no matter how good you are, how often can you nail it?”

“The way you’re going to get better at writing is writing.”

076: Adam Shapiro
076: Adam Shapiro 1500 750 Alyshia Ochse

Today we chat with Adam Shapiro about what it is to be enough, being re-cast in the feature adaptation of a passion project, to the insightful advice Director Jason Winer gave just before testing for a pilot, to starting your own theatre company.

From his work on The Affair, Sense8, Grace & Frankie, The Mindy Project, and Snowfall, to his roles in Now You See Me, The House Bunny, and Steve Jobs, as well as on Broadway in Waitress—you’ve likely seen today’s guest before…

Adam is currently filming the upcoming season of Showtime’s The Affair, and recently filmed the lead role in a new TBS half-hour comedy pilot and roles in the upcoming indie films It Happened In LA (Sundance 2017), Feed, The Female Brain, and Social Animals. He’s been seen as Avie Tevanian in Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs, arcs the Netflix series from the Wachowskis: Sense8, ABC’s Cristela, Audience Network’s Kingdom, and the NBC comedy Trial & Error, as well as guest starring roles on Grace & Frankie (Netflix), Snowfall (FX) and The Mindy Project(FOX). Recent television credits include: Bones, CSI: Cyber, The Mysteries of Laura, Betrayal, 1600 Penn, Scandal, Mistresses, and Grey’s Anatomy. More Film Credits: Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight Attendant, The Answer, Sister, Nobody Walks in LA, Ctl Alt Delete, I Am Not A Hipster, Short Term 12, Now You See Me, A Single Man, The House Bunny, The Den.

Adam is also a co-founder of IAMA Theatre Company, and has recently starred on Broadway in the Tony nominated Waitress. Adam was most recently nominated for Ovation Awards for IAMA’s LA premiere of The Recommendation by Jon Caren (Winner Best Production 2014) and for Best Lead Actor in a Musical for Hey, Morgan! a world premiere comedy by Matthew Fogel and Isaac Laskin, Directed by Matt Shakman at the Black Dahlia Theatre. More stage credits include: Rent, You are Here, The Accidental Blonde, the world premieres of Leslye Headland’s Bachelorette and Assistance (IAMA Theatre Company), and “David” in Paul Grellong’s west coast premiere of Manuscript (The Elephant).

Tune in

Listen On iTunes

 

Resources

LINKS:
QUOTES:

“As an actor, if you don’t understand the business, everytime you don’t get a role, everytime you don’t get a job you think you’re going to get, you take it personally. If you don’t understand how actors get cast, why actors get cast, how casts are filled out, then you’re constantly going to take things personally and you can only take things so personally for so long before you say I’m done…”

“You’re constantly changing, and so is your art.”

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ALYSHIA OCHSE

Los Angeles-based actress, bestselling author, host of That One Audition podcast, entrepreneur, & mother.

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