Connection Over Perfection: An Interview with Joshua Quinn
By: Ames Doyle
If you’ve attended a Dad’s Garage show or two, chances are you’re familiar with ensemble member Joshua Quinn (or at least his cherubic smile!) As a member of the Dad’s Garage ensemble, Joshua can be regularly found improvising on the main stage, creating sketches for Dad’s Garage social media, and teaching at corporate events. We sat down with him to chat about his improv journey, the importance of Black representation in theater, and the unparalleled thrill of not memorizing lines.
DG: How long have you been doing improv? When did you start at Dad's?
JQ: TLDR: 10 years. Since 2017.
I first started my improv journey at the end of 2015. After leaving Florida and living in Atlanta for several months, I was in the process of moving from Midtown to Decatur and searching for someone to take over my current living arrangement. One of the prospective tenants and I were talking and somehow Dad’s Garage was mentioned. I told her I had seen one of their performances, and was blown away by their talent. Funnily enough, she mentioned that she was in the improv scene, and the group she was with was currently being coached by two of the Dad’s Garage Performers (Mark Kendall and Linnea Frye). I expressed that I grew up on Whose Line Is It Anyway? and had always wanted to give it a shot. She kindly invited me to join their upcoming team workshop and said if they liked me, I could continue to jam with them – and if they didn’t, welp, at least we tried! Luckily for me, they did like me and I continued to jam and perform with them that following year.
During that year, I learned a ton from Mark, Linnea, and the rest of our group (which would eventually become known as Thank You In Advance). We performed at a theatre space in Avondale Estates and even a charity event later on. Around that same time, I had begun a year-long acting apprenticeship with Aurora Theatre. The apprenticeship introduced us to a wide variety of performance teachers and exercises over that year, including three workshops taught by Dad’s Garage ensemble that concluded with two nighttime performances to show off what we had learned. Due to show schedules I was only able to make two of those three workshops, but I made sure to soak up every morsel of knowledge I could from the vets, like Matt Horgan, Perry Frost, Andy Coen, and of course, the improv legend himself, Tommy Futch. In those evening performances I discovered a new form of play and a burning joy to continue making people laugh and connect through comedy. I knew it was what I wanted to do once I graduated from the apprenticeship—I just didn’t know how yet.
The stars continued to align when my fellow apprentice (Jenise Cook) and I were asked to help present an award at the Suzi Bass Awards ceremony alongside apprentices from the other Atlanta theatres in attendance. Little did I know when I accepted that two representatives from Dad’s would also be there. Backstage I met Kevin Gillese (Artistic Director of Dad’s Garage at the time) and ran into my first improv teacher, Mark Kendall, once again.
Mark mentioned that he was part of a group called Darkside of the Room (the previous iteration of BlackGround), an all-Black improv troupe that performed at Dad’s Garage. They would invite guests to perform with them occasionally to help showcase Black Excellence in local talent, and that night, he extended an invitation for me to play in their next upcoming show. I said yes without hesitation and a few weeks later I was playing alongside some of my local idols on their stage in Old Fourth Ward.
After an incredibly funny 90-minute show, I got to meet the rest of the Darkside performers - one of them being Maged Roushdi. He mentioned to me that Dad’s Garage had recently started a diversity scholarship and that I should apply for it. I filled it out the next day and was accepted later that month! The scholarship was a way of providing more opportunities for those who were less represented in the improv community and give them a chance to continue their education without the cost of classes being a limitation—I still can’t get over how that scholarship helped change the trajectory of my professional life.
As soon as I graduated from my Aurora apprenticeship, I began taking classes at Dad’s and hopping into their student mixer jams on Tuesdays. After a month of performing, I was approached by Matt Horgan in the parking lot and he informed me that the theatre had been impressed with my performances at the jam and they wanted to invite me to join the DG rookies (a previous iteration of what is now the general company) where I could continue to learn and grow. I ecstatically said yes and shook his hand before he could change his mind (or realize he might have asked the wrong Joshua Quinn)—the rest is history!
DG: Tell me about your journey with BlackGround. What makes the show special?
JQ: BlackGround holds a special spot in my heart because it has allowed me to be a part of something bigger that gives back to our community in the same way that Darkside of the Room did when I was first starting out.
