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Published by CONNOR RATLIFF presents THE ACTING CLASS
CONNOR RATLIFF presents THE ACTING CLASS is an ongoing series of live and filmed performances which pretend to be real acting classes. This companion podcast features professional actor/comedian CONNOR RATLIFF talking about the show and about acting in general. As the creator as one of the most acclaimed podcasts of the past decade -- Dead Eyes , cited by TIME Magazine & Left Of Dial Media's lists of the "best 100 podcasts of all time" and featured in the book The Podcast Pantheon , published by Chronicle Books in 2025 -- it should be clear that this podcast will not attempt to achieve the same level of quality or acclaim as that one. This podcast is going to be a sloppy mess. It was conceived in desperation, as a way to attract attention to an ongoing series of live shows and online videos while struggling to maintain a consistent level of employment as a working actor in desperate times. It is possible that almost no one will listen to this podcast, or that a small number of people might sample it once and never listen again. Minus the celebrity hook of Dead Eyes, it may be that the appeal of this endeavor will be as low as double or single digit listenership. Which is fine. It's 2025 and time is marching on, and life is rapidly slipping away from all of us. Thank you for engaging with CONNOR RATLIFF presents THE ACTING CLASS: THE PODCAST in any way. We realize that you have an overwhelming amount of options for entertainment, education and simply passing the time. You could be listening to the works of the greatest composers or musicians of all time, enjoying the finest works of cinema or literature, or even listening to a better class of podcast. Every second that you waste listening to this one is an unfathomable choice and greatly appreciated. I will try to be interesting and apologize if I am not.
On the charts
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From the feed
The latest episodes published to this podcast’s own RSS feed. Titles and descriptions are the publisher’s.
Making some plans for the show -- maybe returning to Chicago? Maybe elsewhere?
I am about to do a bunch of shows in a bunch of different places! And I have some thoughts...
Just some odds & ends, ramblings about The Odyssey, etc
After 5 years, the lower east side improv show, Raaaatscraps, has come to an end! Built from the ashes of ASSSSCAT (which died with the 2020 lockdown but has since been reborn at the new UCB), this show was created by Shannon O'Neill and gathered together a crew of some of the world's best improvisers to do shows every Sunday night. And now, as of last night, it's over. Which has left me in a rambling, melancholy mood. I turn 51 this month and each chapter that comes to and end now feels like I am inching towards that final big ending. Here's 30 minutes of NYC improv talk which may contain things I've said previously on this very podcast.
I've noticed a teeny-tiny trend where people are fundamentally misunderstanding the concept of "Yes, And..." in improv, and then confidently wading into the comments section to give notes on online clips from improv shows. A minor annoyance, which I rant about for nearly 20 minutes. Hello!
Retired filmmaker George Lucas has opinions about A.I. that have recently been a source of controversy -- I answer a question about those views and about how new information about George Lucas affects the way I approach my "Retired filmmaker George Lucas" character...
A question about the writing process for the Disney comics I've been writing with my friend James III
A question about the unknown future of Deputy Kent on the smash hit, Emmy-nominated Widow's Bay, which you should watch on Apple TV if you haven't already!
Just some light musings on the film performances of Tom Hanks
A question about "Special Editions" (i.e. when artists revisit their old works and change them)
Today is Tom Hanks' 70th birthday, and a listener has a birthday-timed pair of questions
A specific question about my character process when doing Comedy Bang! Bang! live shows
A question about which singer/songwriter I would select to create a jukebox musical based on my life (I give a detailed but disappointingly evasive answer)
There's a book! 1st edition limited to 100 copies. Also: a question about the voices in the Peanuts TV specials & movies
Should I keep doing this podcast? Maybe not!
A question about my process for devising characters for Comedy Bang! Bang! live touring shows
Thoughts on interacting with famous ppl
A question about George Lucas returning to CINEMA as the voice of one of the Minions in this summer's MINIONS & MONSTERS
Asked to rank the Toy Story films, and I more-or-less do, while also suggesting what I hope will at some point be done with the first one. I also talk about the way that people wish for good things to end before they go downhill, including thoughts on Widow's Bay and The Wire.
Am I **not funny**? Well, it depends on who you ask!
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Observed September 20, 2026.
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