For me, there are at least three things that truly make the group and shows so special: first off, we get a platform to showcase Black Excellence, in all its beautiful, melanated forms. From comedians and cellists to thespians and African drummers/dancers, we get to lift up the incredible talents of Black artists from all over Atlanta and introduce them to new fans they might not have met otherwise. Secondly, we have a mentorship program that brings in a handful of improvisers every year and provides them with workshops and performance opportunities so they can continue to grow and perform around the world. Lastly, our performances inspire the next generation of potential improvisers watching in the audience who might not have seen themselves reflected in the improv space in-person before—or even considered that it’s something they might want to do. I truly believe laughter has the power to heal and connect us and this show truly resonates with our community—a community that has been integral in making Atlanta the amazing cultural hub that it is.
DG: Talk to me about the different kinds of performances you've done with Dad's. How are tv gigs different from corporate gigs vs. The Tight Acquaintances vs. TheatreSports or PuppyProv?
JQ: I’ve been fortunate to have done a ton of different performances through Dad’s and each one has its own particular form of magic. For instance, DGTV put together a mini web-series on YouTube called The Garage and to this day it is still the most fun I’ve had on a film set. It was inspired by “mumblecore” (where dialogue is improvised around plot points and beats given to the performers) combined with the drama and commitment of shows like The O.C. It’s so dang silly and trying not to break every take was probably the toughest part of filming.
Corporate gigs are wonderful because it’s one of the few times we get to teach improv to people who have never wanted to learn improv. I know it sounds silly on the surface, but there are a ton of lessons and tools that improv teaches us that can improve almost every aspect of our lives. Listening, being present, fostering an environment of collaboration, adapting when things don’t go according to plan—all of these are invaluable and can add not only to our careers, but also our personal interactions.
I always try to calm those hesitant to dive into an improv corp workshop by letting them know the good news: they’ve been improvising every day of their lives. No one wakes up in the morning knowing exactly what they are going to say or do that day. We all figure it out in the moment and sometimes we fail, pick ourselves back up, and try again—that’s all improv is! It’s not about being the funniest in the room, it’s about prioritizing connection over perfection.
The Tight Acquaintances is one of my favorite formats that we do at Dad’s because it combines two of my favorite things: improv and Dungeons & Dragons. Getting to embody a character and make nerdy jokes while creating some very emotionally compelling narrative moments with friends, what more could a guy ask for? D&D is already just improv with math, so the two were made for each other!
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the work we’ve done with Georgia Memory Net in the form of our Improv for Caregivers workshops. Created by Amanda Lee Williams and Dr. Candace Kemp, it’s our way of teaching improv tools to healthcare professionals and individuals taking care of loved ones living with dementia/Alzheimer's. It’s been one of the most rewarding programs to be a part of and we even have a free YouTube playlist so people can have lifetime access to that life-changing information.
I could continue diving into each show we do, but the best way to truly understand the magic is just to see as many different shows as you can. We’ve got something for everyone, and it’s always a hilarious, quality show that only exists for a night.
DG: What's your favorite thing about improv?
JQ: My favorite thing about improv is I don’t have to memorize a thing. It’s so freeing to know I can just walk out on stage with my friends (and sometimes strangers), and have the confidence to know we will be fine. When you’re able to perform at the drop of a hat, it really makes navigating the unpredictability of life a lot more manageable.
Also puns.
DG: What do you hope to do with improv in the future?
JQ: Make a living. I just want to keep performing and make people laugh for as long as I can. If that could single-handedly pay the bills, I’d be all set!
DG: Any personal projects you're working on right now?
JQ: Over the past two years, I’ve been getting more involved in the voice-over industry. It’s been a wonderful journey and my improv background has definitely helped me along the way. Recently, I was even nominated for two awards at this year’s OneVoice Conference and ended up winning their ‘VO Newcomer of the Year’ Award! So while I can’t list specific projects I’m working on (NDAs and whatnot), that’s definitely the field I’m pouring most of my time and talents into at the moment. So, if you need a voice for your future projects, or know someone else who might, feel free to send ‘em my way!
Along with his regular appearances at the Dad’s Garage, you can also catch Joshua performing in a live reading of Invasion: Christmas Carol at Open Jar Studio in New York City on November 3, 2025.